This week I am so excited to be introducing you to an herb, an herbal tea, and a brand new tea company. It’s not often that someone can send a new herb my way, but it happened recently and I am thrilled to share it with you. This amazing new herb comes by way of Saafara, an herbal tea company located here in the United States with roots in Senegal, West Africa. This grass-roots company is just getting started, and I cannot wait to see their products take off in the USA. The herbs and energy of the items they make bring something very unique to our market – and lots of things that I personally think are very much needed in the world today.
Saafara
This small start-up company headed by Ismael Diagne proffers an impressive collection of herbs native to Senegal and surrounding regions. The way Ismael chose these herbs is based on local herbal lore as well as the rich spiritual traditions in the area and how they meet in the middle of natural healing.
While many in America are familiar with rooibos and honeybush, both African-native herbs, some of the medicinal plants being offered by Saafara will be new – something I always get excited about! Seh-Haw, Savanna Mint, White Hibiscus, and Guer are just a few of the herbs I was recently introduced to – and given the great privilege to sip while listening to traditional Sufi music from West Africa.
In the West African language of Wolof, the word saafara means a healing infusion, water, or solution. I have no doubt that they chose the right word for this line of herbal tea and all it will bring to the world.
Each crop of Seh-Haw is harvested by the hands of local Senegalese women using sustainable methods and traditional methods.
Seh-Haw Herb
While I was fortunate enough to try all of the West African herbal teas that Saafara makes, I want to focus this post on Seh-Haw because I have fallen madly in love with this herb, its history, and its personality.
Seh-Haw, also called Kinkeliba in French (Combretum migranthumc) is a shrubby plant native to many parts of West Africa. The aroma of this herbal tea is at once earthy and green, but it gets better with every sip. There are evergreen, spice, and resin notes – and lots of essential oils can be seen dancing on the surface of the water while the tea steeps.
While the plant itself is usually known by its French name, most herbal healers in the area choose to call it by its Wolof name of Seh-Haw because this name has spiritual connotations that help the plant ‘come to life’ more fully for the people who benefit from it. Seh-Haw gets a great deal of respect from the local Sufi community, and it can be found being sipped as a daily tea and a remedy tea on a daily basis.
As a tonic tea that helps promote longevity and wellness, Seh-Haw has an impressive list of benefits as part of its folklore…
- Promotes healthy and calm digestion
- Helps with weight control and healthy weight management
- Contains powerful antioxidants for anti-aging benefits
- Helps with relaxation, self-care, and restful sleep
Like all of the Saafara herbal teas, Seh-Haw comes individually packaged in biodegradable mesh pyramid bags that can be added to a pot or a cup depending on how much tea you’d like to enjoy.
As mentioned above, Saafara is working on growing their presence in the USA and they could use your help. If you’d like to try this amazing herbal tea for yourself, click the link below and support this amazing business and the good work they’re doing!
[button link=”http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/saafara-traditional-west-african-infusions” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] Saafara Herbal Tea[/button]
