Editing Herbal tea (section)

== Composition and usage ==
{{See also|List of plants used in herbalism|List of culinary herbs and spices}}
[[File:LE POINT DE VUE11n4000.jpg|thumb|Herbal tea in a glass [[teapot]] and [[Teacup|cup]]]]
Herbal teas can be made with any part of a plant, including fresh or dried [[Flower|flowers]], [[fruit]], [[Leaf|leaves]], stems, seeds or [[Root|roots]]. These parts may be steeped fully raw (as picked) or processed in some way (such as drying, roasting, crushing, tearing / cutting, steaming, etc.). 

[[file:Herbal tisanes for several ailments on sale at the Central Market, Port Louis, Mauritius.jpg|thumb| Herbal tisanes being sold in [[Mauritius]] as medicines for various diseases]]
Herbal infusions may be made by pouring hot or [[boiling]] water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a period of time. The infusion temperature and time can vary depending on the type of plant part used and their properties. For example, some plant parts are covered in oils which may take some time to separate. [[Cold brew tea|Brewing with cold water]] will take much longer as well, usually several hours. 

An herbal tea may be strained or not (as with [[Mate (drink)|mate]] where a special straw called a [[bombilla]] is used for drinking). 

Some herbal teas are blends which include various different herbs or plant parts. Herbal infusions may also be sweetened, spiced, salted, or combined with other additives, like milk or lemon juice. 

Some herbal teas are also infused in [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]], either for medicinal purposes or to make an herbal [[liquor]].

Herbal teas are commonly used in [[Herbal medicine]] and in traditional medical cultures, like Indian [[Ayurveda]] and [[Traditional Chinese medicine]]. Many ancient and medieval [[Herbal|Herbal texts]] contain evidence for the use of various herb infusions throughout human history. Various herbal teas have been promoted throughout history as [[Traditional medicine|folk remedies]] for various diseases and in some cultures they retain their status as local folk cures. 

Many companies produce herbal [[tea bag]]s for such infusions or sell bottled herbal teas.

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File:Zingiber Ginger Coconut Rooibos - Teavana tisane.jpg|This retail mixture contains [[rooibos]], [[coconut]], [[ginger]], [[cinnamon]], [[apple]], [[cardamom]], [[black pepper]] and [[almond]].
File:Elderberries.jpeg|Dried [[Sambucus|elderberries]] ready to be [[Steeping|steeped]] into tea
File:2016 1212 Coffee blossom tea.jpg|Coffee blossom tea
File:Mr. Ollivanders Magic Potion fruit tisane.jpg|[[Apple]], [[rose hip]]s, [[orange (fruit)|orange]] [[zest (ingredient)|zest]], [[papaya]], [[peppermint]], [[liquorice]] root, [[cymbopogon|lemon grass]], [[cinnamon]], [[blackcurrant]]s, [[rose]] and [[Malvaceae|mallow]] blossoms
</gallery>