Tea and tisanes

Tisanes, and the claim problem

Updated October 2026

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Calling it tea is inaccurate Where the real problem starts The claim does not have to be on the label Some botanicals carry their own questions Allergens and sensitivities Describe what it is and what it tastes like References

A chamomile or peppermint infusion is a tisane. The real risk is not the name; it is the claims that tend to follow.

Calling it tea is inaccurate

Herbal tea is common usage and it is not what the word means, and a label that says herbal infusion or simply names the botanical is both accurate and no harder to sell. Some products split the difference with tea in the brand and an accurate description on the panel.

Where the real problem starts

Botanical ingredients come with folk associations about sleep, digestion, calm and immunity, and a label or a web page that leans into those is making a claim. At a certain point a product making such claims stops being treated as an ordinary food, and that is a much heavier regime than the one a beverage sits in.

The claim does not have to be on the label

Text on your website, on a market stall card or in an email can carry the same weight as a panel. Makers often keep the label clean and then describe the product very differently in their own marketing, which does not work the way they assume.

Some botanicals carry their own questions

Not every plant traditionally brewed is uncontroversial as a food ingredient, and some are restricted or carry warnings. Checking the standing of each botanical you blend with is worth doing once, properly, rather than assuming that availability implies acceptability.

Allergens and sensitivities

Botanical blends can carry allergens directly or through shared equipment, and a product sold as gentle and natural attracts buyers who are particularly careful. Accurate declaration matters more here than the small ingredient list suggests.

Describe what it is and what it tastes like

That is a complete and defensible product description, and it is what sells. The temptation to claim an effect is strong because competitors do it, and resisting it is the cheaper long-term position.

References

21 CFR 101, Food Labeling, which carries the general requirements that apply here in the absence of a standard of identity: the statement of identity, net quantity, ingredient list and the name and place of business of the responsible party. law.cornell.edu

Michigan State University Extension. Cottage food law: which preserved products are covered. canr.msu.edu

Written from federal regulation and from the published physics and chemistry of staling, not from a laboratory. There is no standard of identity for coffee or tea, so most of what governs a product here is the general requirement that labels be truthful and claims be substantiated. Anything here is a starting point for a conversation with your state department of agriculture, not a determination that you comply.