Fermentation of tea at home. Proper fermentation of Ivan tea at home

Hello, regular readers of the blog about healthy lifestyle and guests of the site! We continue our acquaintance with a useful plant - Ivan-tea. As promised, I will tell you in more detail how to collect and dry Ivan tea. You can read about its unique properties, and today we will learn how to properly prepare Koporye tea for the future, especially since its flowering will soon begin.

Tea, collected with your own hands and dried according to all the rules, with love is the most delicious and healthy. Such a natural and healing tea can be a good gift for loved ones if wrapped in a beautiful package. And if you add a present with a jar of natural honey, it will be even more beautiful.

I advise you to make fermented Ivan tea yourself, because finding real Koporye tea is not so easy. There are several types of harvesting willow-tea, we will touch on the fastest way, the ancient method and the traditional one.

The narrow-leaved fireweed blooms from June to August, and the time of active flowering may differ in one band in different years. Therefore, experienced herbalists do this: they look out in advance for clearings where it will be possible to procure raw materials, and monitor the flowering phases.

It is important not to miss the moment here. In August, buds with fluff are already beginning to appear on the stems. If fluff gets into the raw material, the quality of the finished tea leaves will deteriorate.

A few tips for harvesting willow tea:

• Harvest the plant in the morning when the dew has subsided.
• Do not harvest raw materials during and after rain, in fog.
• Make sure that bed bugs do not attack the container.
• Do not take too dusty specimens damaged by pests.
• Choose clean places, away from roads, railways, hazardous industries.

There are two ways to collect leaves. You can cut the plant 10 cm from the ground, or pick only the leaves by holding the stem with one hand. By swiping your palm up, you will only pick up the long leaves.

But herbalists still advise to completely cut off the fireweed. Firstly, at home it will be easier to detach the leaves, and secondly, the flowers can be separated and dried separately. And mixing dried leaves and inflorescences before brewing, you will get not only a more beautiful drink, but also a more healthy and aromatic one.

In addition, there is an opinion that more useful substances in raw materials will be preserved in this way.

Traditional preparation of Ivan-tea

Although the fermentation, processing and drying of fireweed is a laborious process, a few days of work are worth it to enjoy this healing drink that our ancestors loved all year later. Harvesting willow-tea includes several stages:

• Processing of raw materials.
• Drying.
• Twisting.
• Fermentation.
• Drying.

I suggest that you first familiarize yourself with the traditional manual method of harvesting fireweed.

1. So, you have collected the right amount of raw materials, brought it home. Now you need to detach the long leaves, if you did not do it right away. You can prepare separate flowers and dry them in the usual way.
2. Rinse the leaves in running water and let the liquid drain. Now you need to prepare parchment or white paper. Printed paper, newspapers cannot be used.
3. Lay the leaves on paper with a layer of 3-5 cm. Put the raw material in a dark place for a day, you can cover it with a cloth. At the same time, do not forget to stir the material all the time, avoiding overdrying. The leaves should just wilt slightly, become soft. But do not put pallets with raw materials in a damp place. It should be moderately warm and dry.
4. An important stage in the preparation of tea is twisting. This is the most labor intensive step. It is better to call assistants for this. In general, it is believed that men get bored with willow-tea leaves better and faster.

Properly dried leaves should be twisted in the palms until the juice is released. You can twist the raw materials into "sausages". Leaves should darken.

How to ferment Ivan tea at home

Fermentation is fermentation, during which the composition of raw materials changes. It is after fermentation that all the healing properties of fireweed are manifested, the aroma of the leaves changes from herbal to floral-honey.

For fermentation, you need to take twisted “sausages” or loose leaves, put them in a shallow container, with a layer of no more than 5 cm. Cover the container with a damp cloth and place it in a room where the temperature is 25 degrees. Raw materials should ferment for 6-20 hours. The color of the final brew depends on the degree of fermentation.

How do you know when it's time to start drying? If the smell of raw materials has become floral, then the fermentation was successful. Some connoisseurs of scat tea leave the leaves to ferment in the cellar for a few hours to give the brew a new, richer note.

Do not keep raw materials for fermentation in the heat.

How to dry Ivan tea

After the end of fermentation, the raw material is cut with scissors or a knife into smaller pieces, but do not overdo it. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, lay the finished raw material in a thin layer, about 1 cm, and put the tea in the oven to dry.

The recommended temperature is 50-100°C, the door should be kept ajar with a spoon or prop. It usually takes 1-2 hours for complete drying, each time stir the raw materials and check readiness “by eye”. The tea should darken. It is also advised to put red brick or ceramic tiles in the oven to bring the drying conditions closer to the Russian oven.

Herbalists also advise at the end of drying to increase the temperature, to ignite the tea leaves. Let the raw material lie down for some time at room temperature and you can scatter it over the container. If there is a Russian oven, then Koporye tea will turn out to be even more tasty and fragrant.

In extreme cases, you can dry the raw materials in the sun.

A quick way to harvest Ivan tea

There is a quick way to dry fireweed using a meat grinder. This method is suitable for those who do not have the time or ability to manually twist the leaves. Just keep in mind that the healing properties of tea, its taste will be lower than that of hand-rolled tea.

Someone advises not even to dry the leaves, but immediately twist them through a meat grinder with large holes. But drying is still preferable. Place the ground mass in a container and set for fermentation for 6-12 hours. Also cover the container with a damp cloth, make sure that it does not dry out.

After that, put the granules on a baking sheet, on parchment and dry in the same way as described above.

How ancestors harvested fireweed

The next method belongs to the old ones. A clean linen cloth was taken, it was well moistened with water, fireweed leaves were folded, sometimes together with flowers, in a layer of 3 cm. Then they were twisted tightly into a “roll” along with the leaves, tied with a rope. Then during the day it was necessary to periodically moisten the fabric.

After such drying, the leaves were rubbed in the hands for at least half an hour. The resulting raw materials were laid out in a wide basin, covered and left to ferment for 1.5 days. The leaves were then dried in the sun or in an oven.

Try to prepare Ivan tea yourself according to any of these recipes. But it is also important to brew the drink correctly.

How to brew Ivan tea

Koporye tea can be prepared in many ways. The tea leaves can be refilled with boiling water 2-3 more times. But you can't keep it for a long time. Try to drink Ivan tea during the day, 12 hours before.

Try this proven way to make a delicious and flavorful drink:

• Rinse the teapot with boiling water.
• Take 2-3 teaspoons of tea leaves per 500 ml of water.
• Pour dried willow-tea with water at 80-100°C. It is best to use water that has almost boiled, the "white key" stage.
• Cover and wait 10-15 minutes.
• Shake the teapot without opening the lid.

You can start drinking tea. Fireweed tea goes well with other herbs, dried berries. If you separately dried willow-tea inflorescences, add them when brewing. Sugar is usually not put in Ivan tea, but if you are used to sweet drinks, drink a bite with honey.

