A unique plant, which rumor has not kept silent for centuries, is narrow-leaved fireweed. Few people will guess that the conversation is about the grass known in Russia, from which the healing drink was made. Of course, this is Ivan tea. Natural pantry of nature. And the most versatile first aid kit. A traditional Russian drink - Koporye tea (which is made from herbs) is known for its healing properties. It is valued not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Our ancestors knew how to collect narrow-leaved fireweed, how to dry ivan tea, how to brew a fragrant and tasty drink.
Description of narrow-leaved fireweed
Many Russians can easily find Ivan tea. It grows in a dry open area. It seems surprising such accessibility. Sometimes people who have heard a lot about him collect other types of plants. It is important to be able to correctly distinguish fireweed from numerous members of the family. Ivan-herb is a perennial plant. Its trunk reaches a height of two meters. Individual large flowers collected in an inflorescence like a canonical brush have a color from white to purple. Other representatives, as a rule, have completely different tones.
Ivan tea blooms throughout the summer. The photo of the meadow simply delights with its pink mist. And the fruits ripen by the end of summer. This is a fluffy box full of seeds.
What is useful ivan tea?
Amber drink has a pleasant taste and aroma. It encourages the body, brings it into tone, significantly adds vitality. From time immemorial , the healing properties of herbs have been known. Ivan tea has a positive effect on the whole body. If you constantly drink strong infusion of fireweed, the hemoglobin level will increase significantly, and the acid-base rate will be restored. It is used in different forms: as a tincture, broth or powder.
Ivan tea, thanks to its constituent components (copper, iron, manganese), has excellent ability to normalize the hematopoietic process, perfectly improves immunity.
The soothing properties of herbs are widely known, surpassing in some respects even medicinal valerian. Many professionals in traditional medicine in a special way emit fireweed. Quite often, they prescribe ivan tea for neurotic disorders, depression, stress, and causeless states of anxiety. In addition to the calming effect, the grass has sleeping pills.
Brewed tea perfectly heals headaches. It treats otolaryngological diseases: sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis.
Fireweed normalizes pressure, is healing in case of male diseases (adenoma and prostatitis). Ivan tea is useful in various poisonings. It is recommended for diseases of the gallbladder and spleen. It is worth noting that it is the strongest anti-inflammatory drug. Therefore, it is simply necessary for infections of the genitourinary system.
In cosmetology it is used as an excellent means for the care of problem skin. Perfectly affects hair growth, strengthens them, protects against hair loss.
In the fight against various tumors (including malignant), such medicinal herbs are used. Ivan tea after radiation exposure and chemotherapy allows the body to recover much faster.
How to collect fireweed
To preserve all the healing properties of the herb, it is very important to know how to harvest willow-tea. Harvest should begin during the flowering period. It was at that moment when the flower brushes did not completely blossom. As a rule, the process begins at the end of June. And lasts until the fall. Beans appear on the lower branches of the grass closer to August. They contain an unpleasant fluff, which under no circumstances should be included in the collection.
The process is carried out without fail in dry weather. It is not worth collecting Ivan-tea right after the rain. Harvesting such raw materials will not be of high quality. Dirty, dusty, diseased plants are not suitable. For medicinal collection is not intended fireweed growing near busy roads. It is better to choose a more remote place, not polluted by the exhaust of cars and trains.
For medicinal infusions, the entire terrestrial part of the plant is used. Therefore, Ivan-tea is cut or broken in the middle, and sometimes closer to the ground.
Mostly leaves are collected, although flowers are also permissible. Their taste practically does not affect the taste of the drink. They matter to bees and, of course, to future crops. That is why it is advisable to collect only leaves of Ivan tea. To do this, the stem is clamped between the fingers and lowered down. Leafs remain in the palm of your hand. At the same time, the plant itself is not damaged and can continue to bloom.
Pre-drying
To make the drink tasty and fragrant, you need to properly process the raw materials. That is why it is recommended to collect as many leaves and flowers as can be recycled.
And now we’ll figure out how to make Ivan-tea. The collected raw materials should be washed and spread on a clean paper in a small layer (up to 5 cm). Do not use a newspaper. It is not recommended to spread Ivan-tea in the sun. The workpiece will dry out and become completely unsuitable for the further processing process.
The grass should dry out quite a bit. As a rule, a day is enough for this. Necessarily leaves and flowers need to be turned, ted.
As soon as your workpiece fades, but at the same time is still quite soft, you can begin the further process.
