In this fine year of 2013, I’ve been working to better myself in many ways.  Things have been going extremely well thus far:

1. I’ve been very mindful of eating three balanced meals a day and remembering to take my vitamins and calcium supplements.

2. In addition to rollerskating at Rollerdome, I’ve been doing yoga on a daily basis for a week, with no plans to stop any time soon.

3. Since I love tea, I’ve been drinking tea on a daily basis to keep me warm and happy in my freezing office.

With #3, things were going well until about two weeks ago, when I started to experience what I guessed was mild heartburn.  In general, I’m not afflicted with this condition unless I’m drinking copious amounts of orange juice (because, let’s be real – who doesn’t love a good gin and juice?) or frequently eating minestrone soup for lunch.  Since both of those activities tend to bring on the burn, I tend to indulge in my love for tasty adult beverages and hearty tomato-based soups in moderation.

After a solid week of waking up with a burning sensation in my chest, I finally did a little research, and found out that peppermint is widely regarded as a leading cause of heartburn when consumed in excess.

minty, delicious, and apparently made of burning death

For me, the girl who uses peppermint to soothe motion sickness, cure bad breath, and just because I love it, this comes as quite a shock.  Adding insult to injury, I recently made a pilgrimage to Trader Joe’s to stock up on their peppermint tea (I seriously bought 10 boxes)…needless to say, I’m a saaaaad panda.

I’ve been off the mint for a week now, and am made sadder by the day.  The heartburn has gone, but that leaves me looking for a new tea to drink on a daily basis.  Chamomile is a little too sweet for my tastes, and the pomegranate white tea I picked up stains my lips red.  Everything else we have stocked in the office is caffeinated, so I’m on a quest for something new.  I’ll still drink peppermint, just not on a daily basis.  Any suggestions for an herbal, no-caffeine alternative to my beloved peppermint?