Herbal Tea 

  

     Man’s first medicine was herbal. Herbs grow all round us both in the town and the country. Few of us realise how valuable are the properties of these common weeds. If one look more closely in the garden , field or forest one could see the richness that our country possesses in her natural vegetation. Ayurveda pays a great deal of attention to man’s Daly diet. Almost everyone who lived in ancient Sri Lanka knew something about the curative value of herbs. At least one item of diet was a herb.
 Long before tea was introduced into Sri Lanka , people were used to drinking herbal tea. Even today, we still find herbal plant boiled and brewed and taken as a drink. Some of most common are polpala(Aerva lanata) Ranawara-(Cassea Auriculata),and Beli flowers(Agle marmelos)Gotukola(Centella asiatica) dried and cut in to 

small pieces can be poured like tea.This is a very popular drink among many. It is remedy for worm diseases in children. It is very common plant which could be grown in pots as an indoor plant.This drink enriches the appetite in children. It is a very effective herbal tea for those who suffer from hay fever and Catarrh.Mugunuwenna (Alternanthera sessilis) is a common weed used in curry form.This weed is also used as a drink, 

prepared in the same form as Gotukola.This is a herbal tea that cool the system and clears urinary complaints.
 Aswanna(Alysicarpus Vaginalis) is another herb which is used often in Ayurveda . Prepared as a tea, this helps the balance of unbalanced watha, and helps to reduce rheumatic pain.