More on Strawberry Tea...
Directions:
Harvest the young leaves through spring and summer (when the plant is flowering).
Stay away from any leaves with color discoloration (fungi), pick only 'perfect' leaves.
NEVER drink/eat leaves that are in the midst of drying out - the leaves go under a toxic change when they dry out - they won't kill you but will give you a nasty stomache ache, possible vomitting and diarrhea.
Dry leaves are completley safe to use for tea. Although its recommended to use no more than two teaspoons in your tea brew and to not ingest the tea leaves. And they should be avoided if you are allergic to strawberries!
The special benefit is that strawberry leaves are one of the highest naturally occurring sources of Vitamin C. As with raspberry leaves, they make a pleasant spring tonic and/or tea. Strawberry leaves are a well known herbal remedy that has been used for many years throughout the world. Strawberry leaves are completely natural, and gentle on an upset stomach, they help to ease stomach discomfort, and they have been known to help pregnant women deal with nausea more effectively. The strawberry leaf contains a high number of tannins, antioxidant flavanoids, and some essential oil. Specifically, strawberry leaves are used to treat diarrhea, nausea, chlamydia, gonorrhea, bladder problems, digestive problems, aches, pains, skin problems, rheumatism, and for weight loss.
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Jeepers! I could of used some of this today! I've been in bed all day [and yesterday] with the flu! I was just about to harvest some strawberry leaves. I am preparing my strawberry garden - as it pretty much took over where its at and its needs more room to crawl. Did I tell you I have wild strawberries? I bought a couple plants at a local garden sale last year - I didn't realize how hard they are to find - so if you ever come across them, buy them! And cherish the fact that you have something that habitat destruction from urbanization/development, etc. is endangering.
Another tip: Get family members to save their big glass jars (or buy them at the second-hand stores) - they are great to store tea leaves. But remember to store your leaves in a dark and dry place (to preserve the goodness). You could also paint the OUTside of the jar to keep it dark.
I know with raspberry leaf tea if you drink it, it can also help with menstrual cramps as well, I wonder if this is the same with strawberry leaf tea?
ReplyDeleteI have a huge collection of herbs/teas so here is what i do to make my glass jars dark.
you will need:
tissue paper
liquid glue
water
paint brush
scissors
glass jars
a craft sealer, like Mod Podge
Cut with scissors or rip by hand the tissue paper into somewhat small/medium sized pieces. You can use multiple colours of tissue paper if you want, or just one. Once you have a fair amount place to the side.
In a small container mix together 1 tbsp liquid glue with 1 tbsp water.
Get your glass container(s). With your paintbrush, paint some water/glue mixture on the glass, place some tissue paper over it and then paint glue over tissue paper as well. Repeat this until your entire container is all filled with tissue paper.
Once the tissue paper has dried, use a craft sealer to protect the tissue paper. I use the brand name "Mod Podge". Place one layer of the sealer on top, and wait until it dried. It is now protected from water damage. You are now done!
I will probably blog about this craft project a bit later. It's really great for being creative with decorating your glass containers for herbs and tea!
Here are the full details about the craft project I was describing earlier:
ReplyDeletehttp://blowingupmykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/glass-craft-project.html
That's great Genny! Thanks for the tip and craft recipe. Cheers.
ReplyDelete