| Abraxan
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Perth, AU (GMT +8)
Posts: 25,070
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jasper Hart
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amadshade  Herbs in tea... Tora thought back to what types of tea her Gram drank back at home. Mostly Hawthorn actually. Though she was sure Gram had explained what Hawthorn tea did, she couldn't remember exactly, so she just said. "Hawthorn is another herb used in teas, and I think it has something to do with the heart. Or maybe decreasing sodium levels?" she blushed suddenly aware of how poorly she was doing in this class.
Why they were in Greenhouse 4 though, was still a mystery to Tora. They weren't talking about carnivorous plants! They were talking about hot water and dissolved leaves, and their purpose in society. Then she had it. "Um, Professor? We aren't going to be harvesting one of the carnivorous plants to use in tea are we?" she once again looked nervously about. She really had no interest in becoming a plant's lunch. Mmmhhhmmm, Seren nodded before halting abruptly.
Oh goodness... did this one have a phobia too? "No... rest assured you will not be eaten today." Seren refrained from giving the girl a harsh talking to. Flesh-eaters were not to be harnessed for tea! They were companion plants! To be fed, and loved, and cared for... not to be attacked and ingested!
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.. SPOILER!!: lovely peeps Quote:
Originally Posted by StarShine OOC: Wikipedia says it's 'Tilia', but I suppose the common name is 'lime'.
Forrest thought about a herb, and the first thing that came to his mind was 'lemon'. Was it a herb? Probably not... he sighed. He was thinking about all kinds of tea when he remembered his favourite: lime!
"Lime is a type of tea too," he said with his hand in the hair. "It's used to treat stomach ache and flu, I think?" His mother was big on these, so he knew a few too. Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Hmmmm. What other herbs could be used in tea? Honestly,Adi was a bit distracted. All this talk of tea was making want to actually drink tea. Did the Professor had any around? He glanced around as if hoping to find a cupful somewhere.
Um. Um. "Peppermint, Professor,'' the boy said waving his hand a little as he raised it. Quote:
Originally Posted by hpfan18
Kace was about to raise his hand but someone already said his answer. He would have suggested that tea helps you calm down and have a peace of mind. Then he heard the professor move on.
Kace wondered what herbs he knew that you can have in your tea. Kace remembered one of them. He raised his hand, "Professor i know you can use Chamomile. You use the small white and yellow flowers of the chamomile plant, rather than the leaves." Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Ella had lots of thoughts on uses for tea but her classmates had been on the ball in sharing and she didn't want to repeat answers. But yes, medicinal, cooking, beauty, etc. She took notes and she was definitely paying attention. Tea was lovely. Mhm.
Next question? She was going to offer something up for this one.
"Ginger tea, Professor." Nodnod. "It's supposed to have a lot of medicinal purposes." And it was delicious too which was important. Quote:
Originally Posted by the fastest seeker She was here still. And she was listening and absorbing. Her guard was down now seeing that they were talking about tea. She kept glancing around her regularly making sure nothing was getting closer.Back to subject. Tea was nice, yes? Cassia liked to drink tea. The Slytherin nodded her head at everything the others said. Pretty interesting opinions they got there.
She felt the need to contribute in all this, since she knew a thing or two about this particular subject. For all she knew they'd move on to talk about some other plant Cassia had never heard of. She raised her hand for like...only the second time since class started. "There's Ginger tea," the name said it all. "It helps calm down the stomach and curbs nausea." She was one to know about this since her grandmother made this kind of tea all the time. The fifth-year was glad she'd caught that, not only to share it with the class but because she was almost sure she'd be needing this during exams period. Quote:
Originally Posted by GrapehGrape Adelaide quickly wrote down everyone else's suggestions. She always felt comfortable with a lot of notes, even if she kind of had an overkill most of the time. She smiled when the professor praised her. Ah yes. Doing things manually the old muggle way like her mum had to.
Other herbs in tea. Addi new quite a few, but to narrow it down to one was probably best. She raised her hand. "Lemongrass is one. It's good for digestion." Or so her mum said. Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixStar That was a lot of info. The sixth years hand rushed across her parchment trying to keep up with her notes. She was sure that this would come up later and she couldn't be sure that she would remember it all.
Now she knew quite a few different herbs but mainly because she loved tea and used quite a bit of them at home. "Professor, there is basil." she said with her hand raised. "It can help lower blood pressure." Yup! Matter of fact it could lower many things but she wasn't going to contribute any more just in case she too was considered not to be able to control herself. Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir Tobias didn't really know many different types of tea, or if he did they'd kind of already been said at one point in the lesson. He briefly considered expanding on Ella's answer, but instead went for the one he had a little more experience in.
