It is better to collect raspberry currant leaves. Drying currant and raspberry leaves for tea

To harvest lingonberry leaves for drying, it is enough to know productive places in the forest or have your own lingonberry lands. Having mastered the rules for harvesting this healing berry, as well as the possibility of its growth in your own summer cottage, you can’t help but explore the extraordinary magical power this plant. Almost every representative of the forest flora has cosmic energy, and lingonberries are also endowed with it.

The magical energy of lingonberries

Ancient legends testify that correctly collected and dried lingonberry leaves are the best of amulets from intruders. Enough to put leaves under the threshold or under the rug at the entrance to the house.

Dried lingonberry sheet can be used not only home amulet, but also as an amulet when traveling: put a bag of dried lingonberries in your travel bag, and you will be protected from troubles.

If you have intermittent and restless sleep, hide the lingonberry leaf sachet under your pillow. And in such a difficult case as a child's craving for knowledge, dried lingonberry sprigs can help - you just need to convince the child to wear them at the bottom of the briefcase.

A relaxing bath with sprigs of the plant enhances feminine appeal. Cowberries eaten at night in any kind of storage remove spoilage.

The ancient Slavs used the berry in funeral rites: if you throw a lingonberry sprig on the lid of the coffin, the soul of the deceased will calm down, and after burial will not disturb his loved ones with bitter memories.

But even if you do not believe in magic at all, the healing properties of the berry are undeniable.

Rules for harvesting leaves

After drying is completed (leaves should not turn black, not have a hint of dampness), the workpiece should be stored in a paper or linen bag in a dark, ventilated cabinet. Once you've chosen when to harvest your lingonberry leaf, stock up on storage bags.

It is clearer with berries: they must be harvested when they ripen.

But you should know how to properly collect and dry the leaves:

1. The highest concentration of utilities is in time when the snow melted.
2. Cowberry leaves not harvested on time during the drying process will definitely darken and will not retain even half of the healing components.
3. If you missed the first deadline collection, wait for the last week of September - the first week of October.
4. Spring harvest coincides with pruning time. When processing a bush, do not throw away the cut part. Sometimes it is longer than what remains, because a branch with only 4-5 full-fledged leaves should remain. From scraps, you can first pick a leaf for drying!
5. You should not pull out a bush with roots. Protect the roots of lingonberries to preserve and grow the plantation!
6. Time between the collection of plants and the beginning of drying - no longer than 5 hours. Before starting the procedure leaves must be separated from twigs and debris.
7. Dry the raw materials in places with good air ventilation and not in the sun, scatter a thin layer on a clean canvas or paper.

What and how to treat?

The composition of the leaves is unique! In addition to such trace elements as manganese, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, they are rich in ascorbic acid, arbutin, glycosides, vitamins with a predominance of group B. The presence of these components endows the herbal remedy with antiseptic, antioxidant, tannic and astringent properties.

Be sure to harvest lingonberry leaves and apply in the following cases:

1. As a diuretic (for cystitis, pyelonephritis, nephropathy after pregnancy): and 100 g of boiling water insist 5 g of raw materials for an hour, after filtering, the resulting mood is taken four times a day before meals.
2. Therapeutic infusion for inflammatory diseases (colds, rheumatism, tuberculosis + hypertension) 10 g of leaves and 10 g of berries are brewed in the same way as regular tea, and drunk, diluted with boiling water.
3. From edema during pregnancy, drink 200 g of infusion from the leaves during the day (see paragraph 1).
4. In the case of urolithiasis: a decoction is made at the rate of 1 tbsp. leaf spoon per glass hot water. Simmer over low heat (or "bath") for 30 minutes, then cool and filter. If the broth has boiled away, add to the original volume. take half an hour after a meal in the amount of one third of a glass. The course can be extended from 2 months to six months.
5. In addition to the cases already mentioned, a decoction or infusion is used for mastopathy, during breastfeeding.
6. For those who want to lose weight, tannin plays an important role. To achieve the effect, it is worth collecting lingonberry leaves for drying for the winter and cooking in the following proportions: for 40 g of raw materials - 200 g of hot water, leaves need to pour in a glass or enamel container, insist - a quarter of an hour, take - three times a day half an hour before meals. It is advisable to combine this natural preparation with diets and fitness, and the advice of a nutritionist will also not be useless.
7. Those who want to give up coffee should pay attention to the lingonberry leaf. Decoctions and infusions have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, but do not cause addiction and irritation of the mucous membranes.

