How to store and how to make delicious Ivan tea at home

Of all the herbs that are used for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Ivan-tea stands out. This beautiful plant with bright flowers has spread widely in traditional medicine recipes because of its healing abilities. Grass can be collected and harvested independently, but before that you need to study the assembly and storage procedures.

Plant description

The second name of the plant is fireweed narrow-leaved. Ivan-tea is growing in most regions. It can be found in the middle and southern parts of Russia, in Siberia, in the Urals. It is not whimsical to climate and soil, mainly growing on forest edges or near trees, as well as near rivers and lakes.

Fireweed grows in large groups, and during flowering it is definitely not to be confused with anyone. The height of the adult stem reaches 30-50 centimeters. The stalk is erect, most of it is decorated with small flowers of violet-raspberry color with a diameter of 5-7 millimeters. Flowering takes place in July and lasts until September. Inside the flowers, by September, the head with seeds ripen, from which young plants will later appear.

Healing abilities

The plant contains vitamins of groups C and B, many different minerals: potassium, manganese, iron, copper, phosphorus, calcium. The juice contains lectin, pectin, organic and tannins. All of these substances, getting inside the human body, have an anti-inflammatory effect, relieve spasms in various organs and remove toxic compounds. Fireweed is used to treat:

• gastritis;
• ulcers;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• body cleansing.

Fireweed serves as an excellent sedative, improves sleep and normalizes the nervous system. It is recommended to drink to people who suffer from panic attacks, nervous disorders.

The plant contains antioxidants that block the action of free radicals, so fireweed is used for prophylactic purposes against cancers. The plant enhances the body's immune function and is even able to increase life expectancy. A course of grass must be drunk if a person often suffers from viral diseases (more than 1 time per year), experiences constant weakness and malaise.

Other indications for the use of fireweed are:

• conjunctivitis;
• otitis media;
• sinusitis;
• anemia;
• kidney problems
• herpes
• inflammation of the pelvic organs;
• high blood pressure;
• arrhythmia.

With regular and proper use, fireweed does not harm, but in high concentrations it significantly lowers blood pressure and causes intestinal upset. For men, frequent use of herbs causes problems with potency.

Collection and Application Procedure

Ivan tea is consumed only in the form of tincture or decoction. Useful elements are extracted from it, and then diluted to the desired concentration and drunk on an empty stomach or throughout the whole day. The maximum dose should not exceed 2 glasses of broth per day. To feel the effect of the grass, you need to drink it for at least 1 month. Then be sure to take a break. The course is repeated after 6-8 weeks.

They begin harvesting in the middle of summer - on the twentieth of July. The flower brush has already half bloomed, which means that the maximum benefit from the plant will be obtained. By the end of July, when the inflorescence is fully blooming, fluff forms in its lower part. Such fireweed is no longer suitable for collection, fluff can fall into the broth.

Before proceeding with the collection, you need to take into account several more factors from which the quality of the workpiece will depend:

• weather. You need to collect ivan tea in dry, but cloudy weather;
• collection time. The collection process is started in the morning, no later than noon, or in the evening;
• gathering place. If the fireweed grows close to the road, then it is not ripped off. Take plants that grow near trees or in a slightly shaded area. They are better prepared for further harvesting.

They begin to collect grass: from the upper part of the plant the leaves and most of the inflorescences are torn off, but in which there are no seeds. There is no need to tear the fireweed from the ground or press the stalk hard, it will be destroyed, and next year ivan-tea will simply not grow. Then the collected leaves and flowers are put in a bag or bucket and do further harvesting.

Preparation for drying

With proper preparation, the grass will be aromatic when brewed, and its taste will be unusually pleasant. To begin with, the so-called "sausages" are rolled up from the leaves - elongated tubes of small thickness. This action causes the release of juice from the leaves.

You can replace twisting by rolling the leaves with a rolling pin. Press the rolling pin on the collected grass for several minutes until the fireweed darkens.

Another way to prepare requires physical strength. The fireweed is laid out on a piece of fabric in an even layer, and then the fabric is tightly folded into a bundle. In the process of twisting, the fabric should become slightly damp due to the released liquid from the plant.

Fermentation method

The process of preparing willow tea is called fermentation. Air oxidizes leaves and flowers, and also triggers fermentation in them. As a result of oxidation, anaerobic microorganisms are formed, which die during heat treatment. Fermentation significantly improves the healing ability of the herb and its taste, so it is better not to neglect it.

The duration of the process is classified into several types. Depending on the fermentation time, the tea turns green, red or black.

Easy fermentation

Assumes fermentation of tea for 3-6 hours. The finished product turns green with a mild flavor and delicate aroma;

Medium fermentation

Fermentation takes at least 12-16 hours. The taste of tea appears tart notes, and the color turns red;

Deep fermentation

The process lasts at least 24 hours. The tea tastes strong, and its color is dark brown.

Prepared leaves (with allocated juice) are put in a pan, while they are crushed to each other, to increase the amount of juice. From above they are covered tightly with a plate and put heavy oppression. Fermentation time is chosen as desired. However, it should be remembered that when the tea is aged for more than 36 hours, it completely loses its healing abilities and taste.

Types of Drying

The last step in preparing a product is drying. It involves thermal effects on leaves and flowers. For drying, you can use an oven, an electric dryer, which is used to harvest vegetables and berries. The result is always the same everywhere, the difference lies only in the process time.

