"Russian tea" - this is how Europeans in the old days called a hot drink from fireweed, in Russia it was called Koporsky tea. And they prepared it from the leaves of our native Ivan-tea.
The first half of the 17th century was marked by the appearance in Russia, first of Chinese, and then of Indian tea. Both teas were "affordable" only to rich and noble nobles. It was simply impossible for commoners to buy black tea from China or India. But it is not in vain that they say that the need for invention is cunning. The poorer people quickly found a good alternative - they began to brew the leaves of Ivan-tea, which grew in every meadow. Cheap and cheerful, in other words, free and tasty. In the village of Koporye (hence the second name of tea) near St. Petersburg, the production of this drink was literally “put on stream”: Ivan tea was grown, the leaves were collected and dried, they were ground, packed into briquettes and sold in local shops.
Fireweed tea has become popular not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. The British were especially fond of him. Abroad, Russian tea was bought up in huge quantities, which fundamentally undermined the power of the East India Company (the world leader in the tea market of that time). The “tea kings” did not tolerate a competitor: they vilely “tarnished” the reputation of the producer of Koporsky tea, saying that the Russians interfere with tea leaves with white clay. Therefore, the price of Russian black tea is so low. I must say that at that time it was a very serious accusation. Without understanding the details, the Europeans began to reduce the volume of purchases of Russian tea. And after the revolution in 1917, the production of the drink for export ceased altogether.
“Everything new is a well-forgotten old” - folk wisdom. So the time has come when the demand for Koporye tea has increased incredibly. Today you can buy herbal tea from the leaves of fireweed alone, or you can buy various tea compositions that contain Ivan tea.
For Russians, choosing a drink made from herbs growing in their native land will be the best option. Why? Because "foreign" tea contains a large amount of caffeine. The debilitating effect of caffeine and other tea leaf alkaloids on the human nervous system was proven by Academician Pavlov. But the effect of drinking fireweed tea is just the opposite.
The chemical composition of Ivan tea
Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C.
Macronutrients: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus.
Trace elements: iron, copper, manganese.
Ivan-tea also contains tannins, carbohydrates, pectin, bioflavonoids and fiber.
Useful properties and benefits of Ivan-tea for the body of men and women
- strengthens the immune system
- helps with colds
- brings down the temperature
- relieves inflammation
- normalizes blood pressure
- cancer prevention,
- struggling with sinusitis
- relieves feelings of nausea and vomiting,
- treats infectious diseases
- improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system,
- eliminates headaches,
- improves men's health
- treat diseases of the oral cavity,
- relieves the condition during menopause,
- prevention of urolithiasis and gallstone diseases,
- helps to quit smoking
- improves visual acuity,
- improves the activity of the nervous system,
- helps to cope with insomnia,
- restores strength
- normalizes digestion,
- strengthens hair roots.
The leaves contain vitamin C, so fireweed well restores strength after long-term illnesses, effectively fights intoxication in case of poisoning, has a good wound healing effect and has a beneficial effect on blood composition.
Contraindications and harm Ivan-Tea
- individual intolerance,
- simultaneous use with sedative medications (a violation of the nervous system may occur),
- use together with antipyretic drugs.
In addition, excessive consumption of the drink leads to intestinal upset.
How to make Ivan tea
The price of Koporye herbal tea is relatively low, because raw materials are not brought from abroad. Ivan-chai grows almost under our feet! And the method of its preparation also does not require large financial investments. Anyone can collect and dry the leaves of a medicinal plant. Therefore, before buying herbal tea with fireweed, try to dry the leaves of this plant yourself.
Collection of Ivan-Tea
The leaves of the plant are harvested during the flowering period - the end of June to autumn. Buds and leaves are harvested separately from each other, without mixing with each other.
So, the whole process of making tea includes 5 stages.
Ivan tea fermentation at home. withering
The collected leaves are laid out in the shade on a flat, dry surface with a layer of about 5-6 cm. Within one or two days, the leaves must be turned over so that they wilt, but do not dry completely.
Twisting Ivan-tea leaves
The leaves need to be twisted between the palms into small thin "sausages" until the leaves give juice and change color to a darker one.
Ripening Ivan tea leaves
Or fermentation. To do this, twisted leaves must be placed in an enameled container and covered with a damp cloth. Thickness of a layer is about 5 cm. To sustain from 6 to 12 hours at a temperature of 24-27 °C. At a higher temperature, willow-tea leaves will ripen faster. The indicator of maturity is the smell. It should be bright floral-fruity.
