How to make red tea from fireweed. Fermentation time and drying outside. Ivan fermented tea: fermentation methods

A unique plant, which has been rumored for centuries, is narrow-leaved fireweed. Few will guess that the conversation is about a herb known in Rus', from which a healing drink was made. Of course, this is fireweed. Nature's natural pantry. And the most versatile first aid kit. A traditional Russian drink, Koporye tea (which is made from grass) is known for its healing properties. It is valued not only in Rus', but also in Europe. Our ancestors knew how to properly collect and dry fireweed, and how to brew an aromatic and tasty drink.

Description of fireweed angustifolia

Many Russians can easily come across Ivan tea. It grows in dry open areas. It seems surprising to see such accessibility. Sometimes people who have heard a lot about it collect other types of plants. It is important to be able to correctly distinguish fireweed from numerous representatives of the family. The herb fireweed is a perennial plant. Its trunk reaches a height of two meters. Individual large flowers, collected in a canonical brush, have a color from white to purple. The remaining representatives, as a rule, have completely different tones.

Fireweed blooms throughout the summer. The photo of the meadow simply delights with its pink fog. And the fruits ripen by the end of summer. This is a fluffy box packed tightly with seeds.

How is fireweed tea useful?

The amber drink has a pleasant taste and aroma. It invigorates the body, tones it, and significantly adds vitality. The healing properties of the herb are known. Ivan tea has a positive effect on the entire body. If you constantly drink a strong infusion of fireweed, the hemoglobin level will increase significantly, and the acid-base norm will be restored. It is used in different forms: as a tincture, decoction or powder.

Ivan tea, thanks to its constituent components (copper, iron, manganese), has an excellent ability to normalize the hematopoietic process and perfectly improves immunity.

The soothing properties of the herb are widely known, superior in some respects even to medicinal valerian. Many traditional medicine professionals highlight fireweed in a special way. Quite often they prescribe Ivan tea for neurotic disorders, depression, stress, and causeless states of anxiety. In addition to its calming effect, the herb has a hypnotic effect.

Brewed tea is an excellent remedy for headaches. Treats otolaryngological diseases: sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis.

Fireweed normalizes blood pressure and is beneficial for male diseases (adenoma and prostatitis). Ivan tea is useful for various poisonings. It is recommended for diseases of the gallbladder and spleen. It is worth noting that it is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, it is simply necessary for infections of the genitourinary system.

In cosmetology it is used as an excellent product for caring for problem skin. It has a great effect on hair growth, strengthens it, and protects against hair loss.

In the fight against various tumors (including malignant ones), such medicinal herbs are used. Ivan tea after radiation exposure and chemotherapy allows the body to recover much faster.

How to collect fireweed correctly

To preserve all the healing properties of the herb, it is very important to know how to prepare fireweed. Collection should begin during the flowering period. It was at that moment when the flower clusters did not fully bloom. As a rule, the process begins at the end of June. And it lasts until autumn. Beans appear on the lower branches of the grass closer to August. They contain unpleasant fluff, which under no circumstances should be included in the collection.

The process must be carried out in dry weather. You should not collect fireweed immediately after rain. The procurement of such raw materials will not be of high quality. Dirty, dusty, disease-affected plants are not suitable. Fireweed growing near busy roads is not intended for medicinal collection. It is better to choose a more remote place, not polluted by exhaust from cars and trains.

For medicinal infusions, the entire above-ground part of the plant is used. Therefore, fireweed is cut or broken in the middle, and sometimes closer to the ground.

Leaves are mainly collected, although flowers are also acceptable. Their presence has virtually no effect on the taste of the drink. They matter for the bees and, of course, for future harvests. That is why it is advisable to collect only fireweed leaves. To do this, the stem is pinched between the fingers and lowered down. The leaves remain in the palm. In this case, the plant itself is not damaged and can continue to bloom.

Pre-drying

To make the drink tasty and fragrant, you need to properly process the raw materials. This is why it is recommended to collect as many leaves and flowers as can be recycled.

Now let’s figure out how to prepare Ivan tea. The collected raw materials should be washed and spread on clean paper in a small layer (up to 5 cm). Do not use newspaper. It is not recommended to place fireweed in the sun. The workpiece will dry out greatly and become completely unsuitable for further processing.

The grass should dry out quite a bit. As a rule, a day is enough for this. Leaves and flowers must be turned over and stirred.

As soon as your workpiece has withered, but is still soft enough, you can begin the further process.

Simple Fermentation Method

Next you need to move on to the next stage. Before drying fireweed, the raw materials must be fermented. There are several ways to achieve the desired result. They are all equally correct. And the choice of method depends entirely on personal preference.

Leaves and flowers are rubbed in the palms. The prepared material is compactly folded into three-liter bottles. Covered with a damp cloth, such jars are lowered into a cool, dark room (t up to 25 degrees C). After 36 hours, the fermentation process will be completed. The prepared mixture must be slightly loosened. And you can move on to the fireweed process, which will be described further.

A Forgotten Fermentation Method

Our grandmothers also used this method. It is quite simple and has been undeservedly forgotten. This method is good because it allows you to process a large amount of grass.

Before drying fireweed, our ancestors took a damp linen cloth and laid the raw materials on it. The layer should be small to ensure sufficient fermentation. As a rule, it is up to three centimeters. The fabric along with the grass should be rolled into a roll. It is important to roll it up as tightly as possible. During twisting, the fabric must be moistened with clean water. To do this, you can use a regular spray bottle. If this process is missed, the fabric will become saturated with the most valuable juice of fireweed.

