One reason people are enchanted with the idea of growing thier own herbs is because they are so useful. Some flowers have herbal qualities, even if we don't grow them for that reason. Cornflower, for instance, makes a mild diuretic when in a tisane. The famous detective, Hercule Poirot, that Agatha Christie invented, always drank a tisane. He would even try to order it in bars, but never with any luck and would revert to wine as a choice.

Tisanes are drunk for various reasons, depending on how you feel on a given day. If you intend to eat to your heart's content on major holidays, you may consider having a tisane to aide digestion afterward. A peppermint tisane would serve this purpose. If you are retaining a lot of water due to high salt intake, a mild diuretic tisane of Cornflowers will help you eliminate the excess water in your tissues. If you just want an overall body cleansing, try a tisane of heather, which cleanses the kidneys and bladder. Borage is used in tisanes to treat fevers and respitory problems. Though there are many ways to utilize the healing properties of herbs for just about any ailment known to man, a tisane is one of the easiest and most comforting and effective ways to imbibe the herb.

To make a tisane, gather your herb of choice early in the morning, preferably before the sun is on it. You can use the flowers, leaves and stems of the herb. Chop it up roughly and throw it into a pot of boiling water, about one cup of chopped herbs to one quart of water. Boil for exactly 3 minutes and let steep off the fire for another 3 minutes. Strain into cups and drink up.

Tisanes are best used immediately. They can be drunk cool or cold, but never reheat a tisane, as it destroys the oils that heal. If you have leftover tisane, use it to water house plants or throw it all in the composter.

Tisanes can be made just for the pleasure of drinking the flavors. You may want to try various blends to find one that suits your taste-buds to a T. One good mixture is: Meadowsweet, linden, peppermint and cornflower. Of course, if you do not have those particluar plants, make up your own recipe. You can make a tisane out of any herb. Try lavender, St. John's-wort, Dandelion leaves and flowers, culinary herbs like Coriander, Hyssop, etc.

Coriander	Hyssop