Teas Etc

Green Tea Soother

This is a wonderful, all-purpose astringent and an antibacterial solution. It is important to use unflavored teas because perfumes, oils, or flavoring agents might be harsh on minor injuries. This recipe is for a concentrated strength, not drinkable!

1 CUP GREEN TEA
(SUGGESTED GREEN TEAS ARE SENCHA, 
GUNPOWDER, OR LONG JING) 
1 QUART SPRING WATER

Directions

1. Brew tea in spring water either by heating water to 185 F (85 C) and steeping for 20 minutes or pouring room temperature sprig water on the tea and steeping for about an hour.
2. Cool the liquid.
3. Pour into sterilized bottles and refrigerate. It's always best to prepare small quantities and use promptly to assure strongest potency.

USES FOR GREEN TEA SOOTHER:

• Use as a cooling, refreshing bath splash; can be used either at room temperature or chilled.
• Perk up tired feet by splashing them with Green Tea Soother.
• For an anti fungal footbath, pour a quart (liter) of Green Tea Soother into a bucket or shallow pan. Soak your feet for about fifteen minutes. Blot off excess but do not rinse. Cover your feet with fresh white cotton socks (to "lock in" the antiseptic quality of the tea). This is excellent for toe fungus, athlete's foot, or minor irritations of the feet from running, jogging, or standing for long periods of time. It's an ideal way to treat your feet before bedtime, but can be done at any time during the day.
• Use as a mouthwash.
• For minor cuts, rashes and abrasions, saturate a pure cotton pad with Green Tea Soother and apply directly to injury for at least five minutes. Repeat. This can be done up to four times a day. Repeat the next day, if necessary, but you should see healing at the end of the first day.
• To sooth minor sunburn, soak a piece of flannel or cotton cloth in the green tea solution and lay the cloth on the sunburned area. Keep the cloth on for about 15 minutes until the burned area begins to cool.
• To freshen up straightened or tired eyes, soak cotton pads in green tea solution, squeeze out excess, and lay them gently on your eyelids. Let the pad rest on your lids for about ten minutes. Repeat if necessary. This helps to reduce puffiness, red eyes, and eyes fatigued from reading, computer work or other close work.
• Use as a blemish remedy. Rinsing the face with tea has an astringent, healing effect on the skin. Green Tea Soother is great for pimples, but any concentrate extract of green tea will work. Splash on the face or dot on blemishes with pre cotton. Do not rinse; allow the tea to do its work undiluted.