The roll is carefully tied with a rope. It’s a good idea to use a rubber cord for this purpose. It takes about half an hour to grind the grass. To do this, the knotted roll must be bent and straightened alternately. It will be much easier if two people take part in such an event. At this time, the structural cells of the plant are destroyed. Next, the primary fermentation stage takes place within 2-3 hours. The temperature of the roll is monitored tactilely from time to time. When your palms feel warm (approximately 37 degrees C or higher), the initial stage of fermentation is complete.

When the mass is released, a delicate smell is immediately felt, somewhat reminiscent of pear compote, slightly sour. At the slightest pressure on the raw material, a characteristic crunch is heard. This mixture is placed tightly in the prepared container. You can place them in jars, as in the previous method, or use a plastic bucket. For the final fermentation process, the container is closed and left in this form for 36-40 hours.

A little advice. In order not to spoil the raw materials, which are produced in such a careful way, it is necessary to leave small hints. To do this, write the date and exact time of bookmarking on the lids. It would be a good idea to leave a note about the expected end of the process.

Fermentation under pressure

For the third method of processing raw materials, you can use completely cut plants.

They are first divided into two parts. Juice is squeezed out of one. It is better to use a press juicer. It turns out a little liquid, even when using the most modern apparatus.

The second half is loaded into a pan (preferably metal-ceramic). Then the juice is poured into it. Everything is pressed down from above. It is better if it is a wooden circle on which a load is placed weighing at least 20 kilograms. You can use a regular weight (two pounds). It must be wrapped in plastic. Contact of grass with metal is absolutely unacceptable. After 72 hours, the fermentation process is completed.

The raw materials are completely ready for the next stage of procurement.

Drying process

Now let's look at how to dry fireweed. Flowers and leaves should feel like soft rubber to the touch. This means that the fermentation process was carried out correctly. The prepared mixture is dried at a temperature of 95-110 degrees C. For this, you can use a gas or electric oven.

If the raw material was made from long stems, it should be slightly chopped. The resulting “sausages” are cut into smaller pieces.

The mixture spread out on a baking sheet is sent to the oven. During the drying process, the mass must be stirred. Gradually, the future tea will acquire the required color. It varies from light tones of brown to dark. It is impossible to name the exact time of such a process. It is determined by eye. And it depends on the moisture content of the collected grass. Tea is considered ready when it reduces in size in a ratio of 5:1 when compared with undried raw materials.

Before completing the process, the oven temperature should be increased. This calcination, which is also applied to coffee beans, improves the taste of tea and gives it an unsurpassed aroma.

The oven should be slightly open at all times. Another tip will tell you how to properly dry fireweed. A red brick or ceramic tile should be placed under the baking sheet. This will protect the tea from drying out. At the same time, you get a device at home that works according to the principle. This method allows you to normalize the temperature in the oven. The resulting drink fully complies with ancient recipes and retains all its healing properties.

Drying flowers

Quite often, when collecting grass, the stems of the plant are cut off. In this case, along with the leaves there are also flowers. All of the above steps can be carried out for the entire plant. However, it is worth knowing that the most healing and useful thing about fireweed is its leaves.

At the same time, in cosmetology, decoctions are prepared using flowers. Therefore, there is often a need for a separate collection. How to dry Much easier and simpler than leaves. Flowers do not require a fermentation process. It is enough to place them separately from the leaves in a dark room. The sun's rays are also unacceptable for them.

Inflorescences dried in this way are placed for storage in a glass jar.

Making tea

The cooking technology also has its own characteristics. No matter how wonderful Koporye tea is, its taste, color and smell directly depend on the quality of the water. What an exquisite aroma does Ivan tea acquire! Preparing the drink with spring or melt water allows you to fully enjoy the unsurpassed taste.

Proper brewing of fireweed tea is an important condition. It ensures complete preservation of medicinal properties.

Brewing dry tea. Two teaspoons of herbs are poured with boiling water (600 ml). The container with the liquid is tightly closed. It should sit for about fifteen minutes. After this, the tea is stirred.

The infusion contains essential oils. For this reason, it does not spoil for several days.

Tea is delicious both hot and chilled. If desired, the drink can be heated. However, you should not allow it to boil, otherwise the aroma will immediately disappear and the healing properties will be significantly reduced.

Brewing freshly picked tea. Simply amazing! But you can make very tasty tea from fresh leaves. To do this, they are placed in an enamel container in a layer of up to five centimeters. The finished component is poured with water at room temperature. Place the pan on low heat and just bring to a boil. The resulting drink is infused for ten minutes.

Application of fireweed tea

Medicinal decoctions and infusions have a huge spectrum of action. For most diseases, doctors strongly recommend drinking grass. In folk medicine, many recipes that give positive results are created on the basis of this unpretentious plant. For what diseases is the herb Ivan tea useful?

• Adenoma. It is recommended to use the drink as an aid in the fight against the disease. For a positive result, you need to drink one glass of tea in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening half an hour before bedtime. To prepare such a decoction, both grass leaves and flowers are used. One and a half tablespoons of dry mixture per glass.
• Gastroenterology. To relieve pain from enterocolitis and gastritis, a decoction of fireweed tea is prescribed. It should be taken 3 times a day, 1 tablespoon. The softening effect of tea and enveloping the walls of the stomach makes it quite easy to get rid of pain. To prepare the decoction, take 1 tablespoon of the prepared mixture per 1 glass of water.
• Chronic fatigue. Having a tonic effect that strengthens the nervous system, the decoction gives strength to a person. Drinking 0.5 cups 3 times a day is prescribed. It should be taken before meals. To prepare tea, take the herb (2 tbsp), add water (2 tbsp). The prepared mixture is brought to a boil over low heat. Don't boil!