Herbal teas are very beneficial for health. Koporye tea is just remarkable in that it can be consumed for a long time. You can learn how to strengthen immunity with the help of herbal teas.

At the end, watch the video, this is another way to prepare Ivan tea without twisting and without using a meat grinder:

I would love your feedback and comments! Enjoy your family gatherings with healthy and fragrant Koporye tea!

I crush the resulting mass a little.

I cover the container with granules with a damp cotton or linen napkin so that the granules do not dry out and put on fermentation at a temperature of 25 - 27 * C. Periodically check if the fabric is dry. If it's dry, I wet it again.
If the room is dry, then I close the container not only with a cloth, but also with a lid, making a small gap for air access to the granules.
I spend an average of 6-8 hours fermenting the leaves, depending on the temperature (maybe more or less). The smell of the mass during fermentation does not change dramatically (like Ivan-tea), it simply intensifies and acquires interesting notes - each plant has its own. It is important to "catch" the strongest smell (with experience this will be easy). This moment will signal the end of fermentation. With further fermentation, the smell will weaken, and the tea may turn out with a less strong aroma.
I dry these teas in the oven at a temperature of 100 * C for 1 - 1.5 hours, and then at 50 - 60 * until ready. Stir occasionally with a wooden spatula. It is important not to miss the end of drying, otherwise the finished tea will lose its aroma.

And now a little more about tea from each plant.
Cherry leaf tea has a very strong aroma and a slightly tart, very pleasant taste. During fermentation, the leaf acquires the smell of "drunken cherries". I really love this tea. And my son says that he "fans" from him. But I rarely brew this tea alone (although it turns out very tasty). More often I mix it with other teas - it sets off the taste of the main tea very well and gives it a deeper color and aroma.

I have made this tea a couple of times. freezing method. Having collected cherry leaves, I sent them without prior drying in the freezer for the night. In the morning I took out the leaves, thawed them and warmed them at room temperature. Then she put it in an enameled pan 10 cm thick, pressed it down with oppression, and covered it with a damp cloth. Fermented for 5 hours at 27*C. Dried with constant stirring in the oven for 1 hour at 80 * C, and then dried until cooked at 50 * C. It turned out to be a wonderful tea with a whole leaf, very dark. And with a very rich taste. This is due to the uniform destruction of the sheet and, as a result, better fermentation. One disadvantage of such tea is that in finished form it turns out to be very voluminous and takes up a lot of space. In general, a very simple way to make wonderful and beautiful tea. So you can make tea from any leaves.
Aronia tea I consider it the most delicious (I don’t compare Ivan-tea with anything). This tea is just magical! The color is very rich, dark. The taste is tart, bright, with a slight sourness. The aroma is incomparable, very similar to cherry, but more concentrated. I drink this tea like a delicacy. I often add it to tea mixes. I’m greedy for myself - I just don’t cook it very much, because in our village there is only one chokeberry bush, and even that is with a neighbor. You won’t cut off the whole thing - it will disappear. But when the leaves begin to fall in autumn, then I don’t stand on ceremony - I cut everything off. The leaves are already red-yellow, rough. The meat grinder grunts when I twist the leaves, but the tea still comes out delicious. I will quote my St. Petersburg acquaintance, to whom I present various teas. When I handed him tea from chokeberry with an opportunity, he said: “Listen, I thought that there is no tastier tea than cherry. It turns out that there is such a tea - it is blackberry tea.

Pear leaf tea also among my favorites. It is very soft and unobtrusive - both in taste and aroma. But some deep, thick! Drinking this tea is very pleasant - it leaves a sweetish aftertaste. Its usefulness for the pancreas warms the soul very much. The color of tea made from pear leaves will save any light tea, because the pear gives such a dark color that it is a pleasure to look at. If you make a tea mixture, then pear tea does not interrupt the taste and aroma of the main tea. I take the leaves for this tea from a wild pear, but you can also use an ordinary garden one - it works well too.

Once I made pear tea, like cherry tea, by freezing the leaves before fermentation. The result is wonderful!
Apple leaf tea- unusual! The granules are light brown. And tea - with a very beautiful color and soft, sweetish taste and aroma. I love this tea too.

Strawberry leaf tea It turns out a very rich color, sweetish taste and aroma. If you wait for autumn and reddening of the leaves, the taste and aroma of tea intensify. I love to mix this tea with pear and apple tea. It turns out vkuuuuusnooooo! Once I tried to make tea from wild strawberry leaves. It is recommended to collect them in the fall, when they turn red. But all our strawberries were covered with half a meter grass by autumn, so by the time I had collected half a packet of leaves, winter had almost come. The tea, of course, turned out to be noble. But I was no longer worthy of such feats.

Teas from hazelnut (hazel) and maple leaves I did because I read good reviews about them. I personally didn't like them. Tea from walnut is bitter, but from maple it turned out just no! True, you need to make tea from narrow-leaved maple, but this does not grow in our country. If you still decide to make teas from these plants, then the leaves should be collected in early spring, when they are still tender. I plan to add walnut tea to tea mixes for bitterness. I think he will do very well there.

2. Currant and raspberry leaves behave quite differently than teas from group 1. They do not tolerate a meat grinder well, the granules crumble, and the finished tea is not very tasty.
But you can still get delicious tea from these leaves! In it, the smell of fresh leaves is not only preserved, but without changing a lot, it becomes refined. But everything is in order ...
Firstly, these leaves are somehow dry, even in wet weather.
Secondly, they are rough, it is difficult to twist them, and they give little juice. If you twist these leaves in a meat grinder, you get not tea, but some kind of dust. And therefore they are worse fermented. And the smell after drying the tea goes somewhere.

When I made such teas several times, I decided for myself - that's it, I won't cook them again. But then I remembered freezing the leaves before fermentation. Without much thought, I collected currant leaves, without wilting, put the bag in the freezer, took it out after a few hours, thawed it for 20 minutes. And began to roll into rolls. They rolled easily and quickly.

Sent the rolls for fermentation. Fermented for 5 hours. The leaf darkened, the smell intensified. I cut the rolls into 0.5 cm thick washers.

I sent it to the oven, slightly loosening the mass.

The temperature was set to 80*C. The smell during drying was crazy! This cheered me up, because past attempts with a meat grinder did not give such a smell. Followed the process more often than usual. After 1 hour, the leaf is almost dry. I lowered the temperature to 50 * C and soon the tea was ready, I didn’t even have to dry it in a pillowcase.

Without waiting for the dry fermentation of the tea for 1 month, I immediately brewed it. And oh, miracle! Tea is done! The smell is amazing, the taste is too. The color is not dark, but it does not matter! I got the tea I wanted!
That’s all, since then I’ve been doing it this way: I don’t wither the leaves, immediately after harvesting I send them to the freezer, freeze, then defrost, twist the rolls, ferment, dry and ... enjoy!
In the photo, tea from leaves dried in a dryer (the lightest), twisted in a meat grinder (slightly darker) and twisted into rolls after freezing (the darkest). Tea was poured next to the cups, from which I brewed it.