"Professor," said Toby, arm raised. "Someone mentioned chamomile earlier, about drinking it when going to bed. It does calm you down quite a bit, and as well as helping people wind down at the end of the day, it's good for calming people down in general. Like supersupersuper hyperness and also anxiety and after anxiety attacks and that sort of stuff, and some people try chamomile tea the sort of quell it before they go to potions."
That was more a definition than an explanation but it was all he had to offer. Quote:
Originally Posted by starlight617 Marissa thought for a moment and the remembered the tea her mom mum would give her when she had a cold, "There is Echinacea, it helps with colds and boosts the immune system." she replied to the professors question. Quote:
Originally Posted by Princesspower SPOILER!!: Hera
"Divination is a branch of magic that uses tea, yes... and of course potion making often involves the herb or variations of the genus," she acknowledged Sophie and Adrienne with a nod and indicative hand gesture.
"Good, Sarah... often used to help induce sleep or rest." What with tea being renown for its ability to soothe and calm.
Then of course there were some lesser straight-forward answers, it just wasn't usual practice anymore, so it was nice to hear so many were familiar with it. "Very good Aditya and Adelaide... tea is an excellent and safe method of cleaning, should you need to do it manually." Which was time consuming, who had time for that?
Seren gazed at Cutty, her expression etched with confusion... er... something about cooking, but what? "..... mmhhhmmm." Sure. Why not. Wait, no.. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, but ... yes... it can be used in cooking." Yep.. and moving on now.
Benjamin's response also came to her as a surprise. To stain parchment to look older?.... "Sure... "
Could they have some normal answers again please?
Of course, normal didn't happen at Hogwarts very often, so what Alice said next made her pause. The girl wasn't wrong by any stretch of the imagination, though it was still strange. "Yes, they did... and some still do no doubt. More often then not people wash their hair in it to give it a healthy glow." And you know, dark tea would stain the hair darker temporarily whereas your lighter variations such as chamomile added a light sheen.
Alexa, Toby, Tora and Forrest were all more or less headed in the same direction with their argument. "Absolutely. The primary use of tea is for social purposes... soothing, comforting or consoling friends, inviting strangers... simply offering warmth or happiness," she nodded in agreement. And then there was Katrina...
"Yes!" Seren exclaimed, again they were starting to lean away from the obvious and touch on bigger ideas. "Tea can be used in fertilisers or compost or even as an alternative to water," she agreed, smiling brightly... so many fond memories. "For example, toothing flesh eaters may benefit from tea because it may soothe and placate them, much like how the teas properties sooth us."
Over all... they pretty much touched on everything, ish.
"Essentially, we need to recognise that tea, as with many other herbs, has multiple uses within our society. We can use it to clean, to heal... whether we're harnessing it's properties directly or using it in a potion, to obtain nutrients from it... this applies to all living things - humans, plants and creatures alike, divination, potions - as mentioned, and of course... most commonly, through social practices." Were they taking notes? They ought to be taking notes. On all of this, yep.
"Now... when we think of drinking tea, we often use other herbs in addition to the humble tea leaf... so just quickly, I'd like everyone to name an additional herb that may be used in or as tea and if possible provide an explanation of its properties."
OOC: The lesson will continue in approx 16 hours. Remember to post only ONE herb/property. Thanks! .
Sarah glowed at the 'good' and wrote down some more notes. More about tea.. She raised her hand " isn't apple a herb? I remember when I was in my second year we had a secction on herbs and I think I remember apples was part of it. Anyways, my mother has a tea that contains apples, to be exact its a cranberry apple cinnamon blend" Sarah pictured the box so she could remember the rest "with hibicus and rose hip. Apples are good for digestion, also, an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana Why was it that when a question was asked, Sophie was almost always momentarily dumbfounded? She just kind of sat there and listened to the first few answers from her classmates. Hmm... Tea...tea, what did she know about herbs and tea?
OH...riiiight!
"What about catnip?" she asked, raising her hand. "I've heard my grandma drinks it, but...I don't much about it." It was an herb, though, so she guessed it worked. Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga When asked about herbs put into teas Minerva smiled knowing she had actually already answered that question by saying peppermint. Oops she got a little a head of herself, but Bentley didn't seem to mind, did she? Well anyway Minerva tried to think about what other herbs there were. This was an area she actually did know some things about for her interest in healing.
Putting up her hand she hurried to think of something, "Professor many herbal teas are used for healing especially in the muggle world. The red clover herb is suppose to be able to help with energy." Hmm maybe she should try some in tea and it would get her from drinking her muggle pop as much now that she thought about it. Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Lex was willing to bet that this would all turn into a full on tea drinking lesson any minute now. She didn't mind of course, except chocolate wasn't a tea leaf so she'd probably have to do without unless she fished a chocolate frog from her bag and stirred it into her tea. There was always that.