Some Reasonable Restrictions

Many who seek to lose weight or get rid of cystitis with the help of a remedy given to us by nature itself are surprised to learn about the possible “harm” of lingonberries consumed without measure.

This does not mean that you should completely abandon it, it is enough to follow the rules of use, as with many other means:

• if you have an increased acidity of the stomach, decoctions and infusions can be drunk, but after a meal, and not before it;
• if you do not have allergies and other contraindications, but chronic fatigue is observed, just add a pinch of dried leaves to tea daily;
• you should always remember that leaf and berry products have a diuretic effect, and if there are fears of dehydration, it is better not to drink lingonberry tea every day, but to take courses for 2-3 weeks, then taking a break for the same period;
• Another important point is the ability of daily drinking drinks from lingonberry leaf to reduce the level of potassium, which is not useful for diseases of the cardiovascular system.

When it's time to collect lingonberry leaves, and you have not used up last year's crop, do not throw it away: a dried leaf is useful for three years, and not every year is fruitful.

Bearberries look like lingonberries, but once you taste it, you will immediately understand that the powdery berry cannot be compared with juicy bitter lingonberries! And we have already mentioned that young lingonberry leaves are more useful than those that are collected after fruit ripening.

Herbal collection of lingonberries, like any other resource of medicinal plants, should be used with reasonable care and attention. Do not forget about the unusually strong magic of lingonberries. Even just by studying the materials and reviews on the Internet, you can learn a lot of useful things!

Raspberry leaves contain a lot of tannins, they have a slight hemostatic effect, so inflammation of the oral mucosa and diarrhea are treated with an infusion of them. Tea and infusions of raspberry leaves have a strengthening effect on the gums, cleanse the blood, they are used for gastrointestinal diseases and skin rashes. Vitamin C, which is found in raspberry leaves, is essential for the treatment of colds.

Raspberry leaf tea is especially useful during pregnancy - it strengthens the walls of the uterus, preventing miscarriages, and has a beneficial effect on all functions of the reproductive system. They contain a lot of magnesium, potassium, iron and B vitamins, these substances have a complex effect, relieving nausea with toxicosis, pain in the legs and giving a calm and sound sleep.

Currant, its buds and leaves are also rich in vitamin C, they contain essential oils and phytoncides, which give them a unique characteristic flavor. They also have a rare vitamin P, contain potassium salts. Currant leaves in the form of infusions and teas are used as a tonic, they also have a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. In addition, they contain substances that protect against inflammation of the lungs.

How to properly collect and dry currant and raspberry leaves

The maximum amount of vitamins and other useful substances in raspberry currant leaves is contained during the flowering of the plant, it is best to collect and dry them at this time. But, if you did not have time, pick mature leaves that have a rich green color, you can during June, choosing leaf plates that are not affected by fungus or rust, from which blackcurrant suffers quite often. Leaves should be collected in dry weather, after the morning dew has evaporated from them.

For amplification healing properties tea made from blackcurrant and raspberry leaves, drink it with lemon and honey or milk and honey.

In order for your herbal tea with raspberry and currant leaves to retain their natural aroma and to avoid the taste of hay, the raw materials must be dried properly so that the leaves are fermented like real black tea. Dry the leaves, laying them out for a day in a dry, shaded place, with a layer no thicker than 5 cm. Periodically stir up the leaves so that they wither not only at the edges.

Store fermented dry raspberry and currant leaf tea in a special container with a ground-in lid.

The next day, collect the leaves in stacks of 8-10 pieces and twist them into sausages, rolling them between your palms. During this procedure, juice should stand out, while the leaves darken. Lay these sausage-rolled leaves in layers in a deep enameled bowl, cover it with a wet, clean cloth and leave in a warm place for 6-12 hours. The warmer it is, the faster fermentation will be. The readiness of the leaves and the end of the fermentation process are checked by the aroma emitted by the leaves - the smell of grass disappears, and a pronounced aroma of flowers and fruits appears. After that, the leaves must be cut and laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Put them in the oven and dry at 100°C for an hour.

