How to make Strawberry tea & its health benefits 

Strawberry tea

Know in one minute about Strawberry tea

  • Strawberry tea made from leaves & fruits is rich in minerals, vitamins, sugars, polyphenols, & flavonoids.
  • It has a wonderful fruit fragrance, sweet fruity taste and contains lower amounts of caffeine.
  • This tea helps in protecting the skin from harmful UV radiation & control blood glucose and end the desire to eat thus helps in weight loss.
  • Increase antioxidants in the body, improve blood circulation & reduce kidney-related complication

Introduction

Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa, Duch.) are among the most popular and widely grown plant in the world. It contains minerals, vitamins, sugars, polyphenols, and flavonoids.  Thus promote health and prevent the body from various diseases like aging, inflammation, heart diseases, and cancer. These berries can be consumed in fresh and frozen forms. On the other hand, leaf or fruit is used to make Strawberry tea and smoothies. It is also used in processed and derived products like dried and canned forms, yogurts, beverages, jams, and jellies (1).

Components of Strawberry tea

Strawberry Tea is a flavored tea that is a refreshing beverage. It is made by using water, green tea leaves, strawberries, and honey that give its sweet and fruity flavor.

In this type of tea strawberry leaves, stems and fruit can be used in fresh as well as dried form. In addition to this sometimes black tea can also be used as a base.

Ingredients  Importance
Strawberries 

 

To make this red sweet and fruity brewed tea, always use fresh strawberry leaves or fruit. Fresh strawberries may not always be available. So for a convenient alternative, you can also use dried or frozen form. Frozen or fresh strawberry is also be used for garnishes (optional).
Honey or Sugar or Jaggery  You can add sugar or sugar-free substitutes as sweetening. Also, add honey to the tea because it is good for digestion, increases metabolism, and improves memory and skin quality. Honey is sweeter than table sugar so add honey to just half of the sugar or your taste. Jaggery can also be used as sweetening because it boosts immunity, removes toxins, and provides energy.
Tea Leaves   Tea is composed of polyphenols, caffeine, minerals, and trace amounts of vitamins, amino acids, and carbohydrates. To make base add either green or black tea, in bag form or loose form.  Although, black tea has a stronger flavor and is high in caffeine than green tea (milder flavor). 
Water  To make strawberry tea we need water or milk.
Lime or lemon  Adding lemon can enhance the flavor as well as antioxidants of tea 

Strawberry tea benefits

Strawberries have lots of benefits although no clinical data reported with strawberry tea. There is no research available to prove the safety of drinking strawberry tea, and the standardized dose of this tea.

However, evidence is there that strawberry leaf, as well as fruit, is good for the heart, skin, blood circulation, and many more.

Furthermore, dried  leaves of  strawberries are used in the general population or sold by the herbal pharmacy for the preparation of tea 

1. Rich in nutrients and low in calories

  • Strawberries are an excellent source of essential nutrients and contain a very low amount of calories (100 g/32 kcal). 
  • Vitamins (vitamin A, C, tocopherol, and carotenoids) present in strawberries may promote health and prevent disease. 
  • Strawberry also contains other vitamins such as thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin E although to a lesser extent.
  • It is also a good source of manganese, potassium, iodine, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorus.
  