For many people, the word "linden" is associated with honey. Indeed, linden honey is one of the most useful, it is very popular in many countries. But besides honey, linden also gives its color, from which you can brew an equally healthy and tasty drink. Linden tea associated with aroma, with a languid sweet smell that cannot be confused with anything. Today we will talk about how to brew it correctly, what benefits and harm it brings to a person.
Harvesting color linden
In order for the drink to retain all the medicinal qualities, you need to know when to collect linden for tea . Flowers and blooms are collected in the morning during the period of active flowering of the plant (from mid-June to mid-July), until the sun rises high. In this case, it is necessary to choose only those inflorescences that have opened, are not covered with cobwebs and plaque. Flowers should not have fallen petals, otherwise you can get inflorescences without useful properties. To make the drink contain useful essential oils, it is recommended to collect linden for tea in dry weather. For tea, you can use both fresh and dried linden flowers. You need to store dry inflorescences in a paper bag in a dry, dark place, you can pour the lime tea leaves into a glass jar, close it tightly with a lid or wrap the neck with a cloth. You can not store inflorescences in a plastic container or plastic bag, in this case, medical pollen will lose all its properties. They store linden in a place where extraneous odors do not penetrate, as it can absorb them, which will affect the taste and aroma of the drink.
You also need to know how to dry linden for tea . To do this, the flowers are laid out on paper or a piece of cloth and put in a place where direct sunlight does not penetrate. It is impossible to dry linden in the sun. The drying temperature should not be higher than forty-five degrees Celsius, otherwise all useful qualities will be lost. Dried flowers can be stored for two years.
Features of brewing tea
Linden tea made from good and properly prepared raw materials has a pleasant sweet taste, as it contains a large amount of natural sugars, as well as a fragrant aroma. To prepare an invigorating drink, you need to place the dried inflorescences in a ceramic teapot with thick walls and pour hot water, which did not have time to boil. At the same time, one fourth of a cup of linden color is taken for one liter of it. The teapot is well closed, wrapped in a towel and left to infuse for twenty minutes. Over time, linden tea you can drink both in pure form, and with the addition of lemon and honey. If the drink is not drank, it is not poured out, but it is frozen and then rubbed on the face with ice. The skin then becomes velvety, inflammation and irritation disappear.
Tea has a honey aroma, soft sweet taste. The color of the drink depends on the time of infusion, it can be red, brown or bronze.
Tea brewing methods
There are several more ways to brew tea, in addition to the classic one that we examined above:
- Linden and black tea are mixed in a teapot, pour boiling water and insist. After that they pour and drink. The disadvantage of this method is the spoiled taste of the drink, since linden does not reveal all of its aromas.
- Make a decoction in a water bath. The linden is placed in a container, which is placed in a pot of boiling water. The drink in this case will retain all the useful qualities.
- Inflorescences are poured into warm water, brought to a boil and insisted for one hour.
- The dried linden is steamed in a thermos at high temperature. A thermos with a glass flask is suitable for this.
Water for linden tea should be of good quality, free from foreign tastes, and do not leave scale in the kettle. If there is no such water, bottled from an artesian well can be used. It is recommended to warm the water in an enameled pot on an open fire, you can not bring it to a boil. Readiness is determined by the presence of bubbles at the bottom of the dishes, when this happens, the fire is turned off.
Properties and benefits of tea
It's no secret that linden tea is the very first cold medicine. Fragrant and hot with honey, it will warm well in inclement weather, increase immunity at the first sign of a cold, raise your tone, and relieve stress. All this is due to the composition and useful components that enter the body when a person drinks tea from linden. Its benefit is that it contains vitamin C, essential oils, tannins, as well as volatile and flavonoids. All these components have antiseptic, anti-allergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and soothing effects.
Disease control
Linden tea is a good remedy for colds, as it relieves fever, it is an expectorant, which is not inferior in its effect to pharmaceutical medicines. At the first sign of a cold, it is recommended to drink a cup of tea with honey, and after half an hour and another, this helps to weaken or prevent the disease. A good cough remedy for respiratory diseases has a drink such as linden flower tea. In addition, its components contribute to the preservation of the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, protecting the cardiovascular system from sclerotic lesions. They also use this drink for inflammation of the genitourinary system, for headaches, cramps and swelling, insomnia, and digestive disorders. In addition, tea has a calming effect on the human nervous system.
Benefits for women
For the female body linden tea very helpful. This is due to the content of phytohormones in it, which are similar in composition to female sex hormones. The drink helps to fill the lack of these hormones when the woman’s body “fails”. When menstrual irregularities are recommended, drink linden tea, infused twice. So, after the inflorescences were infused for fifteen minutes, he was put on fire and languished for another half hour. This makes it possible to get the maximum benefit from the flowers. During menopause, you can also drink such a drink. Daily use of it allows you to stop hormonal attacks. It is believed that this tea helps prevent the development of fibroids and fibroids. For this inflorescence is collected in the early days of the lunar month. In addition, a linden drink helps maintain the beauty of women, as it is endowed with a rejuvenating effect. It helps to remove toxins, so extra pounds can go away. To do this, apply the recipe of the already famous "double insistence".
Pregnancy Benefits
During pregnancy, linden tea must be drunk. First of all, it is a preventive measure for colds, when the immunity of a pregnant woman is most at risk. If the disease does appear, the drink will help relieve fever without bringing side effects that can affect the development of the fetus. The drink will help to normalize the temperature, eliminate cough, strengthen the body. With it, the swelling will go away. The nervous system will calm down, insomnia will pass. A drink is also useful for toxicosis, it relieves nausea, removes edema, fills the body of a pregnant woman with vitamins and useful elements. But you need to consult a doctor in the presence of health problems.
Benefits for children
Many children like linden tea, it can be given as early as six months of age, after consulting with a pediatrician. It will help calm the fever, improve the digestive system. Good use of the drink on the nervous system of the child. For children who have increased activity, tea will relieve nervous tension and help to sleep soundly.
Harm and contraindications
Linden tea is a therapeutic agent that has a certain effect on the body, so it is often not worth consuming it. They drink it in courses, taking short breaks. It is recommended to observe the dosage and frequency of the drink. The antipyretic effect of the drink with its constant use can cause the appearance of heart and vascular diseases. linden tea can be harmful to a person if he regularly uses it very often and using the “double brewing” method. This is bad for the kidneys. So, tea can be drunk daily for only three weeks, then take a break for ten days. Thus, the drink can not be used constantly and in large quantities, since linden is able to activate the protective functions of the body, which leads to stress on the heart and nervous system. In addition, you must make sure that the linden does not cause allergic reactions associated with individual intolerance to the product.
Thus, linden tea, the benefits and harms of which are already known to us, is a medicinal drink. It is used with caution so that there are no negative health effects. Linden tea is a gift from nature that has a healing effect. It contains everything you need to maintain beauty and health for a long time. Linden is a unique tree, in which all the components are medicinal, including bark. It treats the stomach, intestines, wounds, insomnia, and more. Infusions contribute to the healing of wounds on the mucous membranes, they also rinse the hair, they are added to the bath. And all this to strengthen immunity and preserve youth.