7 Juicy Herbs for Summertime Hydration

We put together a little list of our favorite hydrating summertime plants for you this season. All of these plants are calming and cooling for the entire body, taking your hydration to the next level in a way that water alone just can’t. There’s nothing wrong with water - we love it - but medicinal herbs kick it up a notch. Many of these herbs are demulcent, which is a fancy, herbalist way of saying they have slimy-gooey plant properties that coat and soothe soft tissues in the body. This nourishing plant goo delivers deep hydration.

The best way to activate these powerfully hydrating plant properties is with a cold infusion. Steep the plant material in tepid water and leave overnight in the fridge. In the morning, plunge (or strain) and pour. Don’t forget to compost the plant material! You can sweeten your cooling brew with maple or simple syrup. Or keep it simple and sip over ice without the sweet. 

And for the food herbs, our favorite way to eat them is right off the tree.

Linden flower - A fantastic cooling, calming herb that helps the body release heat. Its floral taste is amazing on a hot summer day, and it makes a fantastic beverage option for any picnic. Calms the mind and helps with focus.

Hibiscus flower - Tart and tangy, iced hibiscus tea is a classic summer treat. We like it steeped for hours with ginger and cinnamon for a bit of an herbal sangria. We made it simple for you and put three of our favorite summer refreshers ginger, hibiscus, and cinnamon in Solar Flare Tea. We love this one iced all season long. The bioflavonoids in hibiscus promote heart health, which is so important as dehydration can tax our ticker.

Marshmallow root - The ultimate in plant-based hydration, and cousin of hibiscus, marshmallow is great to have at least once a week. It does have a bit of a strong flavor, so we like to mellow it out by adding a cup of cold infusion to a morning smoothie.

Corn silk - This plant is such a summertime t r e a t. Dried corn silk pales in comparison to its fresh counterpart. It tastes a little bit like honeysuckle, but more earthy. All you need to do is take the fresh silk from your cobs, discard any brown, and save them in a jar in the fridge. When the jar is full, cover with filtered water and leave to steep overnight. Strain and enjoy the most delicious, hydrating, kidney-supportive tea we know. 

Oatstraw - Feeling frazzled? There’s so much to do in the summer, from entertaining kids home from school to harvesting the garden bounty. Oatstraw makes the most delicious iced infusion, immediately cooling to the head and heart. Grassy and sweet, you can drink it straight up, right out of the fridge.

Peaches - Don’t forget you can eat your water! Summer fruits and vegetables like peaches, melons, tomatoes and cucumbers are fantastic ways to get more water into your body without drinking gallons a day. Peaches in particular deliver essential sugars that keep us pepped-up throughout the hottest of summer hikes… or creek dips.

Okra - The queen of all fantastically slimy plants, okra is fantastic for keeping our insides juicy when the sun is at its strongest. You can make okra tea and use that on a sunburn, or you can just cook up a mess and add some curry powder for a deeply nourishing meal that fills you up and cools you down.