The Healing Power Of Lobelia Herbal Tea

If you’ve ever looked at medicinal grade herbal teas before, chances are you’ve come across Lobelia as an ingredient in at least one blend. This is by far one of the most important of all western herbs, and in this article I want to share with you why I add it so to many of my therapeutic herbal tea blends.

Lobelia inflata is one of those herbs that most every herbalist loves but few consumers know about. It’s a beautiful plant that lends its seeds, flower, and leaves to a variety of healing needs. As a native to North America and Canada, it has a long history of effective use among the indigenous peoples of these areas and a growing respect among modern herbal healing enthusiasts.

The Healing Benefits Of Lobelia

Lobelia is in a class of herbs known as antispasmodic. These herbs help the smooth muscle tissue to relax while providing a non-drowsy relaxation. Many antispasmodic herbs are used in tea blends for sleep, nervousness, anxiety, sore muscles, and aggression.

Tense Respiration

One of the most powerful ways Lobelia can help us is when the respiratory system feels tense, stuck, or overworked. It helps relax the lungs and breathing passages which can alleviate symptoms of asthma, difficulty breathing, and inability to cough up accumulated mucous. It also has expectorant properties which means it can help relax the respiratory system while also aiding us in clearing out phlegm, mucous, and toxins.

Deep Muscle Relaxation

As you may have guessed, Lobelia is very helpful when it comes to relaxing muscles. It has a mild relaxing effect on the entire Central Nervous System and helps muscles and the nerves that permeate them relax in a deep and non-sedative way. Lobelia is often mixed in small amounts with other more far-reaching relaxant herbs to create blissful blends to help melt away muscle tension. I’ll share my favorite herbal muscle relaxant recipe below.

The Best Of Your Favorite Herbs

Because of the relaxing nature of Lobelia inflata, it is known to help other herbs perform much better. For example, if you are taking an herbal tea blend to help with insomnia, a small quantity of Lobelia can help the body relax and absorb the other medicinal herbs more deeply into your system. In a sense Lobelia helps us let go and relax so that the healing herbs can get in deep and do their best work with us. For this reason you’ll see small parts of Lobelia added to many blends – especially those that focus on breathing, the respiratory system, muscle tension, anxiety, stress, depression, and the nervous system.

Healing Properties Lobelia

How To Work With Lobelia Herbal Tea

I prefer not to use Lobelia on its own since it’s a strong herb that goes a long way in small quantities. I’ve found, as have most herbalists, that a little Lobelia added to a nicely formulated tea, tincture, or powder makes everything a lot more effective!

If you have a favorite formula that focuses on the body areas mentioned earlier, try adding a small pinch of Lobelia. You may find that your formula works better, activates faster, and that it delivers more profound healing benefits than it has been. As an alternative, Cayenne and Licorice Root are both herbs used by many herbalists to help increase the efficacy of other blends. Like Lobelia, they’re used in very small parts compared to the greater formula.


Muscle Relaxer Herbal Tea Recipe

Note: A ‘part’ can be any volume measurement you choose. For a smaller batch, a part might be a Tablespoon. If you want a big batch to keep on hand, a part might be a cup.

Make this simple and delicious herbal tea to unwind after a stressful day, relax and rejuvenate sore muscles, or help your physical body relax for sleep.

  • 2 parts Sage
  • 2 part Chamomile
  • 1 part Peppermint
  • 1 pinch Lobelia

Combine herbs.

Steep 1 Tablespoon of blend in 8 ounces (approx. 1 standard mug full) of boiled water for 5-7 minutes. Steeping too long or too hot will cause bitterness in this blend. Keep your cup covered while the tea steeps to make sure you don’t lose any of the amazing flavor or healing properties.
Allow the tea to cool to a safe and comfortable temperature, then sip to enjoy! The relaxing effects will start to take effect within minutes and you may find yourself in a state of deep relaxation and ease long before you even finish the cup!


If I’ve done my job with this post, you’re excited to add Lobelia to the list of herbs you work with. It has so many uses and so many people respond well to its calming, relaxing, and ‘allowing’ effects. See where I purchase my favorite Lobelia inflata herb below.

Organic Lobelia Inflata Herbal Tea

Happy Sipping!
Josh Williams Herbalist


References & Resources:
Lobelia inflata on Wikipedia
Lobelia inflata: Uses, Side Effects, and Interactions on WebMD