"There's also lemongrass. I heard that it's good for digestion or something." Will's mum was crazy about tea. She tried feeding them some almost every time she went by his house.
Also...
That Ravenclaw had a brilliant idea just now. Harvesting from the canivores. The hunters becoming the hunted...or most likely just picking them off like flies. She'd survive of course. She had to because she had to be around to tell the epic story afterwards. Dead people did no talking and she didn't think she was afraid of death so no ghost!Lex coming back to to amaze with her stories or adventure and her last moments. NOPE. Quote:
Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom Caleb knew a lot about tea, so this lesson was actually turning out to be a bit more interesting than he had expected! He smiled and raised his hand. "Well, some people put mint in their tea. That's another thing that is used to relax people, but it isn't as good as chamomile - it's good for when you're cold and want something to sooth your throat and stuff," he explained with a nod. Quote:
Originally Posted by dans_grl431 Having spent a few weeks every summer with her Grandmother, listening to her rant and rave about the various herbal teas she drank, Blair felt she could provide an answer.
Raising her hand she spoke, "What about lavender tea, Professor? I've heard that drinking a cup can soothe the body and mind, promoting sleep."
This particular brew her Grandmother had tried to convince Blair to drink on more than one occasion. Although, was lavender considered a herb? She was sure it was. Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin Oh, tea? How stupid did Mo feel right now? His father made custom blends out of the plants his mother grew in the garden. And Mo hadn't even recognized it, since it was so common looking. He shook his head.
Now, though, at least he could answer the next question. "My mother likes to add vanilla. And ginseng." Among other things, but might as well not be a plant hog. Hehe. Quote:
Originally Posted by Luna_Midnight Nerida loved tea, so naturally she knew a lot about tea, so this lesson she was actually raising her hand with lots of enthusiasm rather than her normal unsure raising of the hand. She smiled and raised her hand. "Well, blackberry leaves are used in most berry-flavored teas. It has a healthy dose of flavonoids, high levels of t... Erm, what was that word? She looked up, come on word come to her.. "High levels of tannins and vitamin C."
And people drank it because....
"And people drink it to help with some health issues like sore throats, and its a gastrointestinal...soother."Yeah she should just stop reading tea boxes, while waiting for her tea... She was surprised some of the stuff was even on the box. Quote:
Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah
Cutty shot Sophie a glaring look. Why did she have that confused look about her in classes lately. Sure, she struggled every now and again (and who didn't!), but she was competent. Did somebody...
'Were-you-stupified?' He mouthed silently to her from his seat and continuing the WTH-I-Know-You're-Better-Than-This-Slytherin glare for a moment longer before again being present with the class. Maybe if HE did something amazing it would light a fire under Newell.
Cutty's hand went up following the question. "Anise, Professor. Some people put anise in their tea." Or in their kids tea messing up all of their fun. "It makes it so you can't burp anymore." But he'd said it as if it were an extremely defeating element in his life thus far.
Minor hiccup aside, and it wasn't to say Tora was wrong with the hawthorn thing, but still... moving on...
The students actually knew their stuff, which was pleasing, that being said... she had anticipated that they would do better with this question, thus confirming her assessment of their prior knowledge. "Excellent... yes.... good... absolutely!" she'd nodded and encouraged. Not a single answer was wrong. Sure, some could have elaborated, but essentially, the understanding was there. Mission accomplished. "The herbs you have all mentioned whether they be fruits, grasses, leaves... are all active components that make up unique and sometimes unusual blends of tea." Which led them to their activity. "Our activity today, will require you to take notes, so if you don't yet have your parchment out... please do so. Also... you will need your textbooks," she said as she hopped off her stool to wheel in a variation of a dining cart. "Today, I have four blends of tea... each contains herbs which reflect or are representative of the four Hogwarts houses..." exciting stuff... and of course, she would ensure it was made available in the great hall and common rooms from this point on... because it was just so darn cute.
As she spoke, Seren pushed the cart between the round tables and placed a teapot with cups on each, with the selection of loose leaf teas. One box for each of the houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. "Your task, is to first of all... enjoy and taste the teas... and secondly to take notes on their contents and the properties of the herbs in each of those blends. You should... be able to make the connection between the herbs and characteristics of each house."
Seren clapped her hands together as if to say what are you waiting for? get started! OOC: This tea drinking/note taking is the practical activity of the lesson. You are required to post a minimum of 8 times for full credit, and will have approx 48 hours to do so (I MAY extend this, depending). I will post before then calling students to be prompt and dismissing those that have finished. You are of course welcome to interact with your peers and Bentley. Use aguamenti to fill the tea pots and chaudensis to warm the tea. The textbook hasn't been updated in some time, my apologies, but of course you have the interwebs. If you have any questions, give me a buzz.
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