Herbal teas from raspberry and blackcurrant leaves have long been drunk in Rus' not only as warming fragrant drinks, but also as healing infusions. In order for such a drink to preserve everything as much as possible beneficial features, you need to know how to properly collect and dry currant and raspberry leaves for tea.

IN different time years, greens contain an unequal amount of nutrients. In currant leaves, their maximum concentration falls at the beginning of flowering.

Depending on the currant variety and the region, this time may vary, so it is better to start picking with the appearance of flowers. Raw materials are collected in dry, warm weather in the morning, when there is no longer dew.

It is advisable to prepare raspberry greens for tea for the winter in the first 2-3 weeks of June. At this time, the leaves are of the greatest value: the plant directs all its forces to the development of green mass, and not to the formation of fruits. It is better to collect raw materials before flowering.

Collecting leaves during the flowering process, you can harm the plant or get poor quality products and be left without the lion's share of the raspberry crop.

The ideal period for collecting is from 10 to 11 in the morning, when the foliage has dried out, but not yet warmed up by the sun, there is no moisture and dew on the bush. It is good if shortly before the collection it rained and washed the plants, since it is impossible to wash the plucked leaves: after moistening, they can rot.

You can pluck the leaves with your hands or cut with secateurs or scissors, being careful not to damage the trunk. You can not pluck all the leaves from the branch.

The period of the beginning of flowering of raspberries and currants

In the southern regions, blackcurrant blooms in the first half of May, in the middle lane - in the third decade of May-early June, 1-2 weeks later - in the Urals and Siberia, where early ripening varieties are mainly grown.

Raspberry flowering in the southern region begins in mid-May and lasts throughout June, in the middle lane raspberries bloom 2 weeks later: from the beginning of June.

Influence of lunar cycles

Our ancestors have long preferred to collect potions on the growing moon, when the most beneficial substances are concentrated in leaves and herbs. It is necessary to harvest tender and thin young leaves, shiny, whole, beautiful, not dirty and not affected by pests and diseases.

How to dry?

Location selection

The location of the raw materials for drying should be ventilated, dry, warm, not lit by direct sunlight. This is necessary so that the material is not affected by mold, and the sun does not destroy chlorophyll and useful elements in it.

Traditional drying of raspberries and currants

It is undesirable to use a newspaper to dry vegetable raw materials: the substances contained in the printing ink, absorbed into the material, can saturate it with harmful elements.

The heap needs to be turned over from time to time to ensure uniform drying. At the same time, it is important not to forget to check whether they are affected by mold. This is done until the leaves become brittle. This indicates the readiness of raw materials that can be sent for storage.

The weather in May or early June sometimes does not please with the sun and warmth, it often rains, filling the air with dampness. Under such conditions, the leaves cannot be dried in the air, but an oven can be used, although with this method of drying they lose some of the useful elements.

The leaves are placed on a baking sheet in one layer and placed in an oven preheated to + 100 ° C.

After 1.5 hours, the temperature is reduced to + 50⁰С and the mass is dried at it until ready. Having chosen drying with the help of an oven, one should not forget that its door should always be ajar to evaporate the released moisture and air circulation. Leaves should not be baked, but dried.

For drying currant and raspberry leaves at home, you can also use an electric dryer. Still, the natural method is preferable, in which the leaves dry completely in 4-5 days.

You can store dried leaves for about a year in linen bags or tightly closed containers. To store any dried plant material, a cool unlit place away from tea, coffee and spices is suitable, you can use a distant cabinet in the kitchen.

Raspberry and currant fermentation

To get a fragrant preparation for tea at home, it is not necessary to dry currant and raspberry leaves according to the recipe of our grandmothers. In order for herbal tea with currant and raspberry leaves not to have the taste of hay and to retain their natural aroma, it is necessary that the leaves, like real black tea, undergo fermentation - light fermentation.