Simple fermentation method
Next, go to the next step. Before drying ivan tea, raw materials must be fermented. Several methods are known to achieve the desired result. All of them are equally correct. And the choice of method depends entirely on personal preference.
Leaflets and flowers are rubbed in the palms. The prepared material is compactly folded into three-liter bottles. Covered with a damp cloth, these cans are lowered into a cool, dark room (t up to 25 degrees C). After 36 hours, the fermentation process will be completed. The prepared mixture must be slightly loosened. And you can proceed to the drying process . How to dry Ivan-tea, will be described later.
Forgotten Fermentation Method
This method was also used by our grandmothers. It is quite simple and undeservedly forgotten. This method is good in that it allows you to process a large amount of grass.
Before drying ivan tea, our ancestors took wet linen cloth and laid out raw materials on it. The layer should be small in order to provide a sufficient level of fermentation. As a rule, it is up to three centimeters. The fabric along with the grass should be twisted into a roll. It is important to roll as tight as possible. During twisting, the fabric is necessarily moistened with clean water. You can use a conventional spray gun for this. If such a process is missed, then the fabric is saturated with the most valuable Ivan-tea juice.
The roll is most carefully pulled by a rope. It’s good to use a rubber cord for this purpose. About half an hour, you need to grind the grass. To do this, the knotted roll must be bent and straightened one by one. It will become much easier if two people take part in such an event. At this time, the structural cells of the plant are destroyed. Then within 2-3 hours there is a stage of primary fermentation. From time to time, the temperature of the roll is controlled tactilely. When the palms feel the heat (approximately 37 degrees C and above), the initial stage of fermentation is completed.
When the mass is released, a gentle smell is immediately felt, somewhat reminiscent of a pear compote, slightly acidified. At the slightest pressure on the raw material, a characteristic crunch is heard. This mixture is tightly packed in the prepared container. You can put in jars, as in the previous method, or use a plastic bucket. For the final fermentation process, the container is closed and left in this form for 36-40 hours.
A little tip. In order not to spoil the raw materials produced in such a thorough way, you need to leave small tips. To do this, on the covers it is worth writing the date and the exact time of the bookmark. It will be nice to leave a note about the moment of the expected end of the process.
Fermentation under oppression
For the third method of processing raw materials, completely cut plants can be used.
They are previously divided into two parts. Juice is squeezed out of one. It is better to use a press juicer. It turns out a little fluid, even when using the most modern apparatus.
The second half is loaded into the pan (preferably cermet). Following it pours juice. From above everything is pressed by oppression. It is better if it is a wooden circle on which the load is placed, weighing at least 20 kilograms. You can use a regular weight (two-pound). It must be wrapped in polyethylene. The contact of grass with metal is absolutely unacceptable. After 72 hours, the fermentation process is completed.
Raw materials are completely ready for the next stage of procurement.
Drying process
Now consider how to dry Ivan tea. Flowers and leaves should feel soft rubber to the touch. So, the fermentation process was correctly performed. The prepared mixture is dried at a temperature of 95-110 degrees C. For this, you can use a gas or electric oven.
If the raw material was made from long stems, it should be crushed a little. The resulting "sausages" are cut into smaller pieces.
The mixture spread on the baking sheet is sent to the oven. In the process of drying, the mass must be mixed. Gradually, future tea will acquire the necessary color. It varies from light tones of brown to dark. It is impossible to pinpoint the time of such a process. It is determined by eye. And it depends on the humidity of the collected grass. Tea is considered to be ready when it is reduced in size in the ratio of 5: 1, if we compare it with unprocessed raw materials.
Before completing the process, the temperature in the oven should be increased. Such annealing, applied to coffee grains, can improve the taste of tea, give it an unrivaled aromaticity.
The oven should be slightly ajar at all times. Another tip will tell you how to dry ivan tea. Place a red brick or ceramic tile under the baking sheet. This will protect the tea from overdrying. At the same time, you get at home a device that works on the principle of a Russian stove. This method allows you to normalize the temperature in the oven. The resulting drink is fully consistent with old recipes and retains all the healing properties.
Flower drying
Quite often, when harvesting grass, the stems of the plant are cut. In this case, along with leaves there are flowers. All of the above steps can be carried out for the entire plant. However, it is worth knowing that the most healing and useful in fireweed are leaflets.