• Headache. Ivan tea is not only a pain reliever. It tends to dilate blood vessels in the brain, which makes it an excellent medicine even in the fight against migraines. You need to take the product three times a day. To prepare this tincture, you need to pour three tablespoons of the herb into a glass of water. The solution should be heated in a water bath for fifteen minutes.
• Stomach upsets. The decoction helps stabilize the intestines. If you have constipation or diarrhea, be sure to take the drink (3 tbsp) in the morning on an empty stomach. The root of the plant is best suited for making tincture. It is crushed (2 tbsp), poured with boiling water (2 tbsp) and left for three hours.
• Anemia. Ivan tea enhances the formation of red blood cells. It is recommended to take one tablespoon three times a day. The benefits of the decoction for anemia are invaluable. To make it you need one spoon of dry herb and a glass of boiling water. The decoction should steep for two hours.
• Conjunctivitis. For this disease, fireweed is an excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is enough to wipe the externally sore area and apply lotions. To prepare the tincture, you need to pour one tablespoon of leaves and flowers with a glass of boiling water. The solution is boiled for 15 minutes, infused for one hour. Be sure to strain it before use.

These are not all the diseases in which fireweed becomes a magic “lifesaver”. It is widely used for teething in infants. It is a component of many cosmetic recipes. It is also extremely useful in dermatology.

Instead of a conclusion

Picked on time, with great love and carefully processed, fireweed tea will allow you to enjoy the exquisite aroma and great taste of the drink gifted by nature itself. Tea will help protect the body and improve health. Mother Nature is truly generous! You just need to learn how to use her gifts correctly.

To make maximum use of all the healing properties, you need to know how to properly collect grass and process it. The methods described above will tell you how to dry fireweed. And the recipes will allow you to create a magnificent drink with a subtle summer aroma and unsurpassed healing power.

Ivan tea, commonly known as fireweed or Koporsky tea, is similar in composition to seaweed. It contains all the microelements and amino acids that are useful for the functioning of the body. It contains vitamin C in huge quantities. Ivan tea was used back in the 12th century.

The main place for preparing tea was located near St. Petersburg, in the village of Koporye, hence the name. Ivan tea was famous abroad. It was sent to Europe, where it was called Russian tea. Koporye tea overtook gold and honey in the foreign market and competed with Indian tea. Indian competitors immediately pushed Russian tea out of the market.

The revolution in 1917 contributed to all this. In the domestic market they also tried to forget about tea. But they couldn’t remove the drink from traditional medicine.

Grandmothers-herbalists passed on secrets from generation to generation, protecting their own recipes from outsiders. In the villages, Ivan tea served as a drink that healed all diseases and ailments.

Where does it grow

A perennial plant that grows everywhere in the sand, and in old clearings, in forests, along reservoirs. Ivan tea is divided into types, depending on the area in which it grows. Mountain - collected on the slopes of mountains, for example, in the Urals. Meadow, collected on the plains. Taiga - raised in the Siberian Taiga.

Fireweed reaches two meters in height, has long narrow leaves and lilac flowers that are located approximately from the middle of the stem to the top. Before rain and at night, fireweed flowers close. Fireweed never grows alone, it is entire plantations. It has a long root with numerous shoots.

Beneficial features

The modern rhythm of life does not allow you to relax as much as you would like. Lack of sleep, stress, and the environment have an adverse effect on all systems of the human body, which leads to loss of strength and disruption of organ function. Ivan tea has many beneficial properties and helps get rid of many ailments.

1. Ivan tea contains all B vitamins and magnesium, which have a beneficial effect on the nervous system. The various stresses that every person is exposed to every day depletes the nervous system. Over time, this exhaustion develops into chronic diseases. Various neuroses can turn a cheerful person into a whiny and irritable one.

   Fireweed helps improve the functioning of the nervous system, having a calming effect. It will also help restore functionality. With daily consumption of this magical drink, the level of happiness hormones increases, which help fight stress, and you will have more energy and strength for everyday activities. Many scientists believe that Koporye tea helps fight insomnia and other sleep disorders. For a better effect, it is recommended to drink Ivan tea with oregano or mint. You will fall asleep easier and deeper, and wake up cheerful and full of energy. The drink is not addictive and has no contraindications.

2. The herb contains many polysaccharides, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Mucus helps with various ulcerative diseases. Helps relieve constipation. Normalize intestinal microflora. Thanks to the large number of flavonoids in the composition, the processes of bile formation and bile secretion are improved.
3. With regular consumption of tea, blood pressure is normalized, as tea has a strong diuretic property.
4. The leaves and flowers of Ivan tea contain microelements that promote the formation of collagen, which helps prevent premature aging of the skin.
5. Ivan tea has a tonic effect and helps restore strength after difficult work. But unlike coffee, it does not contain caffeine, which is harmful to the body. Therefore, the drink can be given even to children without fear for their health.
6. Good for the blood. Thanks to the substances contained in the composition, with regular use, it can increase hemoglobin and improve the function of hematopoiesis.
7. The antioxidants and vitamin C contained in Ivan tea, which is found in more in the herb than in citrus fruits, help the body fight any inflammatory processes. Helps get rid of chronic colds such as tonsillitis, laryngitis, tonsinitis.
8. Since ancient times, Ivan tea has been used as a “male herb”; the presence of beta-sitosterol in it helps to improve the functioning of the male genitourinary system and restore male strength.