Drying Ivan-tea
Ripe leaves should be finely chopped and laid out in a dryer or on parchment with a layer of 1-1.5 cm. Dry at 40-43 ° C for about 1-1.5 hours. Readiness is checked by touch. When the leaves become brittle, the temperature can be reduced.
Ivan tea storage
Proper storage requires tight packaging (e.g. a jar with a lid). In a month, the tea will reach the desired marketable condition, and with further storage, its taste properties will only improve.
You need to brew Koporsky tea in the same way as regular tea. You can pour boiling water over tea leaves more than once - the healing properties of tea will not be lost within 3 days!
Happy drinking and stay healthy!
Video: Russian drink - Ivan tea
Oct-12-2016
What is Kopor tea
Questions about what Koporye tea is, the benefits and harms to human health of this tea, as well as whether it has any medicinal properties, are of great interest to those who care about their health and are interested in folk methods of treatment. . And this interest is understandable. Maybe this article, to some extent, will answer these questions.
Koporye tea (koporka, Ivan-tea) is a Russian herbal drink obtained by brewing the fermented leaves of narrow-leaved fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), a perennial herbaceous plant from the Cyprian family. The name of the drink comes from the village of Koporye not far from St. Petersburg, where herbal tea was traditionally produced from its leaves.
Most of this tea was harvested in the village of Koporye near St. Petersburg. Therefore, they began to call the drink, and later Ivan-tea itself, Koporsky tea. They drank such tea all over Russia. Later, it became the most important component in Russian exports. After special processing, "Ivan-chai" was sent by sea to England and other European countries, where it was also known as Persian carpets, Chinese silk, Damascus steel. Abroad "Ivan-chai" was called Russian tea.
After the advent of Chinese tea, "Ivan-chai" began to be brewed in such a way that it resembled subtropical tea in taste and color. They made it like this: the leaves of the willow-herb were dried, scalded in a tub with boiling water, ground in a trough, then thrown onto baking sheets and dried in a Russian oven. After drying, the leaves were crushed again and the tea was ready.
Fireweed is a tall herb with long leaves and large dark pink flowers found on all continents in temperate climates. Fireweed prefers well-lit places: flat banks of rivers and streams, meadows, burnt areas and clearings.
The English name for fireweed is narrow-leaved, or willow-herb - Fireweed - means "weed of conflagrations." On the lands devastated by fire, this plant appears first, preparing the conditions for the settlement of other plants in the future.
Fireweed flowers consist of four pink sepals, four free petals, eight stamens and a bent pistil. All flowers are collected in a pointed brush, they open from six to seven in the morning. At the base of its rose petals, it is easy to detect drops of nectar, which are removed by winged workers - up to a thousand kilograms per hectare - then turn it into fragrant light honey. The leaves are lanceolate, alternate, very similar to willow leaves. Small seeds with white hairs. A hectare of fireweed sows up to four billion such seeds, they have excellent germination and germination energy.
The further north Ivan-tea grows, the more vitamin C it contains.
Ivan-chai has volatile seeds and quickly populates places with disturbed vegetation; the pink blaze of Ivan-tea flowers can be seen in wastelands, in gardens and villages, in clearings, on the edges of the forest.
On the territory of Russia, 17 types of fireweed grow, the most common of which is Ivan tea.
Flowers, leaves, less often willow-tea roots are used as medicinal raw materials.
The collection is carried out during flowering (usually leaves and unblown buds are harvested separately).
For therapeutic purposes, fireweed leaves and flowers are harvested, dried in the shade, under a canopy, in attics, open verandas, in well-ventilated areas.
The roots are dug up in autumn, cleaned from the ground, dried in dryers, ovens, ovens at a temperature of 65–70 ° C.
Store raw materials in a dry, ventilated area, periodically monitoring. Shelf life of grass is 2 years, roots - 3 years.
Fireweed flowers and leaves are a real treasure for extracting useful components from it for human body.
The unique composition determines the variety of healing properties of Ivan-tea. It is also a mild laxative, emollient, enveloping, wound healing, analgesic, anticonvulsant effect. In its anti-inflammatory properties, Ivan-tea surpasses all medicinal plants - it has been scientifically proven that it has the highest coefficient of anti-inflammatory action among plants! And in terms of its tranquilizing effect (calming, reducing the feeling of tension, anxiety, fear), it has no equal at all.