I like to brew this tea with pear, apple or strawberry. It turns out a beautiful color of black tea and a unique taste of currant! I recommend to all!
It is better to collect currant leaves for tea at the time of currant ripening, until they are destroyed by aphids and other pests. Otherwise, we won't get anything. It is advisable to cut off all the cuttings, leaving only the leaf plate.
Raspberry leaves in the process of making tea behave in the same way as currant leaves. During the collection, it is desirable to tear the leaves without cuttings - they are as rough as those of currants and strawberries. It should be noted that the reverse side of the raspberry leaf has a silvery color. This color is maintained throughout the tea making process. The upper side of the leaf changes its color during fermentation and drying, so you need to focus on it.

Through a meat grinder, raspberry leaves spin a little better than currant leaves, but they also almost crumble after drying in the oven. Yes, the flavor is gone.
So I freeze them in a bag. Moreover, without prior wilting.

And then I spin the rolls. After freezing and rolling, the leaves look like moldy. This was the destruction of the lower silvery surface of the sheet.

I ferment the leaves for 4-6 hours under oppression, since after twisting, not much juice is obtained. I also sprinkle a little water from a spray bottle.

Since it was very cold in the house, I put the container with the leaves in the greenhouse, covering them not only with a damp cloth, but also with a plate.

After fermentation, I cut the rolls up to 0.5 cm wide, spread them on a baking sheet, loosen them slightly and send them to the oven at a temperature of 80 * C for 1 - 1.5 hours. Then I lower the temperature to 50 * C and dry it to dryness. Tea dries very quickly, so do not forget to stir it periodically.

For the disappearance of residual moisture, I pour the tea into a bag of thin fabric and hang it in a dry place.
The color of the finished dry tea from raspberry leaves is not very beautiful (in the lowest container - leaf fermented tea).

But brewed looks very nice. In the photo - tea from leaves dried in a dryer (the lightest), twisted in a meat grinder (the darkest) and twisted after freezing (bottom left)

Tea from dried leaves turns out to be weak, slightly recognizable in taste and aroma. Tea from leaves twisted in a meat grinder has a stronger taste and aroma than tea from simply dried leaves. But still, it's hard to recognize. But tea made from leaves twisted after freezing, although lighter than “meat grinder”, has a delicious aroma and a recognizable raspberry taste with new shades, with a pleasant sourness. It does not need to be mixed with other teas - it is self-sufficient! We like him very much.
You can collect raspberry leaves all season long - they only get better! Yes, and pests do not favor them (at least for me). Wild raspberry leaf tea is preferable to garden tea. So, if you have wild raspberries, go there for the leaves. At the same time, collect wild raspberries. Then dry it in the dryer and add it to any tea!
3. Mint leaves, lemon balm and pine shoots- that's a different story.
After a conventional dryer, the leaves of these plants have a strong aroma and taste. And after fermentation, they become so vigorous that it is difficult to drink tea from them - it takes your breath away! In general, they can ruin any tea if you pour it carelessly. If you add them to other teas, then a few granules, no more!
Therefore, I stopped fermenting mint and lemon balm. And I do the following: I collect mint and lemon balm, cut off the leaves without wilting, twist them in a meat grinder and immediately send the resulting granules to the dryer at 40 - 50 * C for 40 minutes. Then I lower the temperature to 30 * and dry it to the end. The granules dry quickly.
An interesting observation: when twisting in a meat grinder, the leaves instantly change their color, i.e. their instantaneous oxidation occurs. Due to this, their smell and taste are enhanced, but not as dramatically as after fermentation for several hours. In the photo, I recorded the end of the process of twisting mint leaves. For comparison, I put fresh leaves. See what a contrast.

I would say that by twisting the leaves, we slightly ferment them. And another interesting point. I sent the same control leaves to the dryer along with the granules. The granules dried out, but the leaves did not. Remained almost the same as I put them. Miracles!

Now about the brewed tea from such granules. The smell of tea is stronger than that of simply dried leaves, but weaker than fermented. The color is beautiful and transparent. The mint tea shown in the photo was brewed in just 4 minutes. The taste of tea is minty and very pleasant.

In general, we really like such mint and lemon balm. And just like that they can be added wherever your heart desires - to other teas, drinks, meat dishes, pastries (convenient!). They will not interrupt the taste and aroma of the main drink or dish, but will emphasize them favorably.

pine shoots… Only this year I noticed them thanks to Linadoc with its coniferous rose hip jam http://hlebopechka.ru/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=126&topic=386008.0 (thanks to her). It turned out that for this jam I broke too many shoots. And I cooked 2 batches of jam, and there were still shoots left - a large package. I no longer planned to make jam, but it’s a pity to throw away the shoots. Then I remembered what I did with mint and lemon balm. Without hesitation, she twisted the shoots in a meat grinder. And then she dried the resulting granules in a dryer at a temperature of 60 * C for 1 hour. It turned out very fragrant! I have tried adding it to teas. Tasty!

For reference: the process of collecting shoots does not harm the pines. Vice versa! If you break off only half of the shoot, then the pine tree will become fluffier next year. This technique is used specifically for the formation of the crown of coniferous trees. It is important to do this in May, while the shoots have not laid buds for the next year. Such shoots are called "candles", they are very tender and have not yet acquired needles. So granular pine shoots were a revelation for me this season.

This is all! I mean, I've never made tea out of anything else. I really want to try to make tea from the leaves of viburnum, sage, oregano, blueberries. If I lived in the south, I would definitely try to make tea from peach and apricot leaves. I think that good tea will come from the leaves of quince, cranberries, lingonberries. You can try making plum tea. In general, my fantasy on the topic of teas is still playing rapidly, and I will not stop there.
Happy tea drinking!

A little about useful properties of plants listed in the recipe, and possible contraindications when drinking tea from them
Cherry has a wide range of medicinal properties.

Cherry leaves contain organic acids (malic and citric), tannins, coumarin, sucrose, dextrose, anthocyanins, vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, B9 (folic acid). They have expectorant, diuretic, antiseptic, sedative and anticonvulsant effects. Their infusion is used for inflammation of the respiratory tract, for anemia, as a laxative for constipation, to reduce fermentation processes in the intestines and as a general tonic.
Cherry leaves also have diuretic and astringent properties. They are used for nephrolithiasis, joint diseases, edema, diarrhea.
A decoction of young leaves is used for diarrhea, chronic colitis, and also in the complex treatment of intestinal atony. Vitamin tea is brewed from spring leaves, which has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and hemostatic effects.
People with gastritis or gastric ulcer, 12 duodenal ulcer with high acidity of gastric juice during an exacerbation of the disease should take decoctions and infusions with caution.
Chokeberry (chokeberry) has hypotensive, antispasmodic, diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory, capillary-strengthening properties, and also lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, stimulates the homeostasis system.

