The Wellness Tea, Herbal Tisane Review--AD

The Wellness Tea

Okay this tea got me at a moment of weakness. I don't accept much tea anymore for review and certainly this isn't the type of tea readers of this blog are looking for. But I suppose we all could use a couple of herbals in the cupboard and mine is especially bare in this regard. I have one box of elderberry tea I purchased at the beginning of the pandemic, and then I have a couple of mint teas for tummy issues. I used to have an extensive herbal collection in my younger days, but fell away from using herbs when I attempted to treat a medical condition and ended up far worse as a result. In proper quantities, herbs can indeed be powerful, but in general they fall far short of modern medical interventions. 

Let me tell you how I got this Wellness Tea. At the end of November my state had the worst coronavirus statistics in the nation for at least two months. One of my childhood friends named Darren is an emergency medical technician who told me how dire the situation was. Darren is actually a birthday buddy to me. We were born on the same day, same year in the same small town hospital. My dad liked to joke he took home the prettier one. Darren's dad joked he took home the smarter one. We grew up on the same street and so I've known him longer than I have known my own siblings. Anyway, he now works in the same hospital that we were born in. He spends time on Facebook using humor and other tactics to push against our high school classmates, many of whom are virus deniers, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. 

Just before Thanksgiving Darren said that all the hospitals on the north central part of the state were full. All the hospitals in the nearby Twin Cities of Minnesota were full. He had a patient lying in a helicopter on the tarmac in full heart failure with nowhere to send this guy for help. After six hours during which time the man could have died, Darren finally found a bed in Duluth, MN, a three hours drive away and flew the patient there. 

The next week I got an email from someone at The Wellness Tea asking if I wanted a package of their tea for review. Normally that would be a no, but I took a look. I noticed this tea contains herbs to address inflammation and congestion, as well as generally comforting tonic type spices and roots. So hey, I was offered a free bag and I took it. All I have to do is review the tea. If you're not interested, certainly feel free to X out of the post now. 

For any degree of effectiveness, generally herbs need to be in therapeutic quantities, and there is no way a teaspoon size portion of herbs will treat anything. At best this tea will be a soothing tonic. On the plus side, the tea is made in the USA and is certified USDA Organic. The ingredients of interest are Ashwagandha Root and Astragalus. Ashwagandha root is an evergreen type shrub used as an anti-inflammatory among other things. Astragalus can be used for upper respiratory infections and asthma. You can buy quantities of these herbs plain, but I don't suggest that because Astragalus grown in the US can contain selenium, and it can also upset the stomach if taking too much. This Wellness Tea contains a small amount of the herb, and also chamomile and ginger would negate any tummy effect. 

The rest of the ingredients in the tea are mainly tonic herbs, except for elderberry which can work as an anti-viral, it binds to viruses preventing attachment onto cells. I keep elderberry for this reason. It can't hurt and a tea made from it is pleasant. 

I brewed one teabag in the suggested 8 ounces of boiling water (236 ml) for five minutes. Generally chamomile and lemon balm are steeped in boiling water, but the roots in this preparation really should be boiled to extract the benefits. If I were sick and taking this I'd probably boil the teabag on the second steeping. 

The tea tastes strongly of chamomile along with cinnamon and turmeric. Dandelion root is a little acrid and I can taste that. The turmeric is probably responsible for the slightly cloudy brew. I added a dash of maple syrup to cover the acrid dandelion root and overall make the tea a bit more pleasant, but it's not bad. Anyone disliking herbal tea however will probably not find anything to like in terms of flavor. 

Overall the tea is comforting and produces warmth in the chest and throat. It would be very soothing for anyone recovering from coronavirus or another chest cold. The herbs are positive for the immune system which may not help if yours is in overdrive. I can't see any reason to drink this as a regular tonic because the roots are fairly selective and you don't need them as a daily supplement although some herb heads might argue that. 

For a "coronvirus tea" I certainly can't find anything more specific than this at my local grocery, and I don't have access to an herbal apothecary. So it's a welcome addition to my cupboard just in case. I haven't been sick this year except for a couple of mild colds. I'm hoping I can hold out until the vaccine. At the end of December, my friend Darren posted a photo of himself getting the vaccine, and honestly I cried a little. We're older and I am just glad to know the virus won't take him, and he will continue to work at the hospital where we were born.

The Wellness Tea is a little pricey at $29 for 30 teabags, but if you don't have anything like this on hand for colds and so forth, it might be worth a look. You can get 20% off with code TWT20.