A detailed recipe for making Koporye tea
Withering: the leaves are scattered with a layer no thicker than 5 cm for a day or a day, until they become lethargic, while they must be periodically stirred, not allowing the leaves of the upper layer and along the edges to dry out.
Twisting: the leaves are twisted between the palms of the hands into small spindle-shaped sausages until they darken from the juice that has come out.
Fermentation: rolled leaves are placed in a 5 cm layer in an enameled bowl or tray, covered with a wet cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 ° C) for 6-12 hours to ripen. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process, the end of the process is characterized by a change in the grassy smell to a rich floral-fruity one. Too high temperature and overexposure are dangerous - fireweed acquires the smell of low-grade boiled tea.
Drying: the fermented leaves are finely cut, spread on sieves or baking sheets covered with parchment, a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters and dried at a temperature of 100 ° C for about an hour, periodically checking readiness by touch. Well-dried tea has the color of black real tea, rich and stronger than its aroma, the tea leaves break when squeezed, but do not crumble into dust. When the bulk of the tea reaches this condition, the drying temperature is reduced, and the draft, which is moderate during the drying process, is sharply increased. If the temperature is too high and the tea is overexposed in the dryer, an admixture of the smell of “dry paper” appears in the bouquet.
Storage: like real tea, Koporye tea requires tight packaging during storage - best of all in glass jars with polyethylene lids. Commodity standard Koporye tea reaches after about a month of storage, and in the future, its properties, like real tea, improve even more. The dried flowers also make an excellent drink.
Recipe for making Koporye tea from Dmitry Samusev:
The plant itself contains everything necessary for fermentation. These are its own juices and enzymes. If the leaf is crushed in the hands, then part of the cells will burst, the plant will release juice. Wet crumpled leaves will contain vitamins, nutrients and intracellular enzymes. These enzymes, leaving the vacuoles, begin to actively change the biochemical composition of the plant. It's like self digestion. At the same time, the leaves darken somewhat, a different, pleasant smell appears. For this fermentation process, it is better to leave finely chopped, well-crumpled leaves in a non-metallic dish under oppression (with a decrease in contact with air and metal, vitamins are preserved) for 1-2 days at room temperature. If you keep it longer, the tea will ferment like cabbage.
In agriculture, something similar happens in the ensiling of hay, when the cut grass is collected in herds and it turns sour by the forces of its own enzymes. The resulting lactic acid naturally preserves the herb. Fermentation can be applied to any medicinal wild plants and, on the basis of this process, an infinite number of teas can be prepared. The taste and smell of freshly dried and fermented herbs are noticeably different. You can add flower petals, dried berries, fruits to teas.
So, after fermentation, the sheet is laid out in a cast-iron pan and “languishes” for about forty minutes on a very slow fire. This heating to a hot state is necessary to accelerate fermentation, in which part of the insoluble non-extractable substances of plant tissue are converted into soluble and easily digestible. These are the substances that give the taste, smell and color of tea.
After forty minutes of languor, turn on the medium heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula, bring the sheet to a dry state. Carefully! Don't burn it. And then the tea will be burnt.
In appearance, it is an ordinary black large-leaf tea, but with a pleasant peculiar smell. When brewed, willow-tea gives a good color and a pleasant smell, and with an increase in the dosage, it acquires an intense color and astringency like the usual tea.
Interestingly, brewing Ivan tea does not stain tooth enamel, and in general, well-made Ivan tea is much tastier than Indian or Ceylon tea. By its properties, the Ivan-tea drink occupies, as it were, an intermediate position between black and green in terms of strength and healing properties. And if you add flowers, dried berries and fruits to this tea, then there will be no price for it!
Simple tea recipe
So, we collect young shoots of willow-tea (you can also have flowers, but with flowers), finely chop the leaves, knead them well with your hands so that the green mass becomes slightly moist, put in a bowl under oppression for a day or two at room temperature.
Then heat under a lid in a frying pan over low heat for 40 minutes. And finally, dry the mass over medium heat with constant stirring.
Ivan-chai, aka Koporsky tea is ready!
Such tea should be brewed as follows: 1 teaspoon without a slide per glass of 200 ml. Let it brew for 15 minutes. Tea retains its healing and gustatory properties throughout the day. When brewed repeatedly, it resembles green tea.
Koporye tea is a gift of native nature, an environmentally friendly fortified product made with your own hands to your own delight, and to your neighbors' surprise.
It is recommended to drink Koporye tea with the whole family as a prophylactic, given its ability to increase the body's defenses. And in terms of antioxidant properties, Ivan-tea is one of the leaders among medicinal plants.
