The power of a simple smell. Think about the scent of your ivory bath soap in the shower, the lingering scent of your boyfriend’s cologne on your shirt, the smell of a pint full of strawberries not even touched. My favorite, though odd, is the clean dryer sheet odor left on my t-shirts and jeans. I suck in the warmth until it is seemingly gone.But why? Why is smell so important?
Out of all the senses, it has proven to invoke some of the strongest memories. Every time I put on perfume, a collection of experiences while wearing it comes rushing back from some distant crevice of the brain.
Sometimes I want to laugh, sometimes I want to cry, sometimes I just feel sentimental. They revisit last goodbyes, warm summer nights under the stars or deep conversations I never wanted to end.
It’s almost like an emotional healing in a way. The steamy aromas of a hot drink or even broth awaken your sensations and uplift the spirit. There’s something, for me at least, about being able to experience this through the nose and mouth, through smell and taste.
The hot, moist air envelops the nerves in my neck, chest and head, carrying me to a state of relaxation. It’s almost like taking a mental aromatic bath. A peppermint tea reminds me of solitary movie nights with candles and blankets in a cozy apartment, while rich hot chocolate relives those childhood days of winter’s snow to melt off the cold. The gingerbread takes me right back to Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve of a plate full of spicy cookies near the burning fire. I’m sitting with my family in our favorite room in the house.
I’m sure, even if you don’t like tea, there’s one certain warm aroma, whether it be from coffee, soup or even cider that really hits home for you. What are you drinking when you’re sick in bed, which usually brings down your spirits? For me, it’s either a warm bowl of soup or a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
What about the smell of freshly cut basil, ginger or mint from the garden? There’s nothing more refreshing than a vibrant herb. What’s even more appealing about herbs when compared to a simple coffee bean or cocoa bean is they fulfill and renew not only the emotional capacity, but the mental capacity, as well.
So you’re happy and content in reliving those memories, but also alert and ready for the day or, on the other end, soothed and ready for bed. And imagine all the combinations of scents that can come about in tea. Of course, tea is typically advertised as a general medicinal agent, but what if you could pick a tea that was geared toward your specific dietetic needs and metabolism?
Some help you relax and wind down, others boost energy and stimulate the mind, while still others restore an overall healthy body, catering to your individual needs at the same time. You can rest your head in a floral bouquet, cure a hangover to wake yourself up, indulge in deliciously minty milk chocolate steam without inhaling all the calories or stimulate loving feelings with potent aphrodi.
Or imagine even digging into an aromatic cup of Neopolitan ice cream, strawberry chocolate and vanilla all infused into one sip? Yum.
Proprietor of Homegrown Herb and Tea Sarah Richards sells just such teas. She has been running her business in Portland, Maine, for three years using only organic products with absolutely no preservative or additives of any kind. Just like any other product, the closer you get it from the source, the better. Sadly, manufacturing always seems to take away some of the nutrition, so boxed grocery store tea is much more pulverized and processed than Richards’ blends.
According to Homegrown Herb and Tea’s website, the attempt is to keep herbs as whole as possible. The components of a plant- the flowers, seeds, roots and leaves-contain protective resins to hold in medicinal oils that pack not only healing, but flavor.
Her business stands firmly on the belief that natural, homegrown teas reap many more health benefits. The focus is on each individual’s metabolism of an herb, as different bodies are unique. So flip the common phrase around: “It’s not business, it’s personal.”
This mindset originated from an ancient Indian ideal called Ayurvedic healing, with the belief people fall under one of three doshas or biological energies. A deficiency or imbalance of a person’s unique dosha is what causes illness.
Though a seemingly foreign ideal, Richards believed so deeply in it that she quit her job as a teacher with full benefits to pursue a tea apothecary, much to the dismay of her family and friends. As others in her area began to see the health benefits, however, her business only improved.
Such passion for health makes for a fulfilling, memorable life. Why couldn’t we spread the herbal tea message, as well?
For more information on fresh, homegrown herbal tea and Richards’ apothecary, visit the new website. You can step back into those long forgotten memories with just one single smell or just one simple sip of tea.
Kristin Larmore is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University and hopes to write for a food publication, along with becoming a food critic and running her own winery in the future.
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