I thought I'd pass on this easy way to make a refreshing beverage full of health benefits. I made the following teas: Good Earth Green Tea with Lemongrass, Good Earth Sweet & Spicy, and Tazo Passion. Of course you can make all your own using spices and herbs, but I chose Good Earth because it is gluten free, tea bags are unbleached, no artificial colors or preservatives, and no MSG. And...its faster (and cooler) than brewing your own.
Green Tea Lemongrass: Studies have shown green tea to lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke, and lower your risk of dementia. Green tea is also filled with catechins, antioxidants that search for free radicals in the body (more on free radicals later)! Green tea is also minimally processed- always a bonus in my book!!! Mix this with the superherb lemongrass and whaaala you have a potent health refresher! Lemongrass helps ward off the cold and flu and jet-lag (I actually have a small bottle of lemongrass oil- from South Africa- that I keep in the bedroom and sprinkle a couple drops into boiling water when I have been traveling a lot or starting to feel under-the-weather). Lemongrass is also used in India for anxiety, high cholesterol, diabetes, digestion, rough/scaly skin, constipation, kidney detoxification, insomnia and deep sleep!
Good Earth Sweet & Spicy: This tea contains rooibos (on my favorite from S. Africa), chicory root, cinnamon, peppermint, lemongrass, papaya leaves, chamomile, ginseng leaves, anise seed, dandelion root, ginger root, orange peel and orange oil! I'll just talk about Rooibos' benefits since this contains so many others as well. Rooibos is technically not a tea, and comes from oxidized rooibos leaves. It packs a powerful antioxidant punch but instead contains flavonoids and like green tea, scavenges free radicals in the body. Rooibos also has cardiovascular benefits, used to liver disease and respiratory problems and may help prevent brain aging. There is some info. out there as well that it may in fact help fight HIV too (http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/04/many-health-benefits-of-rooibos-tea.html).
Fill a mason jar with water on a hot day.
Place 1-2 tea bags in the jar (do as many or as few as you'd like)
Seal the jars tightly
Let them sit in the dead of the sun for 6-8 hours
Remove tea bags and discard
Pour the tea into a glass container, add ice, refrigerate and ENJOY!