TISANE COLLECTOR
Let’s begin with a personal favorite tisane (pronounced ti-zan) blend: nettle, lemon balm, rose buds, and hemp leaves.
To prepare: boil hot water and pour over herbs. Steep. Drink.
Tisane is the technical term for an herbal blend that is steeped and drunk. Tea must come from the Camellia sinensis tree to earn its distinction. All other combinations of herb-meeting-water can be referred to as tisane.
There are many different ways to acquire what is needed to make an herbal mixture appropriate for tisane, but foraging locally brings with it the greatest rewards. It’s a great way to begin to learn about the local, native plants, and to see an area that may seem familiar as curious and full of new potential.
DISCLAIMER: When foraging be sure to have a plant guide or app to help avoid complications with less welcoming plants. If something is found that seems safe, err on the safe side and perform an allergy test.
After taking in a list of local, edible plants, take a walk around the block. It will quickly become clear that many of the plants regarded as intruders or weeds are actually very beneficial and easy to use.
I currently find myself back in the Midwest, where lemon balm, catnip, dandelion, and ground ivy grow without end. There also happens to be a row of sage plants along the sidewalk surrounding a neighbor’s house. And this is where that little extra reward comes in.
Upon harvesting sage one day, said neighbor came out and started a conversation. Without previously asking for permission, it seemed appropriate to make sure it was alright to harvest his work. A care-free, “You can do what you want,” brought the smiles out. He then reached out with an offer of propagations: plants to take home and care for.
Walking around and harvesting herbs is an opening into conversation. It’s the rarely sought “hello” that many would prefer to walk past. An opportunity to acknowledge the strange and unfamiliar so that next time around it’s recognizable. Then familiar. Then friendly.
Local harvesting led me to a conversation with another neighbor as she de-weeded her lawn. I mentioned how useful and delicious the dandelion flower and root are for tea and what benefits carry along. This opened into an opportunity to harvest the flowers and roots that were headed for compost or garbage, and make a tisane blend.
After cleaning and drying the dandelion roots, catnip and lemon balm were mixed in to complete the blend. A creation sourced within blocks of home and shared. But the exchange didn’t stop there.
This particular neighbor loves cycling. I was unable to bring my bicycle for this trip. So she offered to fill that space with a bicycle of her own.
Natural cycles of taking and giving.
When we source from a plant and harvest it properly, it thrives and grows happier and healthier. It finds joy in providing. And so do we. But there is an important balance to be struck here: providing also comes in the form of taking. In giving someone a destination for the goodness they wish to share.
Much like the trivial mislabeling of a tisane as an herbal tea, sharing can be labeled in so many different ways. As simple as an acknowledgment, or a relationship filled with levels of complexity. Either way, the part we tend to notice is what we choose to share. And how we share it.
Notice these personal cycles and call them what you will.
What matters most, in the end, is actions speaking louder than words.