In the oven

The fastest way to dry Ivan-tea is to put it in a preheated oven for several minutes.To do this, first, the fermented sheets are cut into small pieces with a width and a length of not more than a centimeter. Then they are laid out on a baking sheet and placed in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 100 degrees. The cabinet door is slightly opened and the tea is left to dry for 2 hours. The grass is periodically turned over so that it does not burn.

When the leaves begin to break and crack, the heating is stopped and a baking sheet with leaves is taken out. Fill cheesecloth on a table in several layers and pour ivan tea on it, then form a bag, tie it up and hang it in the hallway or at home in the room. It takes several days to finish.

By electric drying

Drying can be used in the preparation of fireweed, it facilitates the cooking process at times. Lay out the leaves on the bowl and choose the temperature regime from 80 to 100 degrees. They include drying for one and a half to two hours. At the end of time, the fireweed is tasted by touch. If the sheet is well broken, the contents are taken out and transferred to a fabric bag. Fireweed is dried for another 2-3 days at home, and then cleaned for storage.

In the sun

The oldest way turns out and the longest. Define at home the sunniest place. It may not necessarily be a windowsill. A table or cabinet in a well-lit room will do. Lay out a newspaper or paper towels on the surface and pour willow-tea onto paper. Distribute it with a thin layer and leave to dry for a week.

Drying time depends on humidity, sunlight. If the weather outside is cloudy, then the fireweed will dry for at least 2 weeks. Leaves are periodically turned over, at least 1 time in 3 days. Then, when they are sufficiently dry, they are put away for storage.

How to make tea through a meat grinder

In order not to spend a lot of time twisting the grass manually, you can use the kitchen grinder. The collected leaves are immediately passed through a meat grinder. So that they pass well and do not get confused in the blade, they are pre-crushed into small lumps.

The resulting mass is crushed a little until a liquid appears, and then the twisted grass is transferred to the pan and put oppression on top. Further, the process is carried out according to the above methods.

How to cook

Dried grass must be properly brewed. Its amount depends on the nature of the disease. For each disease, there are rules for taking and breeding:

1. With gastrointestinal diseases, with ulcers and gastritis, 20 grams of grass is brewed in a glass of boiling water. Insist the mixture for no more than an hour, then filter through cheesecloth and drink it in 3-4 doses during lunch or dinner. The course of treatment is a month.
2. With anemia, weak immunity, general malaise for 200 milliliters of hot water, you need to take 1 tablespoon of Ivan tea and brew for half an hour. Then the resulting mixture is drunk during the day for 2-3 times. The course of admission is 3-4 weeks.
3. With angina, Ivan tea is used to rinse. Take 2 tablespoons of dried powder in a glass of hot water and insist 10-15 minutes. Then gargle 2-3 times a day for 5-7 days.
4. To improve sleep and normalize pressure, palpitations prepare a decoction: for 200 milliliters of water you will need a tablespoon of fireweed. Heat the mixture over the fire to a boil and boil for another 10 minutes. Then they cool and drink the resulting broth at night or in the evening for 2 doses for 2 weeks.

Ivan tea can be prepared not only on water, but also on alcohol. Especially alcohol tincture is useful in strengthening the general physical condition, for cleaning the body of slag and toxic compounds. As an auxiliary component, vodka or medical alcohol is suitable. On a glass of vodka, take 2 tablespoons with a slide of fireweed and put the tincture in a cabinet with a lockable door.After 10 days, strain the tincture from the grass and take one tablespoon 1-2 times a day. To get the result, you need to drink tincture for 4 weeks without a break.

Cooking secrets

For brewing grass, a regular teapot is suitable. It must first be washed and poured with boiling water. You can use a teapot - it is convenient to use, because the grass is easy to clean. There are several more nuances when brewing willow-tea:

• need to use filtered or spring water;
• grass should be brewed in portions: first, fill no more than 1/3 of the volume of the teapot with water, add water to half in 2-3 minutes, and only in the fifth minute pour boiling water completely;
• You can not add sugar, honey, syrups and milk to tea. Products only spoil the taste of tea and reduce its beneficial properties.

After cooking, you need to drink a decoction or infusion immediately on the day of preparation, since during the night the healing ability is slightly lost. Moreover, the taste and aroma disappear. Grass that has already been used for brewing is not suitable for further preparation. It can be thrown away.

How to store

The optimal conditions for storing the dried product are sealed dishes, lack of sunlight and dampness, temperature from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius. Dried grass is poured into a tin can with a lid or in a glass container. A jar or container can be signed so as not to be confused with other herbs or tea leaves. Craft bags with a closing top are also suitable for storage. You can pour ivan tea into a canvas bag and tie the ends tightly.

A can of tea is put in a dark box, where there is no access to light, and humidity is at a level no higher than 50%. You can remove the workpiece in the pantry or in the cellar, if it is not damp and not cold. Usually, Ivan tea is well stored and does not lose its medicinal qualities for 3 years.

Being a powerful natural medicine, Ivan-tea has not lost its relevance until now. The effect of it really is, and it is felt if all points of collection, harvesting and brewing were performed correctly. It is necessary to experience the miraculous abilities of grass, restore lost strength and improve health.