page_title: Herbal tea
section_title: Etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Herbal tea / Etymology
caption_attribution_description: English: Restaurant LE POINT DE VUE in Omihachiman, Shiga prefecture, Japan. 日本語: ル・ポアン・ドゥ・ヴュ, 滋賀県近江八幡市 Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
context_page_description: Herbal teas—less commonly called tisanes —are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. The term "herbal tea" is often used in contrast to true teas, which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Unlike coffee and true teas, most tisanes do not contain caffeine naturally.
context_section_description: Some feel that the term tisane is more correct than herbal tea or that the latter is even misleading, but most dictionaries record that the word tea is also used to refer to other plants beside the tea plant and to beverages made from these other plants. In any case, the term herbal tea is very well established and much more common than tisane.
  The word tisane was rare in its modern sense before the 20th century, when it was borrowed in the modern sense from French. (This is why some people feel it should be pronounced /tɪˈzɑːn/ as in French, but the original English pronunciation /tɪˈzæn/ continues to be more common in US English and especially in UK English).
  The word had already existed in late Middle English in the sense of "medicinal drink" and had already been borrowed from French (Old French). The Old French word came from the Latin word ptisana, which came from the Ancient Greek word πτισάνη (ptisánē), which meant "peeled" barley, in other words pearl barley, and a drink made from this that is similar to modern barley water.
caption: Herbal tea in a glass teapot and cup
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