At the first stage, you only need to slightly dry the leaves so that they lose some of the moisture and wilt. You can not dry the material, otherwise fermentation will not occur. The blade of the finished leaf should be sluggish and soft, and the petiole should be flexible and not brittle.

The next day, you need to collect 8-10 pieces of greens in piles and, rolling between your palms, twist sausages out of them. During this procedure, juice should stand out from them, under the influence of which fermentation will occur.

There is also a less time-consuming "mechanized" method, in which the leaves are passed through a meat grinder. It is better to use in this case an old mechanical machine with the largest grate so that the leaves are not crushed much.

The darkened leaves twisted with sausages are placed in layers in a deep enameled bowl, covered with a wet clean cloth and left for 6-12 hours in a warm place.

Using the second option, the greens are transferred to a bowl, slightly crushing with your hands. The moisture content of the fabric should be checked regularly and rewetted when dry. The fermentation process optimally takes place at a temperature of +22-+26°C. When the temperature rises or falls, fermentation stops or goes wrong.

Leaves should not be laid out in a thin layer, as fermentation will be of poor quality. The end of the process is checked by the aroma emitted by the leaves: the smell of grass disappears, a pronounced floral-fruity aroma appears. The finished mass becomes greenish-brown.

After that, the leaves should be laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and dried in the oven for an hour at a temperature of + 100 ° C.

Useful properties of raspberry and currant tea

Raspberry leaves contain a large amount of tannins. An infusion of them is used to treat diarrhea and inflammation of the oral mucosa.

Infusion and tea from raspberry leaves cleanse the blood, strengthen the gums, they are used for skin rashes and gastrointestinal diseases. Vitamin C contained in raspberry leaves is effective in treating colds.

Raspberry leaf tea is especially useful during pregnancy: it helps strengthen the walls of the uterus, prevents miscarriages, and has a beneficial effect on the reproductive system.

Raspberry leaves contain a lot of iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamins of group B. Having a complex effect, these substances relieve pain in the legs, nausea with toxicosis, give a good restful sleep.

Currant buds and leaves are rich in vitamin C, which contain phytoncides and essential oils that give them a unique aroma. They contain potassium salts, a rare vitamin P.

In the form of infusions and teas, currant leaves are used as a diuretic, analgesic, tonic, anti-inflammatory agent. They contain substances that protect against inflammation of the lungs.

Tea from raspberry leaves and blackcurrant to enhance the healing properties is recommended to drink with honey and milk or honey and lemon.

Hello dear readers. Strawberries in general, both fruits and leaves, bring not only aesthetic pleasure, they are distinguished by their aroma, which is associated with summer walks. Each leaf consists of many trace elements and vitamins. Using them as a drink, the body will receive natural protection from the effects of viruses. The plant will normalize the work of the digestive tract. Everyone knows that a person needs to take vitamins to restore strength after hard work, increase overall tone. Natural remedies, which include strawberry leaves, will cope with this task.

Benefits of strawberry leaves

For many years, a decoction of strawberry leaves, which you can independently collect in the forest, is taken by people who have been diagnosed with - diabetes second type. The substances that strawberries are rich in block the absorption of glucose and have a low calorie content.

The use of leaf-based products benefits both the female and male body. The decoction will help the fair sex to get rid of gynecological problems.

During menopause, wild strawberry leaves help to cope with tachycardia. And the male part, decoctions and infusions from this plant will benefit in the form of testosterone production.

It is this hormone that is responsible for the feeling of youth and the preservation of male strength. Decoctions have a beneficial effect on the entire reproductive system.

Wild strawberry leaves are used not only as a preventive measure, but also for the treatment of such diseases.

What do strawberry leaves treat

1. Urolithiasis (help to remove sand);
2. Diseases of the bladder.
3. Arthrosis, arthritis, gout (relieve joint pain).
4. Cholelithiasis.
5. Diseases of the cardiovascular type.
6. Anemia.

When to harvest and how to dry strawberry leaves

It is not at all difficult to collect and prepare strawberry leaves for future use, of course you can buy them already at the pharmacy.

But spring forest walks can be supplemented by the collection of fragrant leaves, which throughout the autumn and winter will help to feel good. The most important thing is to know how to properly collect and how to properly dry strawberry leaves.