How to collect correctly

In order to use fireweed tea as a drink, it is not enough to know only its beneficial properties; you also need to know how to properly assemble and prepare it.

In Rus', it was believed that it was necessary to collect grass early in the morning, immediately after sunrise, but not Ivan tea. This is explained by the fact that Ivan tea sleeps at night and needs to be collected when he fully wakes up.

The flowers should open and feel the sun. The best time to collect grass is after ten o'clock in the morning and before lunch. If the weather is very hot outside, then move the harvest to the evening so as not to burn the harvest.

You should pick the tea carefully so as not to bring home any insects, otherwise all your work will go to waste. To avoid damaging the leaves, you need to carefully take the stem just above the top leaves and pinch it with your fingers, and with your other free hand, move it down the stem so that all the leaves remain in your hand. This is the most valuable thing. But collecting the sheet is only half the battle. The most important and important process is fermentation and drying of tea.

How to dry properly

Dried leaves and flowers of the herb are not Koporye tea. Koporye tea is carefully selected leaves, which are subsequently fermented for 18-48 hours. Then it is dried. There are many methods of fermentation, but the most famous are by hand, in linen cloth and under pressure, in its own juice.

How to make tea

There are many recipes for making tea (black or green) at home, but the main one is the preparation of Russian tea (Koporo tea). Brewing tea (black or green) is a whole tradition, which is not recommended to be violated. After all, even the best tea can be ruined by improper brewing.

For brewing, you need to take a regular kettle, not an electric one. Glass is best. Rinse it with boiling water. Pour in the tea leaves and pour boiling water over it; it’s best if the boiling water just starts to boil.

Then close the kettle with a lid and leave for 20 minutes. Well, that’s all you need to know to brew tea at home. You can diversify your tea by adding honey, meow, oregano and many other aromatic herbs to suit every taste.
Enjoy your tea.

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Video - fermentation

In good restaurants, along with expensive and very famous brands of Chinese, Indian or Ceylon tea, they can offer you Koporye, or fermented Ivan tea. What kind of drink is this? This is Russian tea, or rather, an infusion from a plant called Ivan tea. Its other name is fireweed. In our article we will tell you what it is and what, in fact, are the benefits of fermented fireweed tea. In this regard, we will tell you something about the history of the origin of the blend recipe, popular in the village of Koporye, not far from St. Petersburg. Maybe you are interested in a unique plant and want to know how to ferment fireweed at home.

Some information from history

The origin story is interesting. Before the British learned about it and began to export it to European countries, everyone drank only Chinese. Since it was very expensive, it would be an exaggeration to say that everyone drank it. They drank herbal, fruit and cereal drinks, infusions, infusions, decoctions, whippings, etc.

The trade route from China to Europe went through Russia. To Russian taste, Chinese tea differed little from a drink made from fireweed. Some of its varieties were better, while others were even worse than those made from the same fireweed. However, by that time, a whole tea culture had already been formed in the Celestial Empire for many centuries. Tea bushes were divided into varieties depending on the area where they grew - soil quality, air temperature and light. The properties of the same plant also depended on how the tea was prepared. The Chinese still know a great variety of drying and fermentation methods. They are systematized and described in medical and philosophical treatises of Eastern sages.

The same plant, depending on the area of ​​growth and the method of harvesting, not only had different taste, color and smell, but also differed in biochemical composition and, accordingly, in therapeutic indicators. Koporye fireweed probably resembled one of the very good varieties, which is why it became known outside of Russia. Maybe Chinese merchants taught their Russian friends how to make it according to oriental recipes and told them how to properly ferment fireweed, or maybe our ancestors dried it in a similar way long before they met the Chinese and their national drink. Now this is not known for certain.

It is difficult to say how our ancestors prepared herbs with aromatic leaves before they tried Chinese and Indian teas, but we will present the classic Koporye tea recipe and several other recipes in this article. It should be noted that according to the above recipes, you can also prepare other herbs - lemon balm, mint, oregano, currants, raspberries, etc. Just do not mix them with each other until fermentation is complete. It is better to cook each herb separately. But brewing several different plants in one teapot is even very useful. You can learn to compose individual compositions. We will introduce you to some especially tasty and healthy ingredients and explain how they work. But first, we’ll tell you how to properly ferment fireweed.

Grass collection time

The timing of collecting medicinal plants is of great importance, and fireweed is certainly a very useful plant. Since in order to make fermented fireweed tea, some recipes require only the leaves, and others require the entire above-ground part, the preparation period extends throughout the entire summer, including September. This should be done in the morning, immediately after dew, or at least in the evening, when the sun leaves its zenith. The worst time is midday. Raw materials are collected in dry weather, after a period of rain and several subsequent warm days. Such conditions contribute to the juiciness and saturation of biomass with useful substances. The location must be chosen remote from industrial facilities; it is best if it is a clearing in the middle of a forest. It can be collected both in spring and autumn. It is not recommended to do this only during the flowering period, because in this case, flowers and seeds will inevitably appear among the leaves, that is, white fluff, which many people do not like for purely aesthetic reasons.

