Temple Tea Room

A Short History

Tea, a most ancient and revered beverage, and one of the most misunderstood. Tea has been around ever since humans first learned to boil water. Even the poorest of men could entertain a guest by serving him a cup of tea. Most people are familiar with the simple black tea that often substitutes for coffee. But did you know that tea had a far different purpose than just being served as a beverage at a mid-afternoon party?

Tea not only was used as a means to entertain, but ancient apothecaries prescribed tea as medicine. Chinese medicine consists of several healing practices: the martial arts of Qi Gong and Tai Chi, acupuncture, meditation, and herbal medicine. The Chinese discovered centuries ago that drinking tea on a regular basis kept the body healthy. And not just any tea, the tea would be made from several sources: leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and even seeds.

Here in the western world, herbal medicine had all but nearly died out. Only those few remaining native Americans who still practiced the ways of the Shaman kept that knowledge alive. European herbalism was nearly extinguished by the Church out of fear. Many herbalists were burned at the stake, being declared as witches and devil worshippers. What kept it from dying completely were those who practiced in secret and those who came to the United States to be free of persecution, and even then, the herbalist was not all that safe from harm. The witch-hunts of Salem nearly destroyed the herbalist for good, but what saved the herbalist? What kept western herbalism from dying out of obscurity?

Our own modern medicine surprisingly. Research was done regarding herbs and what made them such a powerful tool for healing. Why were these "weeds" worth keeping? One simple answer, aspirin. A long time ago, someone searched for a cheap painkiller that could be sold over the counter rather than always be prescribed by a doctor. One such person discovered that the inner bark of a certain tree made an excellent painkiller. From that bark acetylsalicylic acid, also known as aspirin, was synthesized. The name of that tree was the White Willow. Ever since then, modern medicine has researched herbs looking for ways to synthesize their components to give us the medicine we take today. But not all synthetic medicines are harmless. Many contain side effects that can be worse than the disease.

You may ask what this has to do with tea. Tea is still a potent way to take medicine if you find that taking the medicines of today harsh and unforgiving. Aspirin is an example of that. Aspirin can be harsh on the stomach and may cause gastric or intestinal upset or bleeding, while the natural salicylic acid found in the leaves of the white willow are just as potent and will not cause such effects. Why is that? That is because white willow does not block prostaglandins, which protects the stomach or intestines. So drink your herbal tea, it just might relieve that headache you've been feeling.

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Sample Teas

If you care to sample some teas, here are a list you will find in the Tea Room. Each is designed for a specific ailment in mind. If you need a tea, the apothecary would be happy to blend you a remedy specifically for you. One note of caution; the apothecary can only recommend, not prescribe. Consult your own physician on this matter if you intend to take the tea as part of your healing regiment, especially those teas that you intent to take for serious illness. Some herbs will react to prescription drugs. It is best to get as much information as possible. An informed patient is one who is active in his or her own healing process.

Please inform the apothecary if you have any allergies. Teas made with certain herbs could be sensitive to others. Herbal teas can help in the healing, but they do not cure everything. They are slow in response to regular prescription drugs. Herbal Teas are considered a food supplement and are not regulated by the FDA. Please use wisely and at your own discretion. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us. Place in the subject line Herbal Question for a quicker response. High priority emails will be answered as quickly as possible.

Each tea comes with instructions on how often you should drink the tea to receive its benefits, a list of ingredients found in the tea, and how long the tea should be steeped. The lists are as follows.

Herbal Remedy Teas

Teas for Your Enjoyment

More blends are always being created so watch this site. We will announce when a new tea has been developed for either your medicinal needs or for just your enjoyment.

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Ordering

Suggested Price

Tea is FREE. A suggested price is added to cover expenses and postage for mailing. Tea comes loose or in tea bags. Please let us know your preference.

Loose Tea (comes in two sizes)
Small: $6.00
Large: $12.00

Tea in Bags
10 Bags $5.00
20 Bags $8.00
50 Bags $12.00
100 Bags $15.00

Custom Sampler
Contains five different teas (5 bags each) $10.00
You can choose which teas you wish to sample.

To order tea click here.

Please include your name and address so we can promptly mail your order to you. All orders are shipped by priority mail.

Please send your check or money order to:

Alisa Joaquin
4910 Schuyler Dr.
Annandale, VA 22003

Mark on the memo line Shaolin East Teas.

If you need a teapot Backwoods Ceramics and Crafts has many different teapots including a set for Tea For One. See their line of products at http://www.backwoodsceramics.com.

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Testimonials

I have been using Alisa's teas on and off for about two years, they have helped me a lot. I dislike having to over medicate with prescription drugs so these teas have been a blessing. I have used the arthritis teas, menstrual teas and relaxing teas and have benefited from them all. Thanks Alisa

Nancy D
Ohio

You may wish to place your own testimonial in the Temple Guestbook, or send an email and your testimonial will be added to the Tea Room.

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Newsletter

To read more about herbs, you can subscribe to our newsletter:

Backyard Medicine Chest (6 issues a year) $15.00
Electronic copies of the newsletter are also available. They are sent as a PDF file that can be read by Acrobat Reader™. If you do not have Acrobat, it can be downloaded free from Adobe.

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