The advantage of self-collection is that you can procure an unlimited amount of raw materials.

The collection of wild strawberry leaves begins during the flowering period, it is important to catch the period before the appearance of the ovary of berries. This time falls at the end of May, the beginning of June, of course, it all depends on how warm the weather is.

The only rule that should not be neglected when collecting is to choose places away from highways, industrial organizations and factories that can pollute the place where strawberries grow.

It is necessary to choose dry weather for collection, ideally it should rain in a few days. In this case, a lot of dirt and dust will be washed off the leaves. The harvesting technology provides for cutting with scissors.

Only leaves are taken, without petioles. If it is captured, then the allowable size is one centimeter.

How to dry wild strawberry leaves

Raw materials collected in the forest are prepared for long-term storage in several stages.

1. Rinse strawberry leaves under running water after harvesting. If their number is large enough, then this procedure can be carried out using a shower in the bathroom.
2. Let a large amount of water drain.
3. Spread clean leaves on the floor, you can use burlap, in a place that is well ventilated, protected from sunlight.
4. From time to time, the leaves are gently mixed by hand.

With a drying device, you can quickly dry the leaves. Under this condition, they will retain their aroma, color, when rubbed in the palms, they will not crumble into dust. Using a household dryer, you will need to lay out pre-washed leaves in one layer. Select the "grass and greens" mode.

The medicinal properties of strawberry leaves are preserved in them even after drying. Dried strawberry leaves should be stored in cloth bags or in cans.

Provided that the container is properly selected, they can lie without losing their medicinal properties up to two years.

Feature of drying leaves for strawberry tea

It is possible to prepare raw materials for subsequent use as tea leaves by manual fermentation.

1. Spread the collected and washed leaves in the shade in a thin layer and dry, i.e. do not wait for them to dry completely.
2. Carefully twist each sheet between the palms into a kind of tube.
3. Put them on a pallet or in an electric dryer in a thin layer, leave to dry.
4. You can determine when the fermentation process is over by smell, it should become strawberry. After that, the leaves are calcined in the oven at 90 degrees for one hour.

The fermented wild strawberry leaves are stored in tin boxes.

How to make wild strawberry leaf tea

Strawberry tea, brewed from hand-picked and prepared leaves, is a natural vitamin drink.

Its use brings great benefits to the body, from enjoying the berry flavor to getting rid of health problems.

Like all teas on medicinal herbs, strawberry, you will need to drink in a course, without exceeding the permissible noma. The main rule is not to forget that everything is good only in moderation.

Tea from the leaves can also be brewed in an ordinary teapot, but it is better to use a thermos. It reveals a special aroma, and the drink stays hot longer, while maintaining the concentration of nutrients.

The classic wild strawberry leaf tea recipe is very simple.

Required:

• thermos or teapot;
• boiling water;
• two tablespoons of dried leaves.

Cooking:

1. Boil drinking water.
2. Pour a small amount into a teapot or thermos to warm up the container.
3. Pour out after a few seconds. Fall asleep leaves and pour boiling water.

Infuse tea from strawberry leaves for 10-15 minutes. You can drink it hot, immediately or cool. For sweetness, you can add honey or sugar, but strawberry tea is good without additional sweeteners.

You can complement the taste by brewing wild strawberry leaves mixed with green tea. This combination will bring double benefits from the substances that green tea contains.

It is good to use such a recipe as a summer refreshing drink by adding ice and mint leaves to a glass of strawberry tea.

Contraindications

Strawberry drink may be banned for people who are allergic to berries. At the first manifestations of itching, headache, redness of the body, you need to stop drinking tea.

With all the benefits of wild strawberry leaves, decoctions or infusions based on them are contraindicated in the presence of such diseases:

• violation of the secretion of gastric juice;
• chronic form of appendicitis;
• liver disease;
• individual intolerance.

Careful consideration should be given to the use of strawberry leaves throughout the entire period of pregnancy and lactation. breast milk. At the first feeling of malaise, or the manifestation of an allergic reaction, stop taking this herbal remedy, if necessary, call a doctor or contact a medical institution.