Drinkable Herbs Herbs Historically Used in Making Beverages Common Name Latin Name Uses, Comments ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Anise Hyssop Agastache Anise-scented leaves used fresh or dried in herbal teas (P) foeniculum ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lemon Aloysia Lemon-scented leaves used in herbal teas and drinks Verbena triphylla Culinary – Flavors jellies, breads, muffins; leaves are tough, soak in milk to extract flavor (A) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Absinthe Artemisia Bitter leaves are main ingredient in absinthe, also used to flavor vermouth absinthium and other liquors. Medicinal – Stimulates appetite and improves digestion (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Borage Borago Cucumber flavored; young leaves used in teas, refreshing iced tea in summer officinalis with honey and lemon; flowers garnish drinks; a good ‘pick me up’ (A) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Variegated Calamintha Mint-flavored and scented leaves used in herbal teas (P) Calamint grandiflora ‘Variegata’ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Roman Chamaemelum Flowers and young leaves used to make herbal tea to induce sleep (A) Chamomile nobile ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Meadowsweet Filipendula Almond-scented flowers used to flavor mead, ale, herbal beers, liquors and ulmeria non-alcoholic punches. Medicinal – Useful for flu, gout, rheumatism, arthritis, fever (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bronze Fennel Foeniculum Roots and leaves used to flavor wine. Medicinal – Fennel tea given to infants vulgare dulce for its calming and anti-flatulent properties; aids in digestion (A) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Zinger Hibiscus Hibiscus Dried stems and leaves have vanilla-like odor; essential oils used to flavor sabdariffa beverages; in Poland leaves are used to flavor vodka Medicinal – Tea used to calm windburned and sunburned skin (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sweetgrass Hierochloe Anise-scented leaves used fresh or dried in herbal teas (P) foeniculum ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lemon Balm Melissa Lemon-flavored and scented leaves; lemonades, teas, wines, liquors officinalis Medicinal – Herbal teas used to treat melancholy, headaches, anxiety; also M. officinalis ‘Lime’ is lime flavored, scented (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Apple Mint Mentha Minty-apple flavor; leaves and flowers used in teas, iced beverages; suaveolens refreshing and cooling effect. Medicinal – soothes the stomach, good for congestion and colds. (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jamaican Mint Micromeria Popular in Jamaica, mint flavored leaves viminea Medicinal – Used in teas to relieve indigestion (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Printing courtesy of A = Annual B = Biennial P = Perennial Visit www.GBBG.org for many other valuable resources! Drinkable Herbs Herbs Historically Used in Making Beverages Common Name Latin Name Uses, Comments ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bee Balm Monarda Citrus-scented leaves used fresh or dried; flavoring for the famous Earl Grey didyma tea. Medicinal – Good for coughs, sore throats, nausea (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sweet Cicely Myrrhis odorata Light anise flavor; used to flavor wines, cordials, and non-alcoholic drinks (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cinnamon Basil Ocimum Cinnamon flavor; leaves used in teas, herbal cocktails basilicum Medicinal – Helps digestive problems (A) ‘Cinnamon’ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scented Pelargonium sp. Leaf shapes, colors and scents vary; leaves used in cold beverages and Geranium teas; edible flowers used as garnish; also P. ‘Frensham’ and P. citrodum are lemon scented (A) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum Fresh minty scent, used like spearmint; leaves used in hot or iced tea (P) pilosum ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Elderberry Sambucus nigra Berries high in vitamin C; used in elderberry wine, pies, and jellies; treats cold and flu; virus and bacteria fighter (P) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Costmary/ Tanacetum Eucalyptus-like aroma; leaves used to flavor ale, beer, wine, teas, cold drinks; Alecost balsamita used to preserve ales and beers before hops were used; used in place of mint in iced drinks. Medicinal – Teas help colds, upset stomachs and cramps; also known as bible leaf, leaves were used as bookmarks in Bibles (P) Printing courtesy of A = Annual B = Biennial P = Perennial Visit www.GBBG.org for many other valuable resources!.