Desert Sage: Wonderful World of Tea
From Ancient Leaves to Modern Wellness
By Lorna Owens
Preface
I wrote this book as a love letter-to wellness, to tradition, to women, and to the sacred simplicity of a cup of
tea.
For many years, my life moved fast. I traveled the world as a nurse, midwife, and attorney. I witnessed beauty and suffering, birth and loss. But in quiet moments-whether in the mountains of Jamaica or the highlands of
East Africa-I noticed something shared across cultures: someone always offered tea.
Tea was comfort. Tea was care. Tea was connection.
This book began with that observation and deepened through a personal desire to slow down, reconnect with nature, and honor the women whose hands shape this industry. As I studied, sipped, and traveled, I saw how
tea lives in rituals both ancient and evolving. How it can nourish not only the body but the soul.
My hope is that this book becomes your companion-whether you're just discovering tea or deepening your journey. That it helps you find healing in your cup, meaning in your breath, and stillness in your everyday life.
Let this be your invitation into the wonderful world of tea.
With warmth and gratitude,
Lorna Owens
Founder, Desert Sage Lifestyle Wellness
Foreword
We live in a world of noise. A world of notifications, urgency, and exhaustion. Yet somewhere between the busyness and burnout, a quiet ritual has endured. One that asks nothing but presence. One that begins with water and leaf-and ends with peace.
In Desert Sage: Wonderful World of Tea, Lorna Owens invites us to rediscover tea not only as a drink, but as
a doorway. She offers more than recipes or histories-she offers soul. Her words are steeped in experience,
compassion, and global wisdom.
Lorna brings together the voices of women farmers beneath Kilimanjaro, the hands of ancient monks in China,the warmth of chamomile in a grandmother's kitchen. 
She brings you to the leaf and the land, the cup and the community.
This book is not just for tea lovers-it's for anyone seeking presence, healing, and deeper connection. It's a journey back to self. And it starts, as all good things do, with a pause... and a sip.
Epilogue: The Leaf, the Hand, the Heart
Tea is a quiet teacher.
From the moment it was discovered under a falling leaf in ancient China to the daily rituals of farmers at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, tea has never been just a beverage. It is a story steeped in culture, care, and
transformation.
You have now walked through this world-from emperors and monks to colonial gardens, from delicate white buds to golden turmeric roots. You've seen how tea connects people across continents and centuries, how it speaks the language of wellness, and how it can be as simple as a pause in your day or as profound as a personal ritual of healing.
You've met women whose hands shape the teas we drink, and you've begun crafting your own apothecary-a space of agency, intuition, and grace.
But more than anything, tea has brought you home to yourself.
In every warm sip, there is history. In every steeped leaf, intention. And in every teacup you lift, a quiet
reminder that peace, balance, and connection are within reach.
So, wherever you are-whether in a bustling city or a quiet corner of the world-may you always return to the cup. Let it guide you gently back to the breath, to stillness, to presence.
Let tea be your compass.
Let wellness be your way.
Let love be your leaf.
Dedication
To the women who rise before dawn, hands weathered from harvest, hearts rooted in earth-
This book is for you.
To the grandmothers who brewed comfort in silence,
To the mothers who stirred strength into morning,
To the daughters reclaiming wellness as ritual-
This is your story in every cup.
And to all seekers of peace, presence, and purpose-
May your tea always be warm, your spirit always nourished,
Acknowledgments
This book is steeped in gratitude.
To the women who grow, harvest, and craft tea with their hands and hearts—thank you. Your labor, wisdom, and resilience echo through every cup. You are the quiet guardians of an ancient art, and this book honors you.
To my mentors, teachers, and fellow seekers of wellness—you have taught me to listen more deeply, to pour more slowly, and to find meaning in the ordinary. You reminded me that healing often begins with a warm sip and a still moment.
To my family, whose unwavering belief in me has carried me through countless seasons—you are the roots beneath all I do.
To the global Desert Sage community, who believe in the magic of tea and the power of intention—this book is for you. Thank you for walking this path with me, cup in hand.
To every reader who turns these pages, seeking peace, presence, or a little beauty—I see you. May this book be your companion in quiet mornings and candlelit evenings.
And finally, to tea itself—humble leaf, sacred ritual, timeless teacher—thank you for finding me.
With reverence and warmth,  
Lorna Owens