Rooibos, tea, spoil, Valentine's Day, gestures

According to the study, small gestures are all you need to help keep the love alive. Image: Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels.

Love potion: A simple cup of tea will keep the love doctor away

This Valentine’s Day, why not spoil your love with a gift of a different kind. A new study shows gestures are all the rage.

Rooibos, tea, spoil, Valentine's Day, gestures

According to the study, small gestures are all you need to help keep the love alive. Image: Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels.

It’s the month of love, and soon everyone will be running around to get their hands on flowers and chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

A new study, however, reveals that it might be much easier and cheaper to show your significant other some love.

ALSO READ: ‘Love & Hip Hop SA’: Everything you need to know about the cast

ACTS OF LOVE

Findings of a two-year study by The Open University in the UK showed that it’s not grand bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates that keep love alive, but rather selfless gestures.

Researchers interviewed close to 5 000 men and women on how to make love last in the 21st century, and you’ll never guess the result.

The study, aptly called “Enduring Love”, found that while saying “I love you” was important, showing love in deed and not only word alone, was valued most.

Thoughtful gifts and generous acts of kindness were described as expressions of love. They were not dependent on money or significant dates, such as a birthday or Valentine’s Day. It was rather what the gift or gesture signified that was most important.

tea, Valentine's Day, spoil, partner, love
A cup of tea for your love. Image: Meruyert Gonullu | Pexels

A SIMPLE CUP OF TEA

According to the study, making your partner a cup of tea is one of the gestures that can help keep the love alive.

“In the modern age of technology, when we are communicating more than ever before, real and personal connections seem to be waning.”

“The constant barrage of tweets, texts and emails have replaced face-to-face interaction. Taking the time to make a cup of tea for our spouse or partner helps to rebuild lost or broken connections, while expressing our desire to care for them,” Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council (SARC) says.

“Sharing a cup of tea with someone is designed to build deeper and more meaningful relationships,” she adds.

It does so in three ways:

  1. Tea provides a mutual experience that can be enjoyed together.
  2. It consists of an act of kindness. From carefully measuring out the leaves or tea bags, gently pouring the water into the teapot and emptying its contents into your finest cups, make your companion feel appreciated. It’s symbolic of how you feel about them.
  3. Carving out time to be with your special someone in that moment, also encourages richer conversation.

ROMANCE, PASSION AND HEALTH

According to Du Toit, people have throughout history always turned to herbs to express feelings of love, passion and romance. Herbs like lavender, spearmint, ginger, damiana, chamomile and lemon balm are celebrated for their romantic powers in many cultures.

Due to its high antioxidant content, Rooibos too is considered one such aphrodisiac. The popular herbal infusion stimulates neurons to keep firing feel-good messages to the brain, which is considered the most important organ in the body when it comes to intimacy.

Du Toit says antioxidants aren’t naturally produced in the body, but are obtained through consuming fruits, vegetables or tisanes, like Rooibos.

“Showing affection to your loved one on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to break the bank. While appreciated, grand romantic gestures aren’t always as nurturing as connecing with the one you love over a cup of tenderly made Rooibos. Carving out quality time will make your partner feel seen, heard and loved,” she says.

For a Valentine’s Day spoil of a more meaningful kind, she suggest surprising your love with a Rooibos love potion or an indulgent Rooibos and hibiscus bath.

Rooibos, love, Valentine's Day, tea, bath
Spoil your love with a hot bath. Image: Yan Krukau | Pexels.

THE LOVE POTION

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup loose leaf Rooibos
  • ¼ cup dried rose petals
  • 2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
  • 2 whole vanilla beans, chopped
  • 2 tbsp cacao nibs
  • 1 tbsp pink peppercorns

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a jar, lightly stir or shake until loosely combined. Seal and store out of direct sunlight until ready to use. To make the tisane, boil water and place 1-2 tbsp of the loose leaf in a French press, tea strainer or teabag. Pour hot water over tea and allow to steep for 5-10 min before serving. Serve alone or with a splash of milk and raw honey.

ROOIBOS AND HIBUSCUS LOVE BATH

If your significant other loves to relax and unwind in a warm bath after a long day, this Rooibos and hibiscus love bath is sure to make him or her swoon. Rooibos is great for soothing skin. Simply add a strong cup or two to your bath water or enjoy a fragrant infusion with flower petals and essential oils this month of love.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
  • 1 cup rose petals
  • 20 drops rose essential oil
  • 5 drops sandalwood essential oil
  • ½ cup Epsom salt
  • 1 cup loose leaf Rooibos

Method:
Mix the salts and essential oils together in a bowl. Take another bowl to mix the flowers and Rooibos together. Gently stir in the salts and essential oils into the bowl of flowers. To enjoy your bath tea, scoop the mix into a reusable cotton bag, cheesecloth, or muslin bag. When you’re ready to use your bath tea, directly hang the bag under the faucet for the water to soak up all the tea before entering the bath or place it in the bath directly. Soak it all in.

ALSO READ: Loved by Lizzo: Is Kate Hudson’s ‘butt’ leggings a big bummer?

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY MARIETTE VAN NIEKERK