There are not many contraindications to the use of Koporye tea. In the case of using medicines according to exact prescriptions, only its positive effect on the body is felt. In case of an overdose, mild indigestion sometimes occurs. It is not recommended to use fireweed for young children and pregnant women. The shelf life of harvested and dried parts of the plant is not more than two years.
Based on the book by Yu. Konstantinov “Yarrow, fireweed. Natural Medicines.
Green healers have always attracted people who, without a single medicine, could cure any ailment.
And even now, in the age of magic pills, people seek to heal themselves without chemistry and harmful consequences.
Medicinal herbs are carefully researched and scientifically based on their amazing properties and beneficial effects on the human body. And among this forbs, a special, honorable place is occupied by narrow-leaved fireweed or Ivan-tea or Koporsky tea.
Fireweed narrow-leaved (Ivan tea): useful, medicinal properties and contraindications
A perennial herb of the fireweed family with pink-lilac flowers is in the top five for its therapeutic effect and the absence of contraindications. For many centuries, the use of Ivan tea has been known in folk medicine - they have been treated for many diseases.
They call it a fireman and a bread box, a mother plant and a plakuno, willow grass and more than 20 names. In vain, the beneficial, healing properties and contraindications of narrow-leaved fireweed (Ivan tea) are forgotten - such a storehouse of healing substances is still worth looking for.
Description
Tall, up to 2 m, erect plant with a thick rhizome, which spreads, gives a lot of buds. The foliage is dense, shiny willow-like leaves, pointed, dark green. A brush of flowers on top of the plant, pink, white, white-pink. Blooms from July for more than a month. Excellent honey plant (more than 600 kg / ha - each flower 15-26 mg of nectar). He loves sandy soil, light and the absence of formidable neighbors in the form of trees and bushes.
Healthy cocktail
Leaves and root are rich in tannins (10-20%) and up to 15% mucus. Plant fibers and cellulose in varieties, pectin and alkaloids, organic acids and sugars - and this is not a complete list contained in this wild flax. Scientists have noted a high concentration of minerals in 100 g of green grass:
- 23 mg iron
- 1.3 mg titanium,
- 16 mg manganese,
- 8 mg copper
- 1.3 mg nickel,
- 6 mg boron
- 0.44 mg molybdenum,
- up to 20% phosphorus, calcium, lithium, sodium, etc.
An impressive vitamin cocktail starts with vitamin C, which is almost 6 more than in citrus fruits and consists of vitamins A, P, H, representatives of group B, etc.
Koporye tea benefits and harms
- Anti-inflammatory - effective for treating inflammation of the male urogenital area (Ivan tea was prescribed for prostatitis).
- It showed itself well in gynecology, the benefits of Ivan tea for women - relieves whites and cystitis, reduces bleeding and soreness during menstruation.
- Both antitumor and wound-healing effects were revealed.
- Antivirus is the ability of the narrow-leaved koprey to fight such an adamant enemy as herpes. Copes with the first manifestations of colds.
- Eliminates problems with the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis and diarrhea, neuralgic indigestion, dysbacteriosis.
- Yielding to valerian, Ivan tea is an excellent sedative. Complements anticonvulsants, hypnotics and sedatives.
- Treats various skin diseases (dermatitis, psoriasis, etc.).
During pregnancy, Ivan tea will also help - it will remove nausea and protect against constipation, normalize shattered nerves and save you from insomnia, and most importantly, it will normalize blood pressure, cholesterol levels and increase hemoglobin.
But you shouldn’t drink it drunkenly - in order to identify possible contraindications for Koporye tea, you need to start taking it with small doses, observing how you feel. There must be a measure in everything.
Surprisingly, with such saturation with useful substances, fireweed has little contraindications:
- blood clotting diseases;
- with too frequent and prolonged use - indigestion;
- intolerance to plant components.
Instructions on how to harvest Ivan tea and dry it are simple. To prepare this amazing natural gift, the deciduous part is harvested, cut off before flowering (until August).
You can harvest all parts of the medicinal herb, but you should do it sparingly, without damaging the remaining parts - not all leaves are plucked, but green ones, leaving a couple at the top and yellowed lower ones. It is better to collect the rhizome in the fall, after full ripening and filling with juice and vitamins, after the seeds ripen.
The assembled parts are left in a ventilated place without access to the sun. The resulting collection has a pleasant green color, does not crumble or gather dust, the aroma is light, herbal.
