What Is Herbal Tea?

Herbal tea vs true tea

Herbal tea, also called a tisane, is the infusion of plants other than Camellia sinensis. It looks and is prepared like tea, but it is not tea. True teas (green, black, white and oolong) come from Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas are made by infusing seeds, dried leaves, nuts, grasses, bark, flowers, fruit or other botanical ingredients. [1] Green tea has its own guide in Herbs & Botanicals.

Caffeine

A review states that unlike other types of tea, herbal teas do not contain caffeine. [1] That holds for a pure single-herb infusion, but blends can include true tea or other caffeine sources, so read the ingredient list. Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a different drink; we cover it as a related drink, not a caffeine-free herbal tea. A "caffeine-free" claim on a blend still needs the ingredient list.

Infusion, decoction, maceration

The EU defines a herbal tea as one or more herbal substances prepared as an aqueous preparation by decoction, infusion or maceration, made immediately before use. [2] See How preparation works for the definitions and times.

Culinary drink or medicinal preparation?

Many herbal teas began as medicines and became everyday drinks. [1] A tea, a concentrated extract and a capsule differ in composition and amount. Research on one preparation does not carry over to another; see Extracts & tinctures and Research.

Why preparation matters

Making tea in a tea bag is a form of maceration (soaking plant material in a liquid), the same basic process used to make tinctures, but with water instead of alcohol. [3] Solvent, time and plant part all change what ends up in the liquid. We do not publish one universal steeping method for all herbs; follow instructions made for the specific product, because the right method depends on the plant part and we have not verified methods for every herb.

Species and plant parts

Chamomile flowers, dandelion root and dandelion leaf, and licorice root are examples of the same plant giving different teas. Check the Latin name and plant part. [4][5]

Related pages

Teas with guides · Safety · Comparisons