3 Fun Summer Herbal Popsicles
What is better than having a cold, delicious, and healthy treat ready in the freezer, waiting for you when the weather is hot? Herbal iced teas are awesome, but have you tried to make your own herbal popsicles from infusions, adding fruit or coconut cream?Â
If you have a popsicle mold at home, these are surprisingly easy to prepare and there are endless options!
The best thing about your homemade herbal popsicle is that you get to choose what goes in them and the amount of sweetener they contain. This is fun for the whole family, especially kids!
Feel free to switch up the herbs according to your preferences—you can’t really go wrong!
In this blog post, I will present to you three delicious herbal popsicle recipes with amazing combinations.
This recipe is for all the sourness-lovers out there! The base is a ​lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) infusion, that is both relaxing and uplifting. With a lemon balm base, this herbal popsicle recipe is an excellent nervine, and helps to restore overall function of the nervous system (Ehrlich, 2011). For the extra-fresh flavor, lemon juice is added, balanced out with a little honey and fresh passion fruit pulp! Yield: 4 popsicles.
400 mL filtered waterZesty Lemon Balm-Passion Fruit Popsicles
½ cup fresh lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
fresh juice of 1 large lemon
4 ripe passion fruits (Passiflora edulis)
4 teaspoons honey
Are you a fan of iced-matcha lattes? Then you will fall in love with these pops! The lime zest and juice balances out the taste of the coconut milk and green tea perfectly— definitely a must try if the watery popsicles are not your favorite. Yield: 4 popsicles.Â
Matcha is green tea (Camellia sinensis) processed in a way that makes it possible to consume the whole leaves, not just an infusion of the leaves, which makes it more potent. It contains the highest amount of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant flavonoids, which green tea is famous for. Green tea boosts the process of detoxification that occurs in the liver, thus helping the liver do its job of keeping the level of inflammatory compounds in the body at a manageable level (Romm, n.d.).
400 mL thick & creamy coconut milkCreamy Coconut-Matcha-Lime Popsicles
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 lime (juice and peel)
4 teaspoons honeyÂ
Cucumber and mint is a refreshing summer-combo, but using these lovely elder blossoms as an infusion-base makes it even more delightful! Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) helps to cool the body by moving the blood (and thus heat) to the surface of the body where it is released through pores, it is also a diuretic that encourages the elimination of excess heat through the kidneys (McIntyre, 2000). Yield: 4 popsicles.Â
400 mL filtered waterCooling Cucumber-Mint-Elderflower Popsicles
1/2 mini cucumber
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh or dried elder (Sambucus nigra) flower
6-8 fresh mint leaves
4 teaspoons honeyÂ
Enjoying Summer to the Fullest with Fun Herbal Recipes
These herbal popsicles are truly like a delicious cup of tea in a popsicle! Also, making homemade herbal popsicles is a great way to preserve and enjoy your summer herb harvest during the year.Â
Get creative and find your own favorite herbal blends! Surprise your friends and family with these extra fancy but super easy and nourishing summer treats—definitely a summer memory they won’t forget!
REFERENCES
Ehrlich, Steven D. (2011). Lemon balm. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide. The University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved from http://accurateclinic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Lemon-balm-University-of-Maryland-Medical-Center.pdf
McIntyre, A. (2000). Drink to your health. New York, New York: Fireside.
Romm, A. (n.d.). The adrenal thyroid revolution supplement guide. Retrieved from https://avivaromm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/aviva_supplement_tables.pdf