15 Best Herbs For a Delectable Tea Herb Garden

If you want to bring some healing, grounding earth energy into your garden, you should plant herbs.

Herbal gardens are low maintenance, easy to start and excellent as companion plants. Many herbs have medicinal properties that make them a powerhouse from the garden to your teacup.

Depending on the herb, herbal tea can be made with leaves, flowers, seeds, or even roots. Most herbs retain their potency even when they are dried and stored.

To make herbal tea, all you need to do is mix crushed (fresh or dried) herbs with boiling water, and then let the mix steep for a few minutes to extract the tea.

If you want to be fancy, add a couple of chairs and some shade to your designated tea herb garden. You can enjoy a cup of fragrant tea outdoors or on your balcony - especially in the morning, the best time to harvest herbs.

These are the most common tea herbs for your garden and their benefits:

1. Lavender

Lavender is known for its relaxing properties, and it also alleviates headaches and tension. A cup of floral, fragrant lavender tea might just be what you need for a relaxing sleep, especially if you're an insomniac. Lavender also smells divine as an addition to your garden or dry and pressed in your closet.

Plant lavender in full sun and keep a regular watering schedule so it can thrive.

2. Mint

Mint is one of the more common tea herbs, with many documented medicinal uses. Mint is most commonly used for clearing up a stuffy nose during a cold, and dry sprigs can even be used to scent your clothes and house.

There are many varieties of mint to choose from, all with different added tastes and scents.

Mint is a crawling and invasive plant, so make sure you don't put it together with your other plants or it will take over your garden! Plant mint in containers with enough room for it to spread.

3. Calendula

The yellow blooms of calendula make it a stunning addition to any garden, but the benefits of this herb go well beyond aesthetics. Calendula is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent and a great addition to DIY skincare mixes.

The plant can also be used to make homemade salves for minor burns, bruises, and insect bites, in addition to brewing a flavorful tea for digestive issues. As an added perk, calendula will attract beneficial insects to your garden.

4. Chamomile

Chamomile plants have yellow-and-white daisy-like flowers, and a unique, fruity smell. Chamomile tea has been widely recognized for its calming properties, which are ideal for relaxing at night.

Chamomile flowers are just as effective as the leaves for inducing a calm state. Give chamomile plants sandy soil, lots of water and lots of direct summer sun.

5. Ginger

Have a cold? Crush some ginger roots or leaves into your tea and feel your airways open with every sip. Ginger goes great with marinade for meat or fish, in soups and stews.

Ginger is so easy to plant with a high success margin. Just give it moist soil and indirect sunlight and harvest frequently.

6. Lemon Verbena

For generations, lemon verbena tea has been used as a folk remedy for colic, diarrhea, and other stomach troubles. It’s also great for managing symptoms of a cold (sore throat, chills, cough, etc).

You can also take lemon verbena tea just before bed if you have trouble sleeping. Lemon verbena is rich in melatonin, making it a great sedative and tension-releasing tea.

7. Jasmine

Jasmine flowers have long been used in medicines and other remedies, so it’s not surprising that jasmine tea is bursting with beneficial antioxidants. Jasmine plant has been used to manage liver problems and chronic abdominal pain. It is also used for relaxation and in cancer treatment. Jasmine tea is a better alternative for weight loss than many “detox” teas in the market today.

8. Stevia

You've probably heard of Stevia as a sugar alternative for diabetics; it’s not called “candyplant” for nothing. This plant is sweeter than cane sugar, but with zero calories! You can plant Stevia if you live in a warm area with hardiness zones 9-11 and get the sweet benefits right in your daily teacup. Mix stevia with other herbs for a sweet cup of herbal tea.

9. Thyme

Thyme leaves and flowers are perfect drying herbs and store for a long time. You can crush the leaves into your tea, or add it to our cooking for that fragrant herbal scent. People with stomach problems will appreciate a cup of thyme tea as it calms the stomach and helps with nausea.

A lesser-known use of thyme is to tenderize meat.

