Buying fresh produce and herbal teas: Part II

A while back, I got one of those fundraiser mass-mailings from the Swiss Anti-Cancer League - the kind where they include a little publication that they ask you to pay for by way of a donation.

The booklet is in French, and (translated) it’s called Discover the Virtues of 15 Teas and Infusions.

Beautifully produced, it is also a mine of information. Take these condensed examples:

Chamomile, camomille, Kamille. Effective against tummy trouble, colds and fever. Gargling with this tea calms inflamed gums.

Fennel, fenouil, Fenchel. For digestion problems; also helps nursing mothers produce milk.

Linden (aka lime) blossom, fleurs de tilleul, Lindenblüten. Soothes sore throats; added to bath water it is a relaxant.

Orange blossom, fleurs d’oranger, Orangenblüten. For a good night’s sleep: drink two cups about a half hour before retiring for the night.

St John’s Wort, millepertuis, Johanniskraut. Drunk regularly, it has proven effective in countering low-grade depression and anxiety.

The booklet also extols the virtues of black tea (improves concentration, and effectively counters diarrhea) and green tea (can help prevent cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and cavities in your teeth), but that’s an aside since herbals are our topic here.

Where to find herbal teas in Switzerland?

1. Pharmacies and drugstores.

Seek out pharmacies that are also herbalists, i.e. pharmacies herboristeries or Heilkräuter-Apotheken, if you wish more unusual teas or do not wish to buy teabags. Regular pharmacies and drugstores usually only carry teabags, such as the Sidroga range, as do health food stores.

2. Tea sections of supermarkets and grocery stores.

The former may stock Ricola Instant Herb Teas and herbal tea bags in the tea section, and other brands of herbal teas in the natural health products section if they have one.

3. Check out street markets and farm stores - some local farmers produce organic herbal teas.

For locally produced teas and teas from the herbalist, you’ll need a stainless steel mesh infuser, pot or cup size, although for a cup I find a spoon infuser easier mainly because it’s quicker to empty the tea out of when you’re washing up.

Some of my favorite teas include the refreshing organic mint tea produced by Rostal in Valais (that line of tea bags is available at Aligro, Manor and Migros), an excellent digestive. To clear the throat, thyme tea is amazingly effective. I like the thyme tea mixed with aniseed, linden blossoms, licorice root, and rose hip peel produced by Bad Heilbrunner. This tisane médicinale (Arzneitee) in tea bag form is distributed in Switzerland by Coop.

Herbal teas including fruit teas have become quite the trend, also for foreign manufacturers, so you will see things like Twinings “Cleanse”, “Revitalise”, “Tranquility” and “Digestif” teabags in most assortments, and of course the Celestial Seasonings range. There is also a “new generation” of Swiss herbals in this mold.

Taking their references from ancient Indian medical traditions are Yogi Teas.

I have tried and would recommend many of these teas, but they are not the subject here: Swiss herbals - and their long tradition in a society that has always been very keen on natural healers and natural healing and prevention methods - are. For the benefits outlined in the booklet I talked about at the start of this article, I recommend sticking to the coddly, old-fashioned ones.

Drink herbal teas wisely, i.e. in moderation, and don’t think they can replace a visit to the doctor if it turns out that’s what you need because they can’t.

Illustration of St. John’s Wort courtesy of Sidroga AG, 4800 Zofingen, Switzerland.