You can buy Ivan tea at a pharmacy, but you can also prepare it yourself.
If you need a pleasant drink, a replacement or addition to tea, then fermentation is indispensable. It is easy to make Ivan tea fermentation at home - the leaves are dried, dried, fermented and completely dried.
- Freshly cut leaves are pre-dried, leaving in the shade, with airing.
- The wilted leaves need to be twisted in the palms, as if twisting the tubes. In some regions, linen is used, gently pressing down while twisting, so that the juice begins to stand out.
- Fold the resulting semi-finished product into a container (plastic, etc.), cover with a damp cloth and keep warm for a couple of days.
The fermentation process of willow tea itself is as follows: a bunch of mashed leaves are placed in a bowl and covered with a damp cloth, in the shade and warmth, but without overheating. The process has passed if the mass does not exude a herbal, but a floral aroma.
Store in an airtight glass container, holding for another 30 days. Then all the notes will open up to the full composition. Shelf life up to 2 years, but every day the drink becomes richer.
Recipe for making Koporye tea at home
Each herbalist will tell you how to brew Ivan tea correctly, but the first recipe for using it is to add it to tea leaves or drink instead of tea, putting 1 tsp. in boiling water (200 ml). Infuse and drink with honey or sugar to taste.
You can also modify it by adding other dried herbs to the composition. Recognition was found by such blends of Ivan-tea and:
- lemon balm;
- peppermint;
- with dried cherry sprigs and pieces of dried citrus peel;
- with wild rose and viburnum;
- leaves, flowers and berries of wild strawberries, flower leaves of sunflower, cornflower.
An elementary recipe for making Koporye tea at home is to steam it like tea (2 tsp per 0.5 l), and take it all day without sugar.
You can soak tampons and insert shallowly into the ear (otitis media). A napkin moistened with this decoction is applied to the face instead of a mask, or the inflamed skin is rubbed.
The broth is prepared as follows: by steaming a couple of tablespoons of dried raw materials with boiling water with infusion in a water bath.
For convenience, it is better to filter before use. It should be taken orally during the day, preferably before meals.
According to reviews, the medicinal properties and contraindications of Ivan tea are unique. Poisoning or malaise, suffering from cystitis or getting headaches, pressure rises periodically, colic, insomnia or anxiety annoy - drink Russian tea.
You need strength, physical and mental, to protect yourself from colds and many, many other ailments and problems - brew a glass of healing Ivan tea and indulge in buns. The result will be faster than you might think.
Video
And here's another video on the topic.
Koporye tea, the benefits and harms of which have been well known since ancient times, has not lost popularity to this day. The people also call it fireweed, plakun, Ivan-tea, etc. It is a perennial up to 150 cm high with a thick creeping rhizome and pink, red, purple, pale pink or white flowers collected in a brush.
Ancient Russian manuscripts of the twelfth century keep the memory of this tea. According to legend, after the defeat of the German crusaders in the Koporsky fortress, Alexander Nevsky tasted a drink brought to him by the monks of the local skete. After that, the prince fell asleep soundly and woke up cheerful and full of strength. According to his will, the locals began to produce tea.
The benefits of Kopor tea
According to medical research, Ivan tea has an anti-inflammatory effect, acts enveloping the gastrointestinal tract, and is therefore useful for gastritis, colitis, stomach ulcers. Koporye tea has a pronounced sedative effect, has antitumor, wound healing, antipyretic properties, improves immunity, normalizes blood pressure and sleep. Traditional medicine uses this tea in the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases (eczema, dermatitis, purulent wounds), and also as a sedative.
Koporye tea is also effective in the treatment of helminthic invasions, diseases of the circulatory system and tumors. There is also a positive effect of Kopor tea on potency. This plant helps with headaches and migraines.
Since this tea does not contain caffeine and oxalic acid, its use does not disrupt the body's metabolic processes. Due to the content of essential oils, the beneficial properties of tea can last up to three days.
For weight loss
Getting rid of nicotine and alcohol addiction
In the treatment of bronchitis
Koporsky tea (Ivan-tea) also helps in the treatment of bronchitis. To do this, powdered mandarin peels (5: 1) are added to the tea leaves. Then it is brewed and drunk like a simple tea. The drink has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and is also useful for the prevention of colds.
And although the benefits of Koporye tea are undeniable, but, like any medicine, it has its own contraindications.