It is indicated for hypertension stage 1 and 2, various disorders in the blood coagulation system (hemorrhagic diathesis, capillary toxicosis), bleeding, atherosclerosis, glomerulonephritis, rheumatism, diabetes mellitus, allergic diseases.
Pectin substances, which are contained in chokeberry, remove radioactive substances, heavy metals, pathogenic microorganisms from the human body, eliminate spasms, and normalize bowel function. The contained complex of vitamins (a combination of vitamin P and C) helps to strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improves their elasticity and firmness.
In the formation of stones in the kidneys and urinary ducts, chokeberry leaves can exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. Its hemostatic, laxative, diaphoretic actions are known. Rowan leaf tea is useful for kidney and liver diseases.
It is recommended to take chokeberry with caution in case of gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, hypotension, increased blood clotting and thrombophlebitis.
Pear is rich in fructose, glucose and sucrose, organic acids, tannins, pectin, nitrogenous substances, carotene and vitamins of groups A, B, P, PP, C and B. Pear leaves contain a large amount of iodine. Infusion of pear leaves has a diuretic, fixative, disinfectant, expectorant and antipyretic effect, helps to normalize the digestive tract.

Apple leaves, due to their rich chemical composition, have many beneficial properties for the body - anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, improve metabolism in the body, and are useful for edema.

In the leaves of an apple tree, as in the fruits, contains phenolic compounds that strengthen the walls of blood vessels, reduce their fragility and permeability, promote the absorption of vitamin C. An infusion of apple leaves is used for colds, coughs, hoarseness, nephritis, bladder problems and kidney stones.
Maple leaves contain essential oil, betuloretinic acid, saponins, tannins, hyperoside, carotene, essential oil, vitamin C, phytoncides. Young maple leaves have a white, sweetish, pleasant-tasting sticky juice rich in vitamin C, which has antiscorbutic, tonic, choleretic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, tonic, analgesic and diuretic effects.

Clen is an excellent antidepressant, well relieves nervous tension caused by stress, reduces aggression, harmonizes, restores energy, enriches the body with useful substances. In addition, this is an excellent drug for crushing stones in the bladder, kidneys. There are no contraindications for clen.
In the leaves of hazel (hazelnut) contains sucrose, essential oil, myricitrosil, vitamins. Hazel is a laxative, so it is used for constipation. The plant has antipyretic and astringent properties. Hazel is used as a means that dilates blood vessels. This medicinal plant dissolves kidney stones, stimulates all body functions. Tinctures and decoctions of hazel leaves can increase blood pressure.
Infusion leaves of garden and wild strawberries have a tonic, sedative, vasodilating, tonic, hematopoietic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, choleretic, anti-sclerotic, hypoglycemic properties. Inside it is taken as a tonic, antispasmodic for neurasthenia, leukemia, enuresis, polymenorrhea, laryngeal carcinomas. Infusion of leaves slows down the rhythm and increases the amplitude of heart contractions, dilates blood vessels, and helps to remove salts from the body. In scientific medicine, an infusion of strawberry leaves is recommended to be taken to reject necrotic masses in decaying tumors.

In folk medicine, an infusion of leaves is used for gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, colitis, hypertension, heart weakness, palpitations, kidney disease, liver, edema, neurasthenia, insomnia, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, gout, liver stones and kidneys, skin rashes, rickets, scrofula, hemorrhoids. Also, the infusion is taken for colds, which are accompanied by high fever and cough, for anemia, beriberi, hepatitis, diarrhea, atonic constipation, diseases of the spleen.
Outwardly, an infusion of strawberry leaves is used as a rinse for purulent inflammation of the mouth and throat, as compresses in the treatment of weeping, bleeding wounds that do not heal for a long time.
Currant is a storehouse of vitamins.

The berries and leaves of this unique plant contain provitamin A, essential vitamins B and P, as well as pectin substances important for the body, healthy sugars, phosphoric acid, carotene and essential oil. Currant leaves contain a large amount of magnesium, phytoncides, manganese, silver, sulfur, lead and copper.
currant leaves are used to treat diseases of the liver, respiratory tract. Infusions of leaves perfectly increase immunity and resistance to colds. They have tonic and antiseptic properties due to the content of tannins and biologically active substances, vitamins and essential oils. The leaves of this shrub contain more vitamin C than its berries, so they are used for gout, gastritis, and also for cardiovascular diseases. Traditional medicine strongly recommends the use of decoctions for eye diseases and various dermatitis.
Due to the high content of unique phenolic compounds and vitamin K, the use of currants is contraindicated in thrombophlebitis.
Raspberries are an invaluable treasure for health.

It contains in its composition five organic acids: salicylic, malic, citric, formic, caproic. Raspberries are rich in tannins, pectin, nitrogenous substances, potassium, copper salts, vitamin C, carotene, and essential oils.
Raspberry leaves have antipyretic, diaphoretic, antitoxic and hemostatic effects. Infusions of raspberry leaves are used for colds, acute respiratory infections, influenza, sciatica, fever and neuralgia. They are also an ingredient in the preparation of diaphoretic teas. Raspberry leaves are also used for atherosclerosis, diseases of the kidneys, stomach, intestines, hypertension and heart dysfunction, diarrhea and bleeding. An infusion of raspberry leaves can be used to gargle the throat and mouth with various inflammatory processes. Use with caution in nephritis and gout.
Mint.

Mint leaves have antispasmodic, sedative, choleretic, antiseptic, analgesic, weak hypotensive properties. It improves appetite, enhances the secretion of the digestive glands and bile secretion, reduces the tone of the smooth muscles of the intestines, as well as the biliary and urinary tract.
Infusion or tea from mint leaves is indicated for nausea of ​​various origins, vomiting (including in pregnant women), gastrointestinal spasms, heartburn, diarrhea, flatulence, spasms in the gallbladder, biliary and urinary tract, cholecystitis, cholangitis, hepatitis, cholelithiasis , states of nervous excitement, insomnia, pain in the heart, coughing, to increase appetite.
Also, infusion and tea from mint inhibit fermentation processes in the digestive tract and, by relieving spasms of the smooth muscles of the intestine, contribute to the free passage of food. Due to the fact that mint stimulates the bile-forming function of the liver and enhances the secretion of other digestive glands, its preparations (infusion or tea) will be useful for those people who have poorly digested fatty foods.
Contraindications. In some people, the pungent smell of mint preparations can cause respiratory distress, bronchospasm, pain in the heart area. In the treatment of the upper respiratory tract in children under 5 years of age, drugs containing menthol should not be used, as this can lead to reflex respiratory arrest! Peppermint should not be used by people with increased nervousness or insomnia. You can not use mint for people with low blood pressure (arterial hypotension). It is not recommended to use it for men either, as it can reduce male libido. Mint should be avoided by people suffering from drowsiness. With infertility, mint can not be used either.
Melissa.

