Elizabethan meads used large numbers of different spices and herbs, but not always in large quantities. And therefore you put more or less according to the time you will drink it in. For a great deal will be mellowed away in a year, that would be ungratefully strong in three months. And the honey that will make it keep a year or two, will require a triple propotion of spice and herbs. The main herb I use is tea.
Tea is an important addition to the mead.
It provides tannic acid, to give the drink a bit of bite. If you want to use Lipton's, that should work as well. I have not seen any period recipes that use tea in mead, but all my batches that omitted tea were not as good. I am more interested in producing good flavor that in strick authenticity, so continue to use tea. Other ingredients I use include small amounts of orange or lemon juice, fruit, cloves, and other spices.