Contraindications
Collection of raw materials
Treatment
Brewing
Fireweed tea - benefits and harms
The fireweed plant in folk medicine is known as Ivan-tea, which initially characterizes it as one of the most popular medicinal drinks in Russia since the 12th century. Two types of tea leaves are produced from Ivan-tea - for fireweed and Koporsky tea. The difference between these drinks lies in the different processing of raw materials. In the first case, it is dried, and in the second, it is fermented.
Fireweed tea has undoubted benefits, but it can also harm the body. As a raw material for brewing tea, as a rule, use the upper parts of the plant, collected during flowering. Thus, not only the upper young leaves, but also inflorescences get into the tea leaves, which increases the benefits of fireweed tea.
The benefits and harms of fireweed tea
Fireweed tea is a real pantry of useful substances, healing components, vitamins and minerals. Due to the high content and concentration of the most valuable elements, fireweed tea has a number of properties that can cleanse, heal and rejuvenate our body.
Tea from the leaves and inflorescences of fireweed has a wide range of healing effects on most human organs and functional systems.
What are the benefits of fireweed tea for health?
- Freshly brewed fireweed tea helps to normalize metabolic processes, stimulates and cleanses the digestive system, improving the efficiency of nutrient absorption. It is recommended for people with endocrine disorders and overweight to restore a healthy metabolism.
- Increases immunity and the body's ability to resist viral and bacterial infections, making it an excellent prophylactic and tonic.
- It has a mild laxative, choleretic and diuretic effect, which stimulates the cleansing of the body of toxins, toxins, helps to eliminate edematous and stagnant processes. Due to the removal of toxins and excess fluid, it reduces the risk of kidney and gallstone formation, improves liver function and cleanses the genitourinary system.
- The enveloping effect due to the high content of mucus allows you to protect and restore the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, improve intestinal motility, relieve inflammation of the digestive system.
- The high content of vitamins C and A, as well as natural phenols, provides Ivan-tea with excellent antioxidant properties, which in turn prolongs the life cycle of cells, and, accordingly, youth.
- The anticonvulsant and sedative effect of fireweed tea makes it possible to use it as a mild sedative, antidepressant and hypnotic.
And this is just a short list of the beneficial properties of fireweed tea, which provide this drink with healing power and growing popularity.
The composition of fireweed tea is replete with rare and valuable elements, these include:
Contraindications to the use of fireweed tea are individual intolerance to this type of plant or the elements contained in the drink. With excessively frequent use of fireweed tea or in very large quantities, intestinal upset (diarrhea) can be observed, which is easily eliminated with the introduction of restrictions.
Ivan tea: benefits and harms. What is fermented Ivan tea useful for?
What is useful Ivan tea?
Fermented Ivan tea: benefits and harms
We have already found out that the Ivan-tea plant has healing properties. And how exactly does it affect our body? So, tea from Ivan-tea is effective in the fight against many ailments and has a beneficial effect on our health:
- normalizes blood pressure;
- strengthens the vascular walls;
- promotes the removal of toxins, radionuclides, as well as heavy metals from the body;
- significantly reduces the degree of intoxication in oncological diseases (many are sure that Ivan-tea effectively fights cancer cells);
- helps with headaches, as well as migraines;
- saves from insomnia;
- has a calming effect, therefore it is used for various nervous diseases;
- relieves the symptoms accompanying epilepsy;
- promotes the healing of ulcerative formations in the stomach and duodenum;
- tea from Ivan tea is effective for diarrhea;
- promotes gum healing and helps with caries;
- cleanses the liver;
- helps in case of alcohol intoxication of the body, relieves hangover syndromes;
- indicated for use in bronchial asthma, respiratory diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia;
- strengthens the body's immune system;
- helps to cope with elevated body temperature.
Ivan-tea is especially useful for representatives of the strong half of humanity, as it improves potency and activates sperm, thereby increasing reproductive function. Ivan-tea is also able to cope with male diseases, such as adenoma and prostatitis.
For women, Ivan-tea helps in the fight against infertility and inflammation of the reproductive system. By the way, it is absolutely harmless during pregnancy and lactation. Many women use Ivan tea for cosmetic purposes, as it helps to rejuvenate the skin, strengthens hair and nail plates.
Despite all the beneficial properties of Ivan tea, you must remember that the treatment of diseases by traditional medicine methods alone is unacceptable. Before using any remedy, be sure to consult a doctor. Remember that only complex treatment leads to a speedy recovery.
What is the harm of Ivan tea?
