Herbal Teas vs Tisanes

When you begin using herbs, one of the many ways you will find to use them is through 
the use of teas. This may sound simple enough since most herbs and flowers can be 
dried and mixed with green or black tea, or simply taken as a pure tea on their own. The 
truth is, as you move into the world of herbal teas, you will find that there are different 
kinds of teas and each are referred to differently when you start discussing medicinal 
properties of the tea. The two main teas are simple teas and tisanes. If you aren't sure 
what the differences are, here are a few key points to help you differentiate between the 
two.

Material Used

The first and most important aspect that determines if you are buying a tea or tisane is 
the type of material used to create the drink. If you are using only tea leaves then you 
are making or drinking a simple herbal tea. This tea can be enhanced with dried herbs, 
flowers, or fruits. However, if the base of the tea is an actual tea leaf then it is simply a 
tea.  If you are drinking a tea that has been made with no tea leaves and is only a 
flower, fruit, or an herb then that is a tisane. Tisanes use no tea leaves and are derived 
strictly from the steeping of the fruit, flower, or herb in hot water for a duration of time to 
extract the properties of that material. 

Medicinal Use

Most teas are used to soothe or calm the body in some way. For example, you may 
purchase a chamomile tea that is cut with black tea or green tea. This is generally used 
to help soothe the body before sleep or help soothe the stomach. Though it can have 
medicinal properties, it is dulled by the use of the tea leaves. If you are using the tea for 
a strict medicinal purpose, such as for pain reduction, management, or for other health 
issues then you will likely be using a tisane. This is because you do not want to reduce 
the properties of the herb or plant that you will be using. You want the full potency that 
you can extract. This would be a tisane. 

Preparation

As you can imagine, the preparation for the tea versus that of a tisane is a bit different. 
For example, a black tea may take as little as three minutes to brew and steep. A green 
or white tea takes as little as two minutes. When you are extracting from an herb, plant, 
flower, or fruit to get the medicinal properties of that material you may brew for longer. 
You want to extract as much as you can. A tisane is also generally brewed at a lower 
temperature for a longer period of time before drinking. This is to ensure that you are 
not actually cooking the material, but instead extracting from it. 

These are the three basic criteria that set traditional herbal teas apart from tisanes. If 
you are buying your tea leaves or herbal materials for your teas and tisanes from a tea 
shop, make sure you are asking how they are harvested. This can be vital to 
determining if they hold the medicinal properties you need. 
