WHY TISANE?

Mia and I were asked this very question repeatedly while vending at various farmers markets this past summer... the answer just flowed freely! Tisane (pronounced te'zan) is a term used to describe an herbal infusion not made from 'tea' (caffeine containing) leaves. Tisanes can be infused from a single herb, or a blend of herbs that are chosen specifically for their complement to one another in taste, 'wellness benefits', or both. As tisanes generally do not contain caffeine they have a much different effect on our bodies than teas. Caffeine is one of those substances that happens to be classified as a 'drug'. This article is not about the effects of caffein on the human body, nor is it about 'drug' classifications. Mia and I were coffee connosieurs, passionately sourcing different coffee's from around the world and fully enjoying them... Mia still does! I, on the other hand chose to eliminate caffeine from my diet after being diagnosed with stage four Crohn's disease. I still absolutely love the scent of fresh ground or brewed coffee and simply love watching Mia sip hers with dreamy eyes! Tisane has become my personal go-to and the reasons for that have grown far beyond necessity! So, let's get into the warmth of it then!

Sipping hot Tisane for two!

Some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood were drinking home-crafted Tisanes with my Ukrainian Baba. For me, the actual drinking was a culmination of steps that began almost half a year prior. You see, my Baba believed that it served humanity better if she helped to raise a child who later in life wouldn't need to go to a store to buy 'трав'яний чай' (herbal tea). As a youngster, in late March I would help my Baba pot seeds indoors for the many different herbs and vegetables that she grew in her beautiful half acre garden. We would transplant the seedlings out into the gardens once the danger of frost was over, and throughout the summer I would help her tend her gardens, weeding, singing to the plants, pruning, and generally loving every minute of it! Late summer through fall I would help harvest, bundle, and hang-to-dry a multitude of herbs and produce. Once dry, I would 'help' (as much as a young child can) to process the herbs in various ways and bottle them in Mason jars. She had many jars full of dried herbs in her basement apothecary... my most fun place to be! Then, by the time frost hit the air and the crunch of snow began to cover the ground there were certainly more than enough choices to make for a tasty single herb or blended Tisane! The sweetest moments were spent snuggled in my Baba's lap sipping a warm peppermint tea that I knew I had a big part in creating from seed to mug! Why am I sharing this?

That's my story with Tisanes at a very early age. Childhood too quickly transformed to youth, then teen years, and the rat-race of life kicked in. I went off to school and to learn how to become a productive tax paying member of society. My Baba passed in her nineties, and the world went on. I miss her dearly. However, the habits and possibilities to which children are introduced during their formative years linger on. At some point in life there may be a catalyst that sparks these to re-emerge! My Baba had a vast knowledge of herbs and mushrooms and their potential 'wellness' abilities. Unfortunately most of this passed with her... except what I clearly remember and the life-long, life-altering passion for these things which she was instrumental in planting within my very soul. Later in my life I have been faced with near-death experiences and life changing diseases which I have chosen to work through using as many natural modalities and methods as I can. A big part of that came from nature herself. A big part of that remains the consumption of a variety of home-crafted Tisanes which are carefully blended to help with whatever ails! So from young child through to adult and into my later years, healing by nature has prevailed. The innate joy of drinking Tisanes lies deep within my core. We all have our own stories, our own passions. Lets take a broader look at how Tisanes may become a part of every day living in the 21st Century!

Drying herbs

It's no longer a secret that our grocery stores are packed full of processed foods that may be injurious to our wellbeing at best! To be honest, it's super difficult to find a 'healthy' person these days! Most people we chat with are very eager to share what ails them, and the lists are extensive. Many of these wonderful souls are looking for natural alternatives to what they're being prescribed. People are sharing with us that they realize one prescription eventually turns into another in order to mitigate side-effects of the first, and so-on! Our society has a socialized tendency to turn very quickly to pharmaceuticals to mask symptoms and be able to 'carry on'. Our fast-paced lives demand this of us! Many of the listed side-effects of these 'medicines' won't show up for years, and then we repeat the cycle! Someone once told me that the definition of insanity was, "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!". Healing takes time... time is something that has become very scarce in our demanding daily, hectic lives. Work, traffic, bills, debts, steadily increasing costs of living... BAM, enter something as simple as tisane! Yes, something as simple as enjoying a nice warm organic peppermint tisane every day can make a huge difference in our lives. Search the health benefits of Mentha piperita (peppermint) and you will be pleasantly surprised. Do it! ...Right! This is my point with all of this. If we choose, we CAN help ourselves in simple, non invasive ways using what Nature provides. That's one example of millions available! Here's some more...

Children are very dear to us. As I have illustrated, habits that we can share with children during their formative years generally stick. It hurts me to see what the average child drinks on a daily basis these days. There are so many beverages that are marketed specifically to children and almost all contain unnatural ingredients as well as sugars, carbonation, and other nasty things. In a world that has began to take notice of 'healthier' products, tisanes just make so much sense, even for children! The available, mass produced foods that are grown on corporate farms in depleted soils with tonnes of chemical fertilizers and other chemicals are mineral and vitamin depleted. An apple a day no longer keeps the doctor away! We offer a vitamin/mineral tisane suitable for adults and children (It can be consumed either hot or cold, as can many of the tisanes we blend). Yes, a tisane containing an assortment of vitamins and minerals that are bioavailable and even tastes yummy! There are literally thousands of natural, organic tisane blends that are used safely in place of chemical/pharma alternatives all over the world... OR, simply curl up in your favourite place with a good book and a mug of your most loved tisane and chill! The warmth and smile that slowly spreads across your being as stress begins to melt away will be worth it! Once we decide to take the time for ourselves and realize how truly gratifying that can be, it's much easier to make that a habit. Stephen Covey suggests that it takes an average of thirty days to create a habit. That's a pretty good marker to keep in mind when setting out to enjoy tisanes. At the same time, please keep in mind that natural healing requires much more patience and time than the immediacy we are used to with pharmaceutical drugs. Healing naturally is an exercise in patience, something our society seems not to encourage. It has become so important to mask symptoms and go back to work! We encourage customers to give tisanes at least a month of consistent consumption to begin to notice a difference. Your body will certainly let you know quite quickly if you have consumed something that does not agree with your consistency. This is also something we should begin to listen to.

Mia and I are very passionate about what we do. We love helping people decide on what tisane to try next. Your reasons are your own. Don't be shy to reach out and ask what tisane from our selection may work best for you and your reasons! We will even create special blends more tailored to unique applications.

Thanks for reading. Please comment on what you got from this article! Wishing you a most awesome day! ...and remember, 'great love affairs may begin with champagne, but almost always end in tisane!'

Mia & Pete