How should Ivan tea be brewed so that it brings benefits, not harm?
In order for tea from Ivan-tea to be really useful, it must be brewed correctly. By the way, it is not dry grass that brings more benefits, but fermented Ivan tea.
Compound:
Ivan-chai: useful and healing properties of Russian tea
Beneficial from root to tip
The name speaks for itself
Until the end of the 19th century, Great Britain itself was one of the main buyers of our Ivan tea. Most of all, the inhabitants of the Rzhevsky district, as well as the village of Koporye, which is located 100 km from St. Petersburg, succeeded in its production then. This settlement gave another name to the drink - Koporye tea. The recipe for its manufacture, which has not been patented, is something like this:
- they collected young leaves of Ivan-tea, dried them;
- fell asleep in tubs and scalded with boiling water;
- transferred to troughs, ground until juice appeared;
- kept from 12 to 24 hours;
- laid out on baking sheets and finally dried in a Russian stove;
- cooled, crushed again and packaged in linen bags.
The result was Russian fermented tea, extremely healthy and very tasty. He was a worthy competitor to his overseas counterparts.
To fully appreciate the taste of any drink, you must know how to cook it. And what can be said about Ivan tea, how to brew it? This very important process consists of the following steps:
- The kettle must be rinsed with boiling water. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of tea leaves into it, add 0.5 liters of boiling water. Some experts recommend cooling it to 80 degrees. It is better to use purified or spring water.
- You should first fill the kettle by a third, wait about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the water. Wrap the teapot is not worth it.
- Keep the drink for another 10 minutes, after which you can proceed to the tea feast.
- The tea leaves can be poured with boiling water 4-5 times, due to which the taste of Ivan-tea will be revealed more and more fully.
- Drinking Koporye tea is better without sugar. Dried fruits, halva and honey are appropriate.
- This drink can be safely stored for 2-3 days, and the beneficial properties remain unchanged. It can also be consumed chilled.
Ivan tea is good in all respects, contraindications to its use are individual intolerance, as well as excessive fanaticism (do not get too carried away, everything is good in moderation).
A logical question may arise: why did the production of such a useful and popular drink suddenly stop in Russia, the cost of which was quite low? The answer is painfully familiar: unfair competition and betrayal of national interests in the name of one's own benefit.
The fact is that at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries it dawned on the British that Russian tea was replacing the goods supplied by their East India Company from this market segment. Then they staged a real persecution of our Ivan tea, spreading rumors that this product is rubbed with white clay, which is supposedly very harmful to health. This slander had an effect: purchases of Russian tea fell sharply.
Moreover, in the domestic market, the Koporye drink was stabbed in the back. Under pressure from the then tea oligarchs, who supplied imported tea to the Russian market, at the beginning of the 20th century, changes were made to the “Industrial Legislation”: “It is forbidden to sell poorly baked bread, meat from unhealthy livestock and livestock, drunk and Koporsky teas.”
So Russian tea became a banned drink in its own country.
However, recently there has been a steady increase in interest in this drink. First of all, because its chemical composition has already been studied quite well and its healing properties have been appreciated. Moreover, fireweed tea does not contain caffeine, many scientists are sounding the alarm about the very harmful effects on the human body.
A number of Russian companies have begun to master the production of Koporye tea on an industrial scale, because it grows literally underfoot, does not require maintenance, and the processing technology, including fermentation, is quite simple. It remains only to remind the Russians of their national drink - Ivan-tea, because its beneficial properties are truly great. And perhaps in a few years, instead of pu-erh or milk oolong, you will gather for a cup of Koporye tea ...
To most of us, Koporye tea is known as Ivan-tea, after the name of the plant from which it is made. Tea leaves for this drink are made from young leaves and inflorescences of grass, due to which its benefits are increased several times. Thanks to a whole range of useful properties, this plant is used even in modern medicine in the treatment of a number of diseases. Koporye tea, or as it is also called, fireweed tea got its name thanks to the plant from which its tea leaves are made.
The thing is that this grass once grew near the village of Koporye. Even in Ancient Russia, there were rumors about the extraordinary benefits of this drink, although, of course, with excessive use, it can carry certain harm. At one time, Russians and other tribes used fireweed tea instead of coffee, as it acts as an excellent stimulant of physical and brain activity. So, the drink has been used since the twelfth century, without losing its popularity to this day.