Lemon balm leaves contain essential oil, tannins, bitterness, sugar, succinic, oleanolic, ursolic acids, mineral salts. Melissa has sedative, antispasmodic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and analgesic properties. It stimulates the appetite and secretion of digestive juices, relieves tension in the smooth muscles of the intestine. In folk medicine, lemon balm is used for nervous excitement, insomnia, hysterical seizures, poor digestion, palpitations, vegetative-vascular dystonia, anemia, painful menstruation, dizziness, delayed menstruation, gout, as an antiemetic for pregnant women.
Despite the low content of toxins, taking lemon balm is not desirable in case of hypotension. Also, using lemon balm for treatment, one should abandon those serious activities that require a good mental reaction, maximum attention and concentration. Among the possible side effects of using the plant are vomiting and nausea, muscle weakness, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhea, convulsions, heartburn, lethargy and loss of concentration, itching, constipation, etc.
Pine is a truly healing tree.

It is rich in chlorophyll, carotene, vitamin K, phytoncides, tannins, alkaloids, terpenes. Infusions and concentrates are prepared from it for the prevention and treatment of hypo- and beriberi. Also, infusions of pine shoots are used as a disinfectant, expectorant and diuretic.
Swollen and not yet blossomed pine buds (pine shoots) are accumulators of biologically active substances - resins, essential oils, starch, bitter and tannins, mineral salts. Decoction and infusion of pine buds have long been treated for rickets, chronic inflammation of the bronchi, rheumatism, chronic rashes. Infusions of pine shoots help to remove stones, they have diuretic and choleretic properties and reduce inflammation in the bladder. Extracts of pine buds kill the pathogenic microflora of the nasopharynx and oral cavity. The decoction is used for inhalation in pulmonary diseases.

Ivan tea cannot be compared with any other plant in its importance in the treasury of the healing of the Russian people. Even our ancestors drank a drink from it, knowing about the great healing power of grass, namely its leaves. There was a time when all of Europe could enjoy the exquisite taste of tea, which was in no way inferior to overseas varieties. Admirers were looking forward to the arrival of merchants from the Russian land with truly golden useful and fragrant goods.

Ivan-tea, also known as narrow-leaved fireweed, in English Fireweed, which means “weed from conflagrations” in translation. The very first appears on lands devastated by fire to prepare the ground for settlement by other plants. The seeds of a giant flower, reaching up to one and a half meters, due to their volatility, can quickly populate vast areas that are experiencing problems due to the violation of the vegetation cover. Therefore, on wastelands and forest edges, on clearings and marshy places, we meet with a pink blaze of flowers of the miraculous narrow-leaved fireweed.

Not everyone knows how to ferment Ivan tea at home. To get a real natural product from the leaves, you need to try very hard, cook it correctly, or rather ferment it. It is possible to do this on your own with certain knowledge and experience. Just drying and brewing the leaves does not make sense. You will not get any taste, no result, no proper effect. Watch the video and see the usefulness of this drink and the importance of its proper preparation.

The secret of Ivan tea lies in fermentation. Only with proper processing of green raw materials, insoluble substances from plant tissue can turn into soluble ones and are easily absorbed by the body. And we will get from this process the smell, taste and color of the desired drink, and most importantly, the benefit.

The preparation of a healing infusion is a process that involves several stages. It is necessary to collect the leaves, wither them, twist them, carry out the fermentation process, dry them and store them properly. And then brew and drink, getting real pleasure from tea, a charge of vivacity and useful substances. Let's consider how the correct fermentation of Ivan tea occurs at home and its methods.

How to collect and dry leaves

The collection of raw materials falls on the flowering period of plants from June to the whole of August. It is during this period that it is gaining its most strength. Only willow-tea will bloom in pink, people go for the leaves.

They are cut off until the very fluffing of flowers. Then the forces of the plant run out, they decline. Leaves are not torn near the roads of passers-by and collection is carried out only in dry weather. You need to choose shaded places, along the edges of forest glades. The leaf is green, juicy and tender. It curls better and is easier to prepare, and the tea itself is 100 times tastier.

You need to support the stem with your left hand at the peduncle, and with your right hand lead it from top to bottom, cutting off the leaves. The lower ones do not take, they are rough. And under the flowers of tier 3-4 they leave, taking care of the plant. So, it will be able to further raise moisture from the root, collect dew, bloom and delight, lay seeds. And the plant also tries for the person. It grew tall so that it was easier to tear leaves from it without bending.

It is better to collect in batches up to one and a half kilograms. Finish one, follow the next. Separately dry and flowers, then you can add them to tea.

It is necessary to dry the raw materials, this further helps to twist the leaves. Check the collected foliage, remove damaged ones. Inspect them carefully and remove snails and other insects.

The leaves are not washed, so as not to remove beneficial microorganisms. They take an active part in fermentation.

Lay out linen or cotton towels in the shade, and on them a layer of 3–5 cm of raw materials. If the weather is dry and sunny, dry for 4 hours, cool and rainy - 8 hours. Turn the leaves occasionally to dry evenly. You can find out that the leaves are ready by the crunch of the central vein. Bend one in half, crunched, then increase the time. Soft and crunchy - ready for the next step.

How to roll and ferment leaves

In order to extract useful substances from the dried green mass as fully as possible, it is necessary to destroy the leaf structure before the formation of juice. To do this, choose one of three processing methods.

1. Roll by hand. Take a few leaves and roll between your palms into a tube. They will darken, juice will come out. The formed rolls are usually 10 cm long and one and a half centimeters thick (give or take). Of course, the method requires a lot of time, except perhaps in a large company. Then the process will go faster.
2. Twist in a meat grinder. Twist the raw materials in a meat grinder with a large grate. Fast and easy.
3. Freeze in the freezer. Place the leaves in a clean, dry plastic bag and place in the freezer. There they will evenly collapse and release the juice well. And then twisting the leaves is easy after defrosting.

The main stage is the fermentation of Ivan-tea. The quality of the process will be reflected in the aroma, taste and benefits of the drink. If everything is done correctly, the result in its best manifestation will be achieved.

Place the prepared leaves in a plastic container, preferably in an enamel pan, with a layer of 10 cm, press down a little and cover with a damp natural cloth (cotton or linen).

Remove to a warm place to ferment. The fabric must be kept moist at all times. To do this, carefully remove it and wet it again.

It is impossible to say exactly how long the fermentation process will take. The higher the room temperature, the faster fermentation will be. You need to know that too high a temperature or overexposure of raw materials threatens to deteriorate the smell and taste.

When the color of the mass turns brown or blackens, and the smell becomes rich floral-fruity, it means that the fermentation was successful.

There are three types of fermentation.

Light - until the first signs of a pleasant aroma, about 6 hours;

• the mass is green;
• light tea;
• aroma is strong;
• the taste is soft and delicate.

Medium - usually from 10 to 16 hours,

• with a pronounced aroma
• tart taste with slight sourness,
• the drink itself with a rich reddish-brown color.

Deep - from 20 to 36 hours:

• tart;
• sourness is absent;
• the aroma is light;
• black tea color.

Try different types of fermentation and choose according to your taste. You can prepare teas of varying degrees of fermentation and then mix them. The main thing is not to miss the moment of the end of fermentation and not to let the mass become moldy.

