Many centuries ago, our ancestors drank Ivan-tea infusion immediately after awakening. It was believed that this is a drink of the warriors, charging with strength and vigor for the whole day. Ivan tea, the recipes of decoctions and infusions of which were inherited, was in fact considered a valuable discovery. People believed that daily use of the drink will help increase vitality, maintain physical strength and clarity of mind to an advanced age, and also reduce the risk of benign and malignant tumors in the body.
general description
Ivan tea, which is also popularly called narrow-leaved fireweed, is a perennial herbaceous plant fifty to one hundred centimeters high. It can be easily recognized by the dense creeping rhizome and red with a purple hue, purple-pink or white flowers, collected in tassels. Narrow-leaf fireweed blossoms from June to August.
This plant contains a huge amount of substances useful to the human body. These are minerals, mucus, flavonoids, pectins, vitamins of groups B and C.
It is worth noting that the plant is a very good honey plant, because in a separate flower contains about twenty-five milligrams of nectar. In Ivan tea there is a protein that is easily digestible by humans. One hundred grams of green mass of the plant contains a significant amount of iron, manganese, copper, boron, as well as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium and lithium.
Types of Ivan-tea
The genus of fireweed is numerous. It has fourteen species. The most famous of them is a narrow-leaved and small-flowered fireweed, the healing properties of which are very similar.
Places of growth of Ivan tea
The plant prefers the soil of hills, wet meadows, territory along forest glades and roads, as well as dried swamps. In most cases, Ivan tea, growing in the places of the former settlements, forms thickets. Cyprus covers the entire Northern Hemisphere, including the CIS countries.
Ivan tea - useful properties
Recipes with this healing herb offer us folk healers. The plant has a calming effect on the human body, which can be equated to the effect when using medicinal valerian. Infusions and decoctions of fireweed have astringent, anti-inflammatory, enveloping, diaphoretic and antibacterial properties.
In alternative medicine, Ivan tea is used to cure the whole body. Infusions of fireweed effectively cope with a stomach ulcer, gastritis, diarrhea, dysentery, migraine, and also regulate metabolism, stimulate the heart. Decoctions have pronounced hypnotic and sedative effects, and are also an excellent means for gargling during sore throat and other types of infectious diseases.
Ivan tea is used in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the genitourinary system, including cystitis. It is also useful for men suffering from adenoma and prostatitis.
With anti-inflammatory effect, Ivan tea has a positive effect on the healing process of various ulcers, wounds and burns. In this case, lotions from infusions of herbs or fresh leaves should be applied to the affected areas, it is also possible to use the powder of a dried plant.
To make the most useful ivan tea, how to brew it correctly? The amount of crushed raw materials (three to four teaspoons) necessary for treating migraine and colds should be poured with one glass of boiling water. It should be consumed during meals. A mixture of herbs of fireweed, pharmacy chamomile, the color of linden and fennel fruits will help to forget about a duodenal ulcer , which again should be poured with a glass of boiling water. Such a composition is drunk before meals. These are the easiest brewing methods.
Ivan tea is also used for cosmetic purposes. Masks and such wonderful products for cleansing the skin as steam baths are prepared from it.
Among other things, this plant is a very strong antioxidant, which is used to remove toxins from the body.
The firewood is especially popular in Russian baths, where it is combined with a birch broom.
Ivan-tea contraindications
A negative effect of the plant on the human body was not detected. However, there have been cases of manifestations of signs of individual intolerance. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, consultation with a doctor will not be superfluous. There is also a restriction in the use of Ivan tea. It is not recommended to drink more than twelve glasses a day.
How to brew ivan tea in a traditional way
There are two main recipes. We’ll take a closer look at them to understand how to brew ivan tea correctly:
1. The first method is the fastest, not requiring special preparations. A teaspoon of narrow-leaved fireweed is placed in any vessel and poured with one liter of boiling water. Next, the broth is closed with a lid and infused for five minutes. A significant disadvantage of the recipe is the depleted taste and smell of tea. This happens due to the fact that at such a high temperature of water, almost all substances are simply destroyed.
2. How to brew a fireweed (ivan-tea) so that it turns out fragrant? The second method will tell you a wonderful solution. The tea leaves should be filled with water at a temperature of no more than eighty degrees. Such tea is many times more aromatic, tastier and healthier than the drink described in the first recipe. The secret of success lies in the agility of preparing water of similar temperature.
There are other ways of brewing a medicinal raw material called "Ivan tea", the recipes for which are less traditional. Let's consider them in more detail.
Blooming Sally. Brewing raw materials using the famous Chinese oolong tea as an example
There are many varieties of this method. Less fermented fireweed is brewed with not too hot water (the temperature should not exceed sixty to eighty degrees Celsius). The brewing time is up to three minutes.
How to brew ivan tea more fermented? Such a drink can be prepared at temperatures up to ninety degrees. Brewing time - up to five minutes. The best vessel in this case is clay teapots. The thing is that they are specially made with thick walls that create an excellent temperature environment. Such teapots are usually small in size. How to brew ivan tea in this vessel? A third of the capacity is filled with a fermented leaf of fireweed. The vessel is filled with boiling water, after ten seconds, the infusion is drained and drunk. This action is recommended to be repeated about eight times. The above method gives an excellent opportunity to get a complete picture of the taste bouquet of willow tea, because the plant fully reveals its wonderful aroma in the process of several brewing. Narrow-leaf fireweed allows you to catch all the shades of the smell and taste of your leaves, which will be appreciated by true gourmets.
Cold willow tea
This method will appeal to raw foodists, since it absolutely does not include heat treatment. So, how to brew ivan tea in such conditions? One spoonful of fireweed is poured with a liter of cold water, then aged for twelve hours. This kind of drink can not be called classic, but the decoction turns out to be useful and tasty. All the vitamins and substances necessary for the human body in it are stored in full.
Brewing in milk
Thanks to this method, it turns out insanely tasty, besides very useful ivan tea. How to brew it in this case? A teaspoon of fireweed is poured with one glass of milk and aged for ten to fifteen minutes. This product extracts from Ivan-tea all the most useful properties. In addition to water, fats are present in milk, in which some substances dissolve with particular activity. Do not forget to surprise your friends and acquaintances, let them guess what kind of miracle drink it is.
Conclusion
We familiarized ourselves with the beneficial properties, and also examined the basic methods for preparing an infusion from a plant called "Ivan Tea". How to brew a fireweed? This process is very simple, multidimensional and entertaining. The preparation of this tea provides unlimited scope for imagination and experimentation. Drinking at least a cup of a drink a day, you will feel an incomparable surge of strength and vigor.