It is worth noting that Ivan tea has become a favorite drink not only in Russian families, but also among foreigners, which led to its mass export abroad. There, quite logically, they began to call it Russian tea. At some point, the drink became a very serious competitor to such a popular Indian tea, which has long been supplied to all countries of the world.
Rules for making Koporye tea
Those who think that in order to taste the real taste of fireweed tea, it is enough just to pour a mixture of dried leaves of the plant with boiling water, they are greatly mistaken. Until recently, the recipe was kept secret, however, now the main steps in the preparation of this unusual drink are known.
First, of course, you need to collect fireweed leaves. It is best to give preference to young inflorescences in order to get the maximum benefit for the body and minimize possible harm. The collected "crop" should be spread in a cool room with normal humidity for a day. In this case, the thickness of the layer should not exceed five centimeters. From time to time it is recommended to mix the leaves to avoid drying out the top layer. 
The next step should be to extract some of the juice from the leaves by twisting them. To properly carry out this procedure, you need to wipe them between your palms. You should continue until the moment when peculiar “sausages” begin to form, resembling a little finger in size. "Sausage" is considered ready when it darkens from the juice that has come through.
Then they start laying out the twisted leaves in a spacious enameled dish. The layer of the spread mixture should be approximately five centimeters thick. From above, oppression should be put, and then all this should be placed in a warm place and left there for twelve hours. At this time, the grass juice is oxidized, and subsequently fermented, so do not forget about Ivan tea if you do not want to get fermented leaves. Moreover, although the place for placing the mixture should be warm, it is still worth giving preference to a room with a not too high temperature (no more than thirty degrees).
You can understand whether this stage has been successfully completed by the smell that fermented tea has - it should lose its herbal hue and acquire fruity notes.
The last step in the preparation of Koporye tea is the drying of fireweed leaves and inflorescences for one hour. To do this, you will need an oven or oven heated to one hundred degrees. Before this, the resulting sausages are recommended to be crushed and laid on a baking sheet with a layer of one centimeter. Having sent Ivan tea to the oven or oven, it is recommended to periodically check its readiness. To do this, it is enough to carefully consider the structure of the sheet - it should not bend in the fingers, but break, but not crumble. After most of the mixture has reached this state, you can reduce the temperature and open the oven door a little until the moment when all the leaves are completely dry.
The benefits of Kopor tea
Of the variety of useful properties of Ivan tea, the main ones can be distinguished. First of all, Koporye tea has a miraculous anti-inflammatory and antitumor effect. This drink can protect men from prostate adenoma, as well as problems with potency, and women from various diseases of the female organs. In addition, the benefit of this type of tea is that it is often used in the treatment of sore throats and colds.
Also, Koporye tea is considered an excellent sedative. So, regularly drinking a couple of cups of Ivan-tea, you can not be afraid of depression and neuroses. Moreover, vitality is significantly increased, sleep is normalized and the nervous system as a whole is strengthened.
Among other things, Koporye tea is able to have a powerful diuretic and choleretic effect, as well as help reduce blood pressure and cleanse the liver. We must also not forget about the wound-healing properties of Ivan-tea.
In folk medicine, it is believed that the benefits of the drink are invaluable in the fight against addiction to alcohol and cigarettes, as well as epilepsy. In addition, many women describe the benefits of a decoction for weight loss associated with a decrease in appetite. Some of them even noticed that Koporye tea helps to remove the second chin. As for the opinion of experts, it is noted that the drink in question contributes to a faster cleansing of toxins after poisoning.
Harm of Kopor tea
It is obvious that there is nothing ideal in our world and even the most seemingly harmless products can cause harm. Of course, it is not necessary to talk about specific contraindications to the use of a fireweed drink. However, as you know, the body of each of us is individual and carries its own characteristics, therefore, quite unexpectedly, an individual intolerance to the elements that make up the plant, or an allergy to them, may occur. Thus, it is important to remember that despite the huge number of positive properties, you should not abuse Kopor tea and forget about the sense of proportion, otherwise all the huge benefits will easily turn into harm.
Excessive use of the drink in question can harm the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, according to the recommendations of doctors, people suffering from intestinal disorders should limit the use of Koporye tea.
This requirement is due to the fact that the drink acts as a strong laxative, therefore, it can only aggravate the situation and cause harm to the body. Among other things, people taking sedatives should also stop taking Ivan tea, which can enhance their effect.
As for the use of Koporye tea during pregnancy and lactation, there are no specific contraindications here and only benefits for the expectant mother and baby are provided. However, you should not neglect the consultation with a specialist, so as not to harm the baby.
