Herbal electrolytes with peach and a sweet sun tea
Image above: Peach sun tea in a mason jar with pink-sorrel blooms
Hey friends, hope you are staying hydrated in the intense heat many of us are experiencing this summer. Dehydration is a lot more common than one might think, whether from overexposure to sun, sweating from exercise or heat, diarrhea, etc, and when exerting energy often we need more than water. A quick way to hydrate well and replenish electrolytes is to mix the tiniest pinch of salt and a splash of citrus or vinegar into a glass of water. Dress it up or down with supportive herbs - think an herbal oxymel, herbal infusion, herbal honey, herbal salt.
Just a few ideas:
Nutritive: nettles, raspberry leaf, red clover, dandelion, oatstraw
Anti-inflammatory: rooibos, calendula, oatstraw, sorrel/hibiscus, violet, nettles
Refrigerant or cooling: mint, lemon balm, rose, violet, sorrel/hibiscus
Nervine: linden, mimosa, lavender, rose, mint, tulsi, chamomile
Add some frozen fruit to your beverages for added nutrients and a nice flavor profile for folks sensitive to herbal tastes!
Peach season has arrived in NC, and it wasn’t until I moved to the southeast that I looked into the history of this beloved plant. Native to China, peach moved to the west by trade route, and was eventually brought (with disease, massacre, and catholicism) by spanish colonizers to the what’s now the American South. Here the plant quickly spread, and was recognized as food and remedy to both Native Americans and enslaved Africans. And the story continues. Cameron Ogelsby writes, “The peach was a tertiary crop during the antebellum period. Despite the fruit’s significance to many Black people, the South was too preoccupied with the production and sale of cotton and the institution of slavery to create a significant industry out of this fruit. But with emancipation and the “death” of the free labor system that powered the cotton industry, plantation owners in the South were looking for a new, less contentious cash crop. The peach was an easy pick.” I highly recommend reading more from this piece: How the Georgia Peach Replaced Cotton Farming and Chattel Slavery.
Peach is a beautiful aromatic plant that’s cooling, moistening, and is specific to relieving heated and irritated conditions. It’s perfect for a day like today. Learning more about the stories of humans and peaches in just the last 500 years, I think about all the ways I, like many herbalists before and alongside me, have worked with Peach to bring sweetness and nourishment to the most bitter times in life. The parallels make my heart ache, and underscore the importance of practicing herbalism in ways that honor those whose care, labor, and knowledge systems have been crucial to how we access plant medicine today.
Here’s an herbal, electrolyte-replenishing sweet tea recipe just for you - with peach, rooibos, and your mint of choice.
Herbal Peach Sweet (Sun) Tea
Sun teas are a joy to make with kids of all ages, and the perfect treat to replenish nutrients after a few sweat-covered hours outside, and any electrolyte blend can be helpful to those taking the streets escalating for a free world.
Ingredients:
1 fresh or frozen peach fruit, chopped
Handful chopped fresh mint, or a tablespoon dried
3 Tbsp dried Rooibos
Brown sugar to taste
Pinch of salt
Optional: Lemon to taste
Directions:
Add mint, rooibos, sugar, peach, and salt to a quart-sized glass mason jar and fill to the top with water. Cap the jar and steep a few hours in the sun. Taste for sweetness, and strain out the herbs and fruit. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Herbal infusions will last up to 1 week refrigerated.
Image above: Screenshot from Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran