What is All the “To Do” About Tea?

The history around tea is vast and spans centuries. Tea was often used as a “currency” for trade and has been bartered for centuries.

Where does it all begin? Who thought up the idea of brewing tea leaves? It was a happy accident! According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.

What is your favorite tea? Do you know how it is harvested, how it is grown or what beneficial properties it has?

Many different types of tea, such as white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea and pu-erh tea, all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. (Do you recognize this from the history?)  The type of tea produced from this plant depends entirely on the way the leaves are processed after harvesting.

Tea “rituals” abound throughout the world. The British Empire long thought that the sun would never set on all the lands it controlled. The English were big tea fans and the love of drinking tea is well established and practiced because they traversed the world and left their tea legacy in many different countries.

It is common in countries that have British influence to routinely brew tea. A visitor to one’s home is immediately made welcome by the homeowner starting the tea and setting out biscuits to enjoy together.

The medicinal qualities of tea are also well known. Can’t sleep? Brew Chamomile tea. Upset stomach? Brew Peppermint or Ginger tea. The list for this goes on far too long for this article.  You can go to WebMD for further research to find a tea that helps you heal and feel good.

Well, I am off to brew some Sleepytime tea so I can sleep well and wake up refreshed. How about you? Care to join me in some delicious tea and good sleep?  

Written by Dr. Stephanie Stanfield who has a private practice in Glenwood Springs and enjoys drinking tea with her friends. You can find Dr. Steph at www.makingshiftshappen.com and on her weekly podcast at Blogtalk Radio.

How About a Good Cuppa?

The holidays are over?  No, not for our minds or bodies they aren’t.

The effects of stress don’t end when the stressors do.  And, the stressors haven’t ended!  There is the whole process of taking down and putting away the decorations; all of the January 1st chores like changing calendars, closing out 2015; thank you notes to write; AND January is typically the coldest month of our year.

While all these are normal for this time of year, they are also stressors – they generate stress.  (By the way, stress is defined as an organism’s reaction to its environment.  So, basically, that’s everything.)  The challenge to dealing with stress is to reduce it where we can, and nurture our Spirit, Mind and Body to help keep ourselves in good health.

The very best way is to NURTURE our Selves.  Primarily, that means – RELAX.  A cup of tea is one of the very best ways I know to do both of these.

The relaxing begins with the ritual of preparing tea.  Taking a moment to choose the tea that will feel just right, getting out all of the accompaniments that will make it perfect for you – honey, milk, lemon, perhaps a small snack to go with the tea.  Imagine, sitting with your hands wrapped around a warm cup. Feels good, doesn’t it?  Imagine the relaxing smell – you get to pick your favorites!  Feel the warm liquid warming your mouth and throat. YESSSSS!

When you use herbal teas, you bring a complexity to your experience.  You not only get the benefits of ingesting the herb, you also use aromatherapy by just smelling the fragrance.

Here are a few of my favorite teas

Need an energy boost along with your relaxing moments?  Try green tea.  The stronger you brew it, the more caffeine.

Chamomile is beneficial for anxiety, depression and digestion.  What a cool bunch of benefits – tastes good too.

Licorice is a soothing agent that helps digestion, acid reflux and indigestion – all of which go along with stress.

Pomegranate/Hibiscus - Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and promotes good heart health.  Hibiscus studies show it may help lower blood pressure and reduce high cholesterol.  Together, they just taste good!

How do you choose which one your Spirit is asking for?  For me, it is simple.  I open the tea drawer and choose the first one that catches my attention.  You can absolutely trust your higher knowing to choose the perfect tea for the moment.

So, brew a cuppa.  Play with the process.  Most of all, have FUN.

Carmen Iacino is an energy healer, psychotherapist and spiritual adventurer.  He is committed to living in Love and JOY and can be reached at 970-309-3467,  carmeniacino@earthlink.net,  or www.embraceascension.com

BLAB - Is It Right for Your Business?

Listen & Watch below as Kimberly Henrie and Dr. Stephanie Stanfield discuss the ways that Blab might increase your exposure to new and existing clientele and help you educate your clients, community and the general population.

Some of the points made include:

• Blab is LIVE and Open to the public - you'll reach outside your existing client list
• It is an easy way to record video and make it available for replay via your website, email list, social media etc.
• Great for Q & A discussions
• Great for Panel discussions
• Great for Webinar-style broadcasts and educational formats
• It's FREE and very simple to set up.
• You'll want to have fairly new computer, smartphone or tablet with video capabilities
• Practice by visiting some other Blabs first before hosting your own
• When you are ready to host your own Blab, have a 2nd person on as co-host to help keep the conversation rolling.

January is Hot Tea Month

Even a committed coffee lover (like me) can find a certain peace and comfort in sitting down with a cup of hot tea.  For many of us, it takes us back to mom serving us a warm mug when we were feeling unwell.  For others, it may bring memories of sharing a cup with grandma or another loved one on a cold winter's day.  Most among us can come up with a warm memory associated with a cup of hot tea.

In addition to the feel good, warm & fuzzy feelings that boost our mood and make us feel connected to more than ourselves, there are many cited health benefits of tea.  

The New York Times reports that tea is good for your liver:

 ...studies including more than 800,000 participants have looked at the association between tea and liver disease. Those who drank tea were less likely to have hepatocellular carcinoma, liver steatosis, liver cirrhosis and chronic liver disease. 

And, it eases depression: 

11 studies with almost 23,000 participants found that for every three cups of tea consumed per day, the relative risk of depression decreased 37 percent.

And heart health:

...drinking an additional three cups of tea a day was associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease (27 percent), cardiac death (26 percent), stroke (18 percent), total mortality (24 percent), cerebral infarction (16 percent) andintracerebral hemorrhage (21 percent). 

Tea is a more complex subject than you might think.  For example, this article, 13 Reasons Tea is Good for you, outlines the differences between tea and what we call herbal tea, as well as addressing the complexities of black, white and green teas. 

So the next time you are feeling blue, unwell or are looking for alternative ways to manage symptoms or chronic illness, you might reach for a cup of tea.  Which kind is up to you.... when it comes to hot tea, the options are seemingly endless and the internet is a wealth of information.


Kimberly Henrie is a coffee and tea lover that has many warm associations with hot beverages.  She is a yoga/fitness teacher, radio personality and local business owner who can put you in touch with some quality teas and fair trade organic coffees.  You can reach her at kimhenrie@vitalityforlife.com or by calling 970-930-1242.