Okay, Germany isn't that strange, but it can still seem unfamiliar at times. I've been sick for the last two days and stayed home from work today. It was just a head cold and a bit of a fever--nothing serious--just enough to make me sleep for most of the day.
As I was boiling water for tea this morning, one of my roommates asked me if I had been to the pharmacy. I hadn't, though if I had been sick for much longer, I probably would have gone. German pharmacies tend to be much more naturopathic-oriented than U.S. pharmacies. My roommate asked if I had let the pharmacist mix me a tea since that's one thing that pharmacists do here. I hadn't, and instead I looked through the teas we already had in the kitchen. More precisely, I browsed aimlessly through the teas while she instructed me on which tea was good for which ailment. I ended up mixing Salbei (sage) and Zitronenverbene (lemon verbena), both of which were loose and in full-leaf form. Had we had Lindenblüten (lime blossom??), I would have added that since it supposedly helps to fight the fever and soothes a sore throat.
This brings me to another point (generalization warning): Germans are crazy about herbal teas. I think we in the U.S. tend to lean toward black, green, and sometimes white teas, while here, people really make use of the herbs. I don't think I've ever seen sage tea in the U.S., for example, and the idea of creating a tea from sage never even crossed my mind before today. Other popular teas include: hibiscus, fennel, lemon balm, thyme, and stinging nettle (yes, the plant really does sting). Teas you would commonly find in the U.S. are easy to find here, too. However, when it comes to pure herbal teas, directly from the leaf, Germany could probably teach the U.S. a thing or two.
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