Parts of the plant used in tea

Fermented fireweed tea is made from the above-ground part of fireweed, although the roots of the plant are considered beneficial. In the old days they were dug up, washed, peeled and ground into flour. This flour was used to make bread, cereals, stews and jelly. For medicinal purposes, the bushes were dried whole. They were dug up along with the roots, tied several plants together and hung in attics. If necessary, the dried plants were untied and steamed with boiling water. This infusion, although it was not fermented, was drunk for various ailments. The most active beneficial properties of many herbs appear during special processing - fermentation.

Leaves, stems and roots are used for fermented fireweed tea. The best blend is obtained from only the leaves taken from the top. Tea made from all the leaves from top to bottom has good properties.

How to remove leaves correctly

To remove the maximum amount of foliage, you need to grab the top of the fireweed with your left hand, and with your right hand, pull off the leaves and immediately put them in a bag. It is more convenient to hang the bag over your head and left shoulder diagonally and move it forward. With a little training and our hint, anyone can quickly collect a lot of leaves. In order to prepare the traditional weakly fermented fireweed tea recipe from the village of Koporye, you need at least one large bag (like those in which we carry groceries from the store) of leaf mass. A cheaper, but also tasty and high-quality blend is a fermented product from the entire above-ground part. We will only talk about loose leaf tea with weak and strong fermentation. The stems are not used in our recipes. To prepare granulated fireweed tea, you need about a third more raw materials. The granules are a highly compressed green mass.

Properties of fireweed

It must be said that fireweed has long been well studied by phytospecialists. Even children can be given fresh, dried, or slightly or highly fermented Ivan tea to drink. The benefits and harms of this plant depend only on the amount of infusion drunk and the correct preparation of raw materials. It has a very gentle effect on the body, although it is a tonic drink. Ivan tea has a good effect on metabolism, normalizes blood pressure, relieves fatigue and does not contribute to overexcitation. It doesn’t even darken tooth enamel.

The first method is Koporsky

The collected leaves should be placed in a large wooden or enamel bowl and crushed a little. You should not try to get juice out of them. They need to be slightly crushed, that is, evenly deformed. Cover with a wet towel and leave in a warm place for a day. During this time, the leaves will wither and become limp. The next day you need to roll them - take a small handful and roll them between your palms. Return the resulting pellets to the tub and cover with the same towel. Dip the ends into bowls with water so that the fabric, absorbing water, remains wet all the time. The leaves will ferment over the course of a few days. The tub must be shaken from time to time to prevent the leaves from caking.

How long to ferment fireweed depends on many factors - the temperature of the room in which it is located, the air humidity, and the quality of the raw materials. When the herbal smell gives way to the thick aroma of overripe fruit, the fermentation process should be stopped. This usually happens on day 4-5. The tea is scattered onto baking sheets and, stirring it from time to time, dried in a hot oven. The door must be open to ventilate the oven. When the moisture in the leaves remains no more than 10-20%, that is, they begin to break when squeezed, turn off the fire and let them cool. After this, place in dry glass jars. Over the course of a month, the absorption process will occur, that is, the leveling of the surface and internal moisture of the leaves. At this time, the jars need to be shaken from time to time. As for the question of how to store Ivan tea fermented in this way, there are no special rules. It retains its properties well for a very long time - up to several years. It is only important to protect it from sunlight and avoid overmoistening.

The second method is using a meat grinder

In stores, fireweed is sold not only in leaves, but also in the form of oblong sausages - granules. If you brew them, you get a very tasty drink with a beautiful reddish-brown color. Many people are interested in technology: what needs to be done to get such fireweed? How to ferment? A meat grinder with large holes is the whole secret. The rest of the process is the same - collect, mash and wither. However, there are some subtleties.

The collected leaves need to be crushed a little without removing them from the bag. Tie the bag tightly and leave it in a warm place for a while. At this time, a very important process of activating intracellular changes in the chemical composition of fireweed will occur - fermentation. As a result, the leaves will become soft and darken slightly. How much? This is the most important question that always arises when producing any tea. Not only the taste and color of the drink, but also its microbiological composition depends on its duration. On average, it lasts from several hours to several years. But this is a very complex and time-consuming process. A good drink is obtained after drying for 24 hours. Next, the leaves need to be frozen in the refrigerator. This is done so that they are better scrolled and advanced by the meat grinder shaft. Soft leaves will get stuck in it. The grate should be taken with the largest holes, because when dry, the sausage granules will decrease in size by about half, even a little more. It is necessary to scroll the leaves through a meat grinder, place the granules on a baking sheet and place in the oven, preheated to 50-60 degrees, for 5-6 hours.

Once the granules have dried and shrunk enough, they will become brittle. Let sit on the baking sheet to cool and absorb. After a few hours they can be put into jars.

Useful combinations

Dry fermented fireweed is very good to make with the addition of leaves of other plants, as well as berries. With currants or lemon balm it acquires the additional aroma of these plants. They also make it with St. John's wort. Then it acquires a reddish-amber hue. Some sources believe that it is best to ferment each plant separately and mix only when brewing. However, this does not work with many plants. Fermenting raspberries or chamomile is very difficult. Even more so at home. But it’s no secret that what has undergone fermentation is much more biologically active than what has been dried without prior withering.

Granulated fireweed tea can be made with natural berries of raspberries, currants, blueberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. From spring until October, you can collect and prepare fireweed and other plants and stock up on high-quality fermented ones of different composition and properties for the whole year blooming Sally. Its benefits and harms are constantly discussed by lovers of proper nutrition. Everyone agrees that a properly prepared blend has never caused harm to anyone.