10. Marjoram

You should note the differences between marjoram and oregano: the taste, which is milder, slightly sharp and a little bitter, is not the same as oregano. Marjoram tastes similar to thyme, but it is sweeter and has a more intense scent.

As a tea herb, marjoram has so many benefits. It is used to relieve the symptoms of painful menstruation and PCOS. The herb is also useful as an anti-inflammatory, such as for those who suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure.

11. Lemon Balm

This plant might be called “lemon balm”, but it is a part of the mint family. Lemon balm is a perennial herb that has long been linked with improvement in mood and cognitive function. The tea of freshly harvested lemon balm leaves gives off a citrusy, minty smell and taste that makes it very unique.

Lemon balm tea promotes relaxation and calm, clear thoughts. It is also used to manage chronic anxiety and insomnia.

12. Rosemary

Rosemary plant's fragrant, spike-like leaves are popular in Mediterranean cooking, but they also make a very potent tea. Rosemary tea is high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, which makes it great for the long-term management of chronic diseases with inflammatory symptoms. It’s also said to lower blood pressure, improve eye health and lower blood sugar.

13. Sage

Sage is a wide name for a genus of herbs in the mint family, including the common sage and garden sage. Sage has an earthy, distinct smell that carries over into tea. The best sage tea is made from dried leaves, as they are more potent.

Sage is rich in nutrients, especially vitamin K, and loaded with antioxidants your body needs to fight off diseases. What’s more, a regular sage tea habit might just be the best thing for your oral health, promoting the production of beneficial oral microorganisms and destroying the bad ones that cause cavities, odor and tooth decay.

14. Fennel

Fennel tea helps with digestive problems like bloating, gas, and stomach cramps. It has also been used to help in breast milk production as a folk remedy.

15. Hibiscus

The large, red flowers of the hibiscus plant are very common - and a beautiful sight to see, but this plant is more than an ornamental addition to your garden.

If you haven’t already, get into hibiscus tea! The part of the hibiscus plant that protects and supports the flower is called the calyx. The dried calyces are used to make hibiscus tea, which is beneficial for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and helps in faster weight loss. You can toss a handful of the tea leaves into your regular smoothies too.

Hibiscus calyces brew a deep, red tea that can also be used as a natural dye.

16. Catnip

If you're a plant momma with cats, your fur babies will go crazy over your catnip patch.

Catnip tea alleviates headaches and insomnia and has been used for decades by people going through nicotine withdrawal to help with their symptoms. It's a mild sedative and is also used to manage diarrhea, and recommended for calming anxiety. The tea has a taste similar to mint, but with earthier tones.

Catnip grows in a wide variety of soil, so far as it gets enough sun in well-draining sandy soil.

17. Basil

Apart from playing a lead role in your pesto, basil is a great tea herb. There are many varieties of this plant, but their most common are sweet basil, Genovese basil and lemon basil. basil contains compounds that help to improve breathing and promote rapid healing from common cold and flu symptoms.

18. Lemongrass

Lemongrass has been used for centuries to flavor teas, soups and stews. Planting a patch of lemongrass is also a sure way of repelling many flying insects like whiteflies and mosquitoes from your garden.

19. Cilantro

Did you know that cilantro and carrots are from the same family? The whole plant is the coriander plant, but the leaves are called cilantro.

All parts of the cilantro plant are edible, but cilantro tea is most commonly made from the leaves. The tea has many benefits like detoxifying the body and was said to have life-extending properties in ancient times. Whether that’s true or not, cilantro tea is a refreshing addition to your herbal tea collection.

20. Moringa

Though technically not a herb, moringa makes this list because of its many benefits and ease of growing. Though it prefers warmer climes, you can grow a bonsai moringa tree indoors in a container.

Moringa tea is gotten from the dried leaves and pods of the moringa plant and is an excellent caffeine alternative with extra health benefits. Moringa is rich in antioxidants & vitamins, aids in digestion and weight loss, and even boosts libido. It’s also been noted to give relief to people living with asthma and boost blood cell production in anemic patients. The benefits of this tea seem endless!

Brew your cup of moringa tea with other herbal teas for an extra punch, or add the powder to your healthy smoothies.