Drying willow-tea and storage of raw materials

Leaf tea after fermentation will be obtained if the leaves are curled by freezing or between the palms. The finished rolls are cut with a knife into washers (0.5 cm) and dried. We have granulated tea after scrolling the leaf mass through a meat grinder. Here's how to dry Ivan tea correctly:

1. Carefully loosen the mass after fermentation so that it is without lumps.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the prepared mass on it in 1 cm.
3. Dry for two hours at an oven temperature of at least 100 degrees. Open the door slightly. In order for the moisture to completely come out, after a while, lower the temperature to 50 degrees. Periodically stir the future tea and taste it to the touch.
4. The tea leaves will tell about the end of drying, which, when squeezed, will break, but will not crumble. The color is like regular tea.
5. Take the tray out of the oven and let cool. Pour dry tea into a bag made of thin natural fabric, you can put it in a pillowcase and hang it in the shade in the breeze.

There is another way to dry in an electric dryer. But there you need to lay out the mass with gaps and not tightly. So the device will not overheat.

A thick-walled frying pan is suitable for drying, in which you need to simmer the mass and shake for half an hour. Then bring to a dry state over medium heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.
Don't let the burning smell come out. But it’s also dangerous not to dry it out; during storage, tea can become moldy.

Do not dry the flowers of the plant along with the fermented foliage. They dry out faster, and at a 100-degree temperature they will simply burn out. The best option would be an oven (50-60 degrees) and dry them very quickly to avoid loss of flavor.

In order for the tea to be well preserved, you need to prepare containers. Wash glass jars, sterilize, let them dry, and polyethylene lids should be clean and preferably new. Birch bark, metal, disposable plastic containers are suitable.

On paper, make inscriptions indicating the degree of fermentation and dates of preparation.
Do not prepare dry tea immediately, let it age. The longer it is stored, the more impressive. Wait a month and brew. Dry tea is stored no more than 3 years. If you decide to drink the magic drink daily, store it in a metal box.

How to brew tea from fireweed

Rinse a clean kettle with boiling water. Pour 2 teaspoons of tea leaves and pour a glass of hot water (not boiling water). Cover and top with a towel for ten minutes. Pour into cups and marvel at the unique aroma. The drink is already ready and it is unnecessary to dilute it with water.

Pour the tea leaves again and let it brew for 15 minutes. The infusion will become even richer, more aromatic and tastier. This is the optimal time, otherwise it will be overcooked and the charm of the product will disappear. Use dry tea twice. During this time, it will give all its beneficial substances.

Drink the drink hot, and warm, and cold. If you decide to heat it, do not bring it to a boil.
In the old days, a healing remedy from fireweed was drunk with honey, dried fruits and jams. Sugar was not added at that time, but it is already very good. Enjoyed and thanked the plant for its help for good health.

Try different mixing options with dry flowers, mint, oregano, lemon balm. Dried blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Here you can experiment to achieve new flavors and tastes.

The recipe for "Gorodets tea" from Margarita Voronina

Prepare two teapots. Pour 1 teaspoon of dry willow-tea into a small one and pour a glass of very hot water for 10 minutes. Infuse, pour the drink into a large container, and pour the steamed tea leaves again. So at least four times.

Useful ingredients are consistently extracted from fireweed. The drink acts as a cancer prevention. Fireweed tea will not stain tooth enamel. Its taste is unique, so do not look for familiar notes in it.

The secret of fireweed is solved. The plant itself has everything for fermentation. Wet crumpled leaves are rich in vitamins, nutrients and intracellular enzymes that change the biochemical composition. The process is similar to self-digestion. At the same time, the leaves begin to darken, and a pleasant smell appears.

By the way, any medicinal plants are fermented. Just imagine how many new healthy drinks you can prepare. Let's take Bolotov's famous kvass as a prize. Want to know more about it.

In official medicine, nothing is said about taking Ivan tea. You can only rely on information from grandmothers who drink this drink and cook it dry for themselves and for sale.
First of all, pay attention to contraindications.

Drink tea for no more than 14 days and take a break. Otherwise, it may cause diarrhea. Although for some the drink has become daily.

The optimal number of glasses of fragrant potion is no more than seven.

Follow the brewing recipe: put a teaspoon of dry product in a glass of hot water.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the famous researcher Badmaev became interested in studying the properties of the magical plant fireweed angustifolia and proved its restorative powers by his own example. He devoted many works to the healing gift of Nature. Tea was the main drink for the scientist and doctor. And it was to him that Pyotr Alexandrovich was grateful to the joy of fatherhood at the age of one hundred and his longevity of 110 years. Here is the proof of the uniqueness of the drink!

If you meet a plant anywhere in nature, be sure to pick its leaves and flowers. Prepare Ivan tea at home and drink to your health. This is a powerful force bestowed on man, which should not be forgotten.

CYPRUS (Ivan-tea)

THREE WAYS OF IVAN-TEA FERMATION

If a child once, for the first time, tries an unripe fruit (banana, pineapple, persimmon or quince), then later he is unlikely to agree to the offer to taste it again. Even if this fruit is now the most ripe and beautiful.
So is Koporye tea. In order not to be disappointed in this drink, be sure to try to make it yourself, observing all the subtleties of the manual technology of collection, fermentation, drying and storage. Only after that you will be able to compare the true taste and aroma of Koporye tea with the options offered by firms and companies. In the latter, the high price of the goods very often does not correspond to its quality.

Ivan-chai (fireweed, Koporsky tea) is a very tasty, beautiful and healthiest tea on the entire globe!
In terms of its unique chemical composition, Ivan-chai is not inferior to seaweed, and in terms of nutritional value and healing power, it is much superior to it.
In Rus', it was believed that Koporye tea could prevent or cure 90% of all known diseases of that time. The remaining 10% were treated with other plants, honey, tar, mushrooms and roots. The constant intake of Koporye tea is the prevention of benign and malignant tumors, prostatitis; effective remedy for problems with the genitourinary system. In addition, this tea is used to improve blood composition and reduce body intoxication; removal of food and alcohol poisoning; recovery from exhaustion. Also, Koporye tea cicatrizes ulcers of the duodenum and stomach, increases immunity to various respiratory viral infections, strengthens hair roots, normalizes blood pressure, eliminates headaches and prevents early human aging. Many healing effects of Ivan tea are similar to baking soda. And this is no coincidence. After all, fireweed mainly grows on the ashes of peat and forest fires, which is the same alkali as baking soda.

Koporye tea, drunk in the evening before going to bed, can slow down the pulse, reduce blood pressure and lower the temperature of the human body. Such a nocturnal "anabiosis" gives a chance to increase or extend the phase of the active life of the organism, at least a quarter of its average duration, which you will agree is not so little...
This was guessed at the beginning of the 20th century by the doctor Pyotr Aleksandrovich Badmaev (Zhamsaran), who devoted most of his scientific works to revealing the secret of the healing power of Ivan tea. The last time Badmaev became a father was at the age of 100. In total, he lived 110 years, he could have lived more ... But the Petrograd prison did not let him do this.

Koporye tea was exported from Russia to Europe - in huge quantities. But simply dried herb Ivan-chai is not Koporye tea. Koporye tea must be fermented before drying, that is, it is subjected to natural fermentation for 24-48 hours. The time of fermentation and the temperature at which it is carried out, just affect the color, taste and aroma of the final product. Tea can be made green, yellow or even black. In terms of taste, Koporye black tea is unrivaled!
There are several fermentation methods. I know of six of them. And all six work great! Let's consider in detail the three most simple, taking into account all the nuances ...

1. Easy way.

Collect leaves and top flowers (without seeds) of Ivan-chai herb. You need to collect them after 10 am, when the morning dew dries. In extreme heat, the collection of raw materials is carried out in the late afternoon. Otherwise, the leaves will "burn" in the basket. You need to collect very carefully so as not to put a forest bug in the basket. Even one insect can ruin all our work. No wonder the Russian proverb says - a small bug, but a stinky one!
Dry the collected leaves and flowers slightly in the shade, knead them thoroughly with your hands, rolling them in your palms, fill them with a 3-liter jar as tightly as possible. Close with a damp cloth and place in a dark place at room temperature for 36 hours. Then take out the fermented mass, loosen and dry at a temperature of about 95 - 110 degrees Celsius, in an electric or gas oven. If desired, flat slab tea can be formed. For example, round, like Chinese "Puer".
In some places in Rus' they made slab tea in the form of a large layer, the size of a baking sheet for a Russian oven. This layer was somewhat reminiscent of modern chipboard, only black-brown in color .. At the bazaar, such tea was sold by weight, chopping off the right piece from the layer - with an ax!
In modern home conditions of a city apartment, it is problematic to make and dry a huge tile. But a small one, with a dry weight of 250 - 300 grams, is quite realistic to make. It can be formed in any plastic container from raw willow-tea grass with a low degree of fermentation under oppression. During the molding, fermentation will be completed completely. You will have to dry the tiles in an electric oven, with upper and lower heating (preferably with infrared emitters), with the convection mode turned on. The drying time will depend on the initial moisture content of the tile (which depends on the time of day, the date of the last rainfall and the month in which the raw material was collected) and its third dimension, the thickness. To save electricity, it is better to dry several tiles at the same time.
When drying, it is necessary to regularly stir the drying tea or turn over the flat tiles. At the same time, it will acquire the color we need. It can vary from light brown to almost black. Drying time for loose tea is determined "by eye", and for round tea - by weighing dry tiles. The ratio of raw mass and finished dry tea should be 5:1. It is better to store Koporye tea under a lid, in a glass or plastic container, in the absence of sunlight.
Shelf life - at least three years.

2. Forgotten way.
On a damp linen canvas or tablecloth, lay out a layer of Ivan-tea leaves up to 3 cm. roll into a "twist", like a big roll, as tightly as possible.
For a small amount of grass, it is better to take the canvas in a smaller size, while it is also not forgotten to slightly moisten it with clean water from a household spray bottle. Otherwise, he will take some of the valuable juice from the leaves.
We tighten the twist with a rope or a rubber band and carefully knead it with our hands, bending and unbending it in different directions for 20-30 minutes, thereby destroying the cellular structure (vacuoles) of Ivan-tea leaves. It is more convenient to do it together. Then we leave the twist alone and give the initial fermentation for 2 - 3 hours. Periodically check the temperature of the twist by touch. With a noticeable warm-up (more than 37 degrees), we finish the initial fermentation.
It turns out such crumpled grass with a pleasant smell of fermented pear compote.
Young apical (May) shoots are so tender that the destruction of their cellular structure occurs during laying in the container. At the same time, a characteristic crunch is heard while pressing the green mass with a hand.
We fold it, tamping it very tightly into plastic buckets or glass jars under the lid for complete fermentation. In order not to confuse them later, we will write the date of the bookmark on the lid. We finish fermentation after 36-40 hours. Its duration can be increased by putting the raw material in a cool place. This will give the tea a more subtle taste. For late tea (preparations in July - August), we do an additional fermentation stage.
To do this, the raw materials taken out of the bucket are thoroughly washed with our hands until the juice appears.
Important point!
If there is no time or energy to perform this operation, then the mass can be passed through the auger of the meat grinder with the knives removed or a special electric grinder. But in this case, the taste and medicinal properties of tea will be weaker ...
Then leave alone in the form of a small pile, covering it with a damp cloth, for 6 - 8 hours at room temperature. As soon as the tea acquires the properties of soft rubber to the touch, it must be dried quickly.
To do this, put the future tea on a baking sheet and dry it in the oven at a temperature of ~ 100 degrees Celsius. At the end of drying, the temperature can be slightly increased. This will allow you to "calcinate" the tea leaves in the likeness of coffee beans. Not only the color and aroma of tea will improve, but also its taste.
Don't forget to stir often! Keep the oven door slightly open. In order for the tea not to roast, it is advisable to put two red clay bricks or ceramic facing tiles on the bottom of the oven.
They will stabilize the temperature and emit infrared rays of the desired spectrum, in the likeness of a Russian stove. The healing qualities of Koporye tea depend on this.
After 1.5 - 2 hours, Koporye tea is ready! With little experience, 300 - 400 grams of dry product can be dried per day. Good results are obtained by drying tea on a dryer made of heating film for saunas.
The film is better to take with a working temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. On top of the film you need to put calico. The whole structure can be made in a rectangular wooden box, which fits perfectly on the windowsill.
Here is a variant of a forced convection stacked film dryer for any kind of Koporye tea. The power consumption is only 500 W, the maximum raw mass loading is 8 kg. Drying time 12 - 16 hours.
But the ideal of drying is the Russian stove. It "automatically" maintains all the parameters of tea drying. Here is such a giant oven, 11 meters high, that can dry several pounds of fermented Ivan tea.
It is better to store Koporye tea under the lid, in a dark place.
Slab tea should be wrapped appropriately in thick paper. The shelf life of loose tea is at least three years, and tiled tea is tens of years!
The taste and aroma of tea only improves with time. Additional dry fermentation takes place.

3. Fermentation under oppression in its own juice.

The collected raw materials (tops of shoots and fireweed leaves) are divided approximately equally into two piles. From the first, with the help of a powerful press juicer, we get juice. The percentage of juice yield is small, even if you use the most modern Angel juicer. We put the remaining half of the leaves in a ceramic-metal pan and pour the fireweed juice. On top we put a wooden circle (or a slightly smaller lid) with a load-oppression. Its weight must be at least 20 kg (or rather, a two-pound weight in a plastic bag so that there is no direct contact with the "brine"). After three days, the fermentation will end and the tea must be dried at a temperature of + 90 degrees Celsius. You will get such plates of Kopor tea

Welding.

For one person, 5 grams of dry brewing of Koporye tea is enough for a day, of course, if they don’t “marathon”. This is about 4-5 cups of a rich drink. Re-welding is allowed. But its taste qualities will no longer be so pronounced.
Taking into account the possible treats of the guests with "koporka" for a year, 2 kg of dry tea is enough for one person.
Most of all, the taste and aroma of Koporye tea depends on the quality of the water and the brew itself.
It would be foolish to say that tap water can be made "tasty" with the help of filters. Who at least once drank tea with lake or melt water from the glaciers of the mountains will understand me.
Dry tea leaves should be uniform in color and size. Its smell is also important, similar to a pear-apple compote of dried fruits, hot dried. From tea leaves, emitting a rotten smell of spoiled hay, good tea will not work.
Crockery (teapot) can be different: glass, porcelain, rock crystal or brass samovar. In the last tea leaves are lowered in a container or a linen bag (based on: 2 tablespoons per 1 liter of volume). From modern materials - cermet. Pour boiling water over.
It is important to keep the brew time. It is at least 40 minutes. For an amateur, it can be increased to 4-6 hours. With a longer process, the drink begins to oxidize and loses its color and taste. Drink hot or cold. When heating cooled tea, do not allow even the slightest boil of the drink. The subtle aroma will disappear immediately.
Usually Koporye tea is drunk without dilution with boiling water.

Benefits of Kopor tea.

The presence of iron, copper, manganese in the plant makes it possible to consider it a means that can improve the process of hematopoiesis, increase the protective functions of the body, and have a pronounced calming effect. Ivan tea gently normalizes bowel activity. Due to the rich content of tannin, mucus and vitamin C, Ivan-tea has good anti-inflammatory and enveloping properties for gastric ulcer, gastritis, colitis. And also with enterocolitis, dysentery diarrhea, flatulence and anemia. Drinking it regularly relieves migraines, helps with insomnia, anemia, delirium tremens, infections, colds and asthma. In general, it raises immunity, being the most powerful natural purifier. In the old days, it was not for nothing that they said about him that he not only heals the body, but also enlightens the mind and uplifts the spirit.

Anyone who drinks Koporye tea will never have problems with the prostate gland and sexual impotence. The name of the plant speaks for itself. And one more of the remarkable advantages of Ivan-tea is that it alkalizes the blood and thereby restores strength during various kinds of exhaustion and after serious illnesses.
source https://www.facebook.com/tatyana.dyakova.5/media_set?set=a.830100850419350.1073741932.100002583284751&type=3

Recently, we hear more and more about such a process as fermentation. However, not everyone still has an idea of ​​what it really is and how exactly it happens. This term has mostly been encountered by tea and tobacco users, but this is not the only scope for the fermentation process.

How does fermentation take place?

Fermentation is a process in which fermentation occurs due to the action of the product's own enzymes. If we talk specifically about this process in plants, then when the leaf is destroyed, a certain amount of juice is released, which, due to oxidation, contributes to the start of fermentation. To stop this phenomenon, it is necessary to fry the raw materials.

With the help of this technology, not only high-quality tobacco is obtained, but also excellent teas. After all, some plants, during the usual collection and subsequent brewing, are not able to preserve their natural aroma and recreate a unique taste, and the fermentation process helps them in this and makes it possible to discover new taste qualities.

What plants can be fermented?

Fermentation is a process that is not performed with all plants at all. Some simply do not need it, and for the full use of others, this technology is indispensable. The full list of herbs to be fermented looks rather boring and long. It is enough to stop your attention only on the most popular of them.

Ivan-tea has been in the first place for quite a long time. It may well compete with ordinary Chinese tea in terms of taste and health benefits. Fermentation is exactly the process that gives this drink the opportunity to acquire the usual taste of tea.

The fermentation of blackcurrant and cherry leaves produces a wonderful aroma that lovers will appreciate. But the leaves of the apple tree after the same treatment are endowed with a delicate aroma that does not leave anyone indifferent. A very peculiar aroma and taste can be obtained by fermenting walnut leaves.

Many have noticed that Ivan-tea can compete with ordinary raspberry leaves. Fermentation is a process that works real miracles with them, allowing you to get not only a tasty, but also a healthy drink.

home fermentation

Having become acquainted with the concept itself, many immediately imagined that this entire process could only take place in an industrial environment, with the necessary equipment and technical conditions. However, this is not the case at all. The fermentation conditions quite allow the flow of this process at home. The main thing to do is to destroy the structure of the leaf and let the juice out of it. If the volume is small, then you can simply grind the leaves with your hands, but with large volumes this is unrealistic.

In this case, you can use another technology:

• The leaves of the plant are placed in a plastic bag and slightly dried. The air is removed from the bag, and drying takes place in the sun for several hours. The resulting air is periodically removed.
• After that, the leaves are ground in any way possible, for example, in a meat grinder.
• Further, this fermentation method provides for the final drying of the material in the oven. If it is not dried well and on time, mold may appear.

The tea obtained in this way will delight you with its unique taste.

Tobacco fermentation

This process is somewhat different from the one performed on herbs for tea. The fact is that in order to ferment tobacco at home, it is necessary, first of all, to observe the temperature regime and the moisture content of the leaves, which reaches 50%. This process lasts from seven to fourteen days.

One of the ways to ferment tobacco is its natural aging. To do this, the plant is simply dried and stored, but the whole procedure can take more than a year. But the material obtained in this way is valued for its excellent quality.

The easiest way to ferment tobacco

Many are interested in how to get high-quality tobacco most quickly and without much hassle. In this case, tobacco fermentation can occur as follows:

• The leaves are soaked in such a way that they remain dry, but at the same time do not break. Such a mass is placed in jars and closed with iron lids.

• In the summer, the jars are taken out into the sun. At the same time, it is very preferable to put them on a metal surface, since it is able to heat up and give the necessary high temperature.
• Ten days later, the tobacco is checked for readiness. If you feel the aroma that suits you, then you can get the mass out of the jars and dry it well.

The product obtained in this way is quite usable.

Fermentation in the production of fertilizers

Fermentation is a process that has found application not only in the production of tea and tobacco, but also in the manufacture of organic fertilizers. At the same time, it becomes possible to obtain these same fertilizers much faster than with normal natural decomposition. Probably, many gardeners have not only heard about compost, but also have a compost pit on their site. However, not all of them are aware that fermentation technology is at the heart of the fertilizer production process in it.

Nevertheless, this wonderful method has a drawback: in this case, organic matter may not decompose completely. The fact is that if the mass has a high density or is caked, then its decay stops due to a lack of oxygen. The resulting mass, especially if it has been exposed to rain and a copious amount of water has entered it, may emit an unpleasant odor due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide.

But with the help of fermentation, you can usefully use not only the weeds that once grew on your site, but also dispose of kitchen waste (for example, potato peelings). Now they will be not just thrown garbage, but full-fledged fertilizer. The fermentation process itself is not very laborious, and the result is impressive. And the fertilizer obtained in this way is much safer than those bought in a chemical store.