Granulated tea with rose and calendula petals

We will tell you how to properly ferment fireweed tea with rose and calendula petals. Fireweed must be withered and frozen, as described above. Rose and calendula petals should be prepared in the same way, just keep them separate from each other. As for the duration of drying, they need to be fermented for the same number of hours as fermenting fireweed. All the plants need to be connected together after freezing, when they become hard enough and are ready to be put through a meat grinder. Dry also in the oven. If tea is prepared in the summer at a dacha outside the city, then there is another way of drying - in a pillowcase. The granules should be poured into a cotton pillowcase and hung in the shade of trees. It should be shaken from time to time.

Granulated tea with berries

How to prepare fermented or currant? In stores it costs twice as much as regular fireweed. But making it even at home is not so difficult. You need to prepare fireweed leaves as described in previous recipes, that is, wither and freeze. The berries should be added in small portions to the meat grinder directly to the fireweed tea. It is important that their quantity is half that of fireweed leaves. Otherwise, the granules will become too brittle after drying and will crumble very quickly. As for how to store fireweed fermented with berries, the answer is clear - in a dry place, in a dark glass container.

How to brew tea

On average, take one tablespoon of weakly fermented tea or one teaspoon of highly fermented tea per glass of water. It is most convenient to use a regular or French press. Infuse the drink for 10-15 minutes. Then you can add boiling water, wait for five minutes and drink again. Unlike teas containing caffeine, fireweed does not become toxic even the next day after brewing. It can also be prepared in a thermos. The fireweed drink has such a mild and pleasant taste that it does not require sweetening. It can be drunk with milk or cream.

I’ll make a reservation right away - I personally want to bow before this plant, speaking in Russian from the waist down - in the army I was tormented by prostatitis, which, as you know, does not go away without medication.

In recent years, there has been virtually no hope for medicine. I treated traditional medicine with a certain degree of skepticism and often argued with opponents of traditional medicine in various forums, calling them idiots for refusing treatment with pills and vaccinations, for which I would now even like to apologize: without canceling the doctor’s prescription, you can always resort to folk medicine to adjust his treatment medicine and sometimes it gives far from worse results.

Likewise, fireweed is the first cure for prostatitis, you need to drink more in the first months (for example, I drank whole thermos flasks instead of tea), but you can maintain the condition with a mug or two a day.

There are no special recipes - brew as written on a pack of fireweed tea bought at a pharmacy (I brew a heaped tablespoon in a half-liter thermos). This is how fireweed tea is brewed for all diseases. Relief from exacerbation of chronic prostatitis will not come immediately - after 20 days, but it’s not about drinking antibiotics, but just delicious tea (which, in my opinion, is much tastier than Indian, etc.).

And since we are nervous men on the subject of prostatitis, I would like to say right away that Ivan-tea fireweed also calms the nerves well - not “tightly”, of course, like antidepressants, but it is quite strong and soft at the same time, a sedative. In general, I wish you, fellow prostatitis sufferers, normal human health.

Now about how prepare and properly store fireweed-Ivan tea

According to experts, the birthplace of tea is China. Today tea is consumed everywhere; it can be bought in any of our grocery stores. But it wasn't always like this. Tea appeared in Rus' only in the first half of the 17th century, and then in very limited quantities. But it became a popular drink only in the 19th century.

But tasty and healthy tea was drunk in Rus' at all times! And they even exported it in large quantities for a long time. This, however, was a completely different drink. They called it “Koporie tea”, after the city of Koporye (now a rural settlement in the Leningrad region), where it has long been produced in large volumes. The second name of this tea comes from the plant from which it is prepared - fireweed. And in European countries it was simply called Russian tea.

This drink is a real elixir of health. It contains a large amount of vitamins, organic acids, flavonoids, pectin and tannins. In terms of vitamin C content, for example, fireweed tea is significantly superior even to lemon.

Gradually this tea was replaced by Chinese tea, but today it is becoming popular again. This is also facilitated by the fact that fireweed is easy to prepare on your own, without spending a penny on it. To prepare it, you will need leaves of fireweed, or narrow-leaved fireweed - this is the scientific name of this plant. One has only to remind you that it is necessary to collect raw materials away from the city and highways.

Fireweed blooms from June to August. This plant is an excellent honey plant, so when collecting, it is better to leave the inflorescences to the bees and take only the leaves. In addition, along with the flowers, mature seeds with long hairs, on which, like parachutes, they are carried by the wind, can also get into the tea. And these seeds will not improve the taste of the finished product.

How to prepare fireweed tea

With your left hand you hold the plant just below the inflorescence, and with your right hand you hold the stem not very tightly in your palm and draw it from top to bottom - all the leaves end up in your fist, all that remains is to pour them into a bag or bag.

You should collect as many leaves as you can process at one time. Usually they are not washed, but if aphids settle on the leaves, they are poured into a container with water (it’s more convenient - into a bath), washed well and thrown into a colander.

Preparing willowherb tea

To do this, they are laid out on a clean cloth spread in the shade. This process continues for several hours. If the leaves are washed, the time increases. To prevent the leaves from drying out, you need to stir them periodically. When they become lethargic, begin preparing them for fermentation. This can be done in two ways.

The first one is more labor-intensive.

It comes down to rolling up the leaves. At the same time, their tissue is destroyed, which starts the fermentation process. Many people recommend rolling each sheet between your palms.

But this requires significant effort and time. It is much more convenient to roll many leaves at once on a glass cutting board with a ribbed surface. To do this, you need to take a certain amount of leaves and roll them into “sausages”. This action is similar to rolling out dough before cutting into individual portions. As a result, the leaves acquire a dark green color. At this stage, you can add various herbs to the fireweed to create the desired flavor bouquet (St. John's wort, oregano, linden blossom, etc.).

The resulting “sausages” are placed in a stainless steel pan, covered with a damp cloth or towel on top and left in a warm place (not in the oven). The fermentation process can take three hours or more, depending on the ambient temperature. If everything goes right, the herbaceous smell gradually turns into a pleasant fruity aroma.

At the end of fermentation, fireweed is dried.

To do this, the “sausages” are removed from the pan, cut into slices and, having spread baking paper on a baking sheet, sprinkle the grass on it. The best results are obtained by drying the herbs in a Russian oven or on a heater in a bathhouse. In urban conditions, you can use an oven heated to 90’C.

The drying process must be monitored and the grass must be stirred periodically. Ready Ivan tea looks like the usual large-leaf black tea. The color saturation depends on the correct fermentation and drying temperature. The tea leaves should not crumble. To avoid drying out the tea, it is better to cook it at a relatively low temperature.

The second method of preparing fireweed is much simpler than the first, since the time-consuming steps are mechanized. After the leaf has withered, it is passed through a meat grinder using a stationary knife with large holes.

The resulting “minced meat” is placed in disposable plastic bags, which are placed in a warm place for fermentation. Subsequent steps are the same as in the first option. Tea made this way looks more like granules and has a richer color when brewed.

For long-term storage, it is advisable to place the finished fireweed tea in sterilized glass jars and close tightly.

Preparation of fireweed tea in the photo

• Angustifolia fireweed is the raw material for producing traditional Russian tea.
• For tea, only the leaves are collected, leaving the flowers on the stem.
• The leaves are laid out to wither.
• The dried leaves are rolled into “sausages” for fermentation.
• The twisted leaves are placed in a deep bowl and covered.
• After fermentation is complete, the leaves are cut and dried.
• The second method of preparing tea: dried leaves for fermentation are passed through a meat grinder and placed in plastic bags.

Some people destroy Ivan tea on their plots, considering it a weed. But the whole family could be provided with high-quality tea, and they would even sell it. And the price for it today is not small!

Well, now about how to ferment fireweed. There are many ways to ferment it, but I will share my experience.

The first method of fermenting Ivan tea

I collect it only in clean places, do not be tempted by plants along the roads. Leaves should not be collected in cloudy or rainy weather. The best time to collect is before lunch, after the morning dew. I read on the Internet how other people prepare raw materials: some advise mowing the plants, others uproot them. This is blasphemy! Everything is much simpler. Approach a bush of a plant, hold the stem below the flowers with one hand, and pull the leaves along the trunk with the other. The photo shows how I collected the leaves and was left with a bare stem. After some time, the plant will give new leaves - and you will be able to harvest from it again. And the plant is intact, and you have tea.

I used to wash the leaves, I don’t know why, although I collected them in a clean place. I don't do this now.

How can you tell if the leaves are burnt? You will see brown foliage and smell a foul odor. These are the kind of leaves that need to be removed.

I don’t recommend keeping the leaves in a bag for more than a day - they will spoil. I tried to immediately process fireweed. Result: in this case it gives less juice. After the leaves have been lying in the bag in the shade for at least 12 hours, take a large board and a rolling pin or wooden hammer, lay the leaves on the board in a thin, even layer and start hitting them. Our task is to damage the leaves so that they give juice. Then take a small bunch and roll it into a ball or sausage with your hands and place it on another board to dry.

I dry it in the sun, I have never done it in the oven. When drying, do not forget to turn it over periodically.

When the leaves are dry, I put them in jars and put them in the shade.

This method is good if we have few leaves and you are just learning how to process them. But when you need to process large quantities, there is no time for the manual method.

The second way to ferment Ivan tea

We collect everything the same way and put it in bags. Then we pass the leaves through a meat grinder (through a large grill) and lay them out on boards on which rags have previously been spread. I spread the resulting mass in a thin layer on a board and cover it with a damp cloth. I put it in a warm place to dry.

I experimented - dried it in different places: in a polycarbonate shower stall, in a workshop on a table, in the attic. Don't forget to turn the mixture periodically. Dry for no more than three days! When they dried it in the booth and opened it, such a pleasant fruity aroma came out of it that it took your breath away! There was no such aroma in the shade. Then the dried mass was put into glass jars and put away in a closet. The result was real black tea. There is no comparison with Indian! And those who try Ivan tea at least once will not exchange it for Indian tea.

Using the same principle, you can ferment the leaves of currants, strawberries and other plants. And you will also get black tea. Someone will say that fireweed should not come into contact with metal during processing and therefore it is better not to grind it in a meat grinder. Well, look for your own ways, try, drink and be healthy!

In Rus' it was believed that Ivan 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. Constant intake of fireweed tea is the prevention of benign and malignant neoplasms, prostatitis; An effective remedy for diseases of the genitourinary system. In addition, tea is used to improve blood composition and reduce intoxication of the body; relieving food and alcohol poisoning; restore strength when exhausted, increase immunity.

Having heard about the healing properties of fireweed (fireweed), many begin to make their own tea leaves from it. Those who just want to get involved in this homemade drink and harvest the herb themselves should know what fireweed is - how to collect and dry it, and also how to use fireweed. If you carefully follow all the rules for making such tea leaves, you can get a drink whose taste is much more pleasant than ordinary tea.

