Useful properties and vitamin tea from apple leaves

For the beauty of the flowering of apple orchards, it has been praised more than once in poems and songs, an apple is an unsurpassed fruit in popularity, but you should not forget about the leaves that are ready to share with people a lot of their useful properties.

Composition of apple leaves

What is the use of apple leaves, and what substances in its composition can have a positive effect on the body? First of all, it is worth noting the high content of ascorbic acid. 100 grams of fresh foliage can contain up to 400 mg of this vitamin, which gives a person a boost of energy, helping to resist infections and stress.

In addition, the green leaves of the apple tree contain such important trace elements as copper, zinc, aluminum, manganese and iron, phosphorus and molybdenum. The composition of amino acids is extremely rich, the most famous of which are glutamic and aspartic acids. There are saponins and coumarins, tannins, phytoncides and flavonoids in apple leaves.

Harvesting apple leaves

To experience the beneficial properties of leaves apple trees, raw materials are harvested, dried and used for the manufacture of infusions and decoctions. The best time to harvest the leaves is when the ovary begins to form, when most of the nutrients have not yet been redirected to ripening fruits, and the leaves themselves are young and not tough. Healthy leaf blades without petioles and without visible damage, traces of pests and the vital activity of pathogens are used.

If the trees have recently been treated for aphids, moths or other insects, the apple leaves are unusable and can only be harvested when the chemicals are neutralized.

The foliage is dried in the shade, spreading it in a thin layer on a clean, flat surface. As long as moisture remains in the leaves, they must be agitated so that the raw materials that lose their elasticity do not compact and do not deteriorate. So, the benefits of apple leaves will be completely preserved.

If you have to dry the leaves in an electric dryer, it is better to use a gentle mode and not set the temperature above 45 ° C.

The readiness of raw materials can be determined by easily breaking shards and sheet plates. The completely dried leaves are crushed and poured into glass jars for storage.

The benefits of apple leaves

To prepare an infusion from healthy apple leaves, take a tablespoon of the dried product in a glass of boiling water. After two hours of being in a sealed container, the product can be filtered and taken in the presence of diseases of the bronchi, respiratory system, long-term hoarseness and cough after a seasonal cold. The active substances in the leaves soften the mucous membranes, stimulate the secretion of phlegm and resist the development of harmful microorganisms.

Decoction and tea from apple leaves is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.

The anti-inflammatory effect of dried apple leaves is used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes in case of digestive disorders, gastritis and ulcerative lesions of the stomach and intestines. Fresh broth and ice cubes based on apple leaves are useful for irritation and purulent inflammation on the skin of the hands and face. Such rubbing and lotions quickly stop the formed foci, refresh and tone.

In winter, when the traditional diet cannot provide the body with vitamins, biologically active substances and microelements, natural tea from apple leaves will be a good help.

Apple leaf tea

Apple leaves intended for tea are not simply dried, but are successively dried, fermented, crushed and dried.

Fermentation will help convert water-insoluble nutrients into soluble form, which will increase the benefits of apple leaves and apple tea. In addition, such a drink has a brighter taste, color and aroma.

• Cuttings are removed from the harvested leaves.
• The raw materials are laid out on dry, clean pallets, covered with gauze or napkins and allowed to stand at room temperature for 4-6 hours so that the leaves fade a little.
• According to the classical technology of making tea, then apple or other, for example, fireweed, the leaves are crumpled until the juice appears, rolled into dense tubes and crushed in this form. But you can simplify the task by skipping the dried apple leaves through a meat grinder.
• The resulting semi-finished tea from apple leaves is spread in a thick layer in a glass or enamel pan, which is covered with a damp towel or napkin. The container is placed in a warm place, where the leaves are to undergo fermentation. The optimum temperature for this is 25–27 ° C.

The progress of fermentation can be judged by the color change of the raw material, which turns from green to brown-golden. The smell also changes, herbal notes disappear, and fruit-honey tones come in their place. The last step in making the apple leaf tea infuser is drying. It is carried out away from heating appliances and sunlight, regularly stirring up the leaves and protecting them from insects and dust.

To prepare a drink that preserves all the benefits of apple leaves, you can take not only such home brew, but also pieces of dried or fresh apples, add rose hips, cinnamon and lemon zest to tea.

Making tea from leaves - video