Moreover, in cosmetology, decoctions are prepared on flowers. Therefore, often there is a need for a separate collection. How to dry willow-tea flowers? Much easier and simpler than leaflets. Flowers do not require a fermentation process. It is enough to decompose them separately from the leaves in a dark room. Sun rays are also unacceptable to them.
Inflorescences dried in this way are stored in a glass jar.
Making tea
Cooking technology also has its own characteristics. No matter how wonderful Koporye tea is, its taste, color and smell directly depend on the quality of the water. What an exquisite aroma Ivan-tea takes! Making a drink in spring or melt water allows you to fully enjoy the unsurpassed taste.
Proper brewing of Ivan tea is an important condition. It ensures the complete preservation of medicinal properties.
Brewing dry tea. Two teaspoons of the herb is poured with boiling water (600 ml). The liquid container is tightly closed. She should be infused for about fifteen minutes. After that, the tea is mixed.
The infusion contains essential oils. For this reason, it does not deteriorate for several days.
Tea is tasty both hot and chilled. If desired, the drink can be heated. However, do not allow boiling, otherwise the aroma will disappear immediately, and the healing properties will significantly decrease.
Brewing freshly picked tea. Just amazing! But from fresh leaves you can make delicious tea. To do this, they are placed in enameled dishes with a layer of up to five centimeters. The finished component is poured with water at room temperature. The pot is put on a small fire and only brought to a boil. For ten minutes, the resulting drink is insisted.
The use of willow tea
Therapeutic decoctions and infusions have a huge spectrum of action. For most diseases, doctors strongly recommend drinking grass. In folk medicine, many recipes that give positive results are created on the basis of this unpretentious plant. What diseases is ivan tea good for?
- Adenoma. It is recommended to use the drink as an adjuvant in the fight against the disease. For a positive result, you need to drink one glass of tea in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening half an hour before bedtime. To prepare such a decoction, both grass leaves and flowers are used. One and a half tablespoons of dry mix per glass.
- Gastroenterology . To relieve pain with enterocolitis, gastritis, a decoction of Ivan tea is prescribed. It should be taken 3 times a day for 1 tablespoon. The softening effect of tea and enveloping the walls of the stomach makes it easy to get rid of pain. To prepare the broth, take 1 tablespoon of the prepared mixture in 1 glass of water.
- Chronic fatigue. Possessing a tonic, strengthening the nervous system action, the broth gives strength to the person. Drinking 3 times a day is prescribed for 0.5 cups. You need to take it before meals. To make tea, take grass (2 tbsp. L.), Pour water (2 tbsp.). The prepared mixture is brought to a boil over low heat. Do not boil!
- Headache. Ivan tea is not only an anesthetic. It tends to dilate the vessels of the brain, which makes it an excellent medicine even in the fight against migraines. Take the drug three times a day. To prepare this tincture, you need to fill three tablespoons of grass with a glass of water. The solution should be warmed up in a water bath for fifteen minutes.
- Indigestion Helps the decoction in stabilizing the intestines. With constipation or diarrhea, you should definitely take a drink in the morning on an empty stomach (3 tbsp. L.). For the manufacture of tinctures, the root of the plant is best suited. It is crushed (2 tbsp. L.), Pour boiling water (2 tbsp.) And insist for three hours.
- Anemia Ivan tea enhances the formation of red blood cells. It is recommended to take one tablespoon three times a day. Invaluable benefit of the decoction with anemia. For the manufacture you need one spoon of dry grass and a glass of boiling water. The broth should be infused for two hours.
- Conjunctivitis. With this disease, Ivan tea acts as an excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is enough to wipe the externally sore spot and make lotions. To prepare the tincture, you need to pour one tablespoon of leaves and flowers with a glass of boiling water. The solution is boiled for 15 minutes, infused for one hour. Be sure to strain it before use.
These are far from all diseases in which Ivan-tea becomes a magic lifesaver. It is widely used in teething in infants. It is a component of many cosmetic recipes. It is extremely useful in dermatology.
Instead of a conclusion
In time, collected and carefully crafted with great love, Ivan-tea will allow you to enjoy the exquisite aroma and excellent taste of the drink presented by nature itself. Tea will help protect the body and perfectly improve health. Mother Nature is truly generous! It is only necessary to learn how to properly apply her gifts.
To maximize the use of all the healing properties, you need to know how to properly collect the grass, process it. The above methods will tell you how to dry ivan tea. And recipes will make it possible to create a great drink with a delicate aroma of summer and unrivaled healing power.