What is Ivan tea

The plant, which is known to many as fireweed, has many other names: Koporye tea, angustifolia fireweed, Ivan's grass. He populated central Russia. Ivan-tea especially loves abandoned fields, wastelands and forest clearings. Fireweed, which was used by our ancestors for medicinal purposes, is a plant with a long stem up to one and a half meters high and narrow leaves. In summer, crimson and pink flowers bloom on Ivanova grass.

Beneficial features

Fireweed contains in high concentration:

• titanium, copper, calcium, manganese, sodium, potassium, nickel, iron;
• vitamins B and C and ascorbic acid (more than in citrus fruits);
• tannins and bioflavonoids

The combination of high protein and caffeine content in fireweed makes the plant unique for preparing tonic drinks. It will be more effective even than green tea. Ivan tea is recommended in the presence of neuroses and psychological problems. There is no getting used to it. The use of fireweed has the following effects:

• eliminating the consequences of food poisoning and alcohol abuse;
• prevention of caries;
• removal of waste and toxins from the body;
• strengthening hair roots;
• prevention of prostatitis;
• helps with kidney and liver diseases;
• normalizes blood pressure;
• eliminates headaches;
• strengthens the immune system;
• alleviates symptoms of epilepsy;
• treats flatulence, colitis and enterocolitis;
• eliminates inflammation of the respiratory and urinary tract;
• increases the amount of breast milk.

When to collect fireweed

If you want to try your own prepared fireweed, you must remember how to collect and dry it. In the northern regions, fireweed blooms from mid-July, and in the south - in late June-early July. You need to start collecting fireweed during the flowering period, but before the entire cluster of flowers blooms, since then the beans with fluff that are starting to ripen will interfere. It is recommended to collect the plant in dry weather, before noon. The roots of fireweed, which are also useful for preparing raw materials, will have to be dug up in the fall.

How to collect fireweed

Fireweed grows only in open spaces. The flowers of fireweed have a bright pink hue and are collected in brushes. When harvesting, either the leaves, the top, or the entire plant are removed. In the latter case, the stem is cut 15 cm from the ground. It is important to learn how to identify Ivan's grass so as not to confuse it with other plants of the same family that are not suitable for consumption. Forest fireweed and hairy fireweed do not have healing properties. They have purple flowers, and the height of the plants is no more than 15 cm.

How to dry fireweed at home

Having finished with the routine collection, you can move on to the next steps. Preparing fireweed for the winter is not an easy task, but it is doable. There are many instructions and drying options, so it will be difficult to make a mistake. If you don’t know how to prepare fireweed tea at home, you can use “helpers” such as an oven or electric dryer. Preparation of fireweed tea includes several stages, described below.

Preparing for drying

All parts of fireweed are used for harvesting, including leaves, top of the plant, roots and shoots. It is better to collect Ivan's grass in “clean” places, but before the drying process it is better to rinse the collected raw materials in running water. After this, it is time to wilt. A layer of leaves is laid out on plain paper or cloth, which should be mixed regularly. After withering, the leaves of fireweed need to be rolled. At the next stage they are crushed. This can be done in a meat grinder or with a knife.

Fermentation

Many people do not know how to prepare Ivan tea correctly; they skip fermentation, and this is a mandatory process that determines the quality of the brew. For oxidation by air, the container with the green mass is left overnight. The fermentation process is similar to fermentation. At the end, the finest aroma of tea leaves will appear. To complete the process of preparing fermented raw materials, place fireweed in a frying pan and keep at a temperature of 100 degrees for about an hour until it takes the form of granules.

Types of drying

The last part of raw material processing is drying. There are several ways to properly dry fireweed leaves:

• Conventional oven drying. Place the fermented leaves on a baking sheet on top of parchment paper. It is recommended not to close the oven door tightly during drying. Leaves should be kept at a temperature of 95 to 110 degrees for an hour.
• Russian stove. The heated oven should stand for at least an hour, after which you can spread the herbal mass on a baking sheet, which is then placed on the coals.
• Electric dryer. The device is turned on at a temperature of about 90 degrees, the leaves are dried for at least 5 hours. It is important not to overdo it, because then the tea drink will taste like paper.

How to store fireweed

Once dried after fermentation, medicinal raw materials can be stored for two years or more, subject to certain conditions. Ivan tea should be inside an airtight container, preferably glass. Before brewing fireweed, the tea leaves are allowed to sit for at least a month. It is believed that fireweed tea becomes tastier and more aromatic the longer it is stored.

Cooking secrets

The correct way to brew fireweed is as follows: 3 tsp. 150 ml of boiling water, leave for a few minutes, then pour another 300 ml of hot water into the kettle. The amount of brewing water and tea raw materials can be changed depending on the desired strength. Fireweed tea can be refilled with boiling water up to 5 times. You can make your own drink without boiling water. For this, 1 tbsp. l. The tea mixture should be poured with a liter of water and left overnight. In the morning you will receive a healing drink. You can dilute fermented fireweed leaves with flowers dried in the usual way.

Indications for use

• poisoning and intestinal dysfunction;
• disorders in the nervous system (neuroses, alcoholic psychoses, hysteria, depression);
• epilepsy;
• rehabilitation from alcohol addiction to relieve hangover syndrome;
• increased psycho-emotional pressure and chronic stress;
• overwork;
• appearance of baby teeth, gum inflammation;
• problems with the menstrual cycle, uterine bleeding, menopause, premenstrual syndrome;
• chemotherapy and radiation exposure (during the recovery period);
• leukemia or lymphogranulomatosis as an adsorbent;
• immunodeficiency state;
• avitaminosis;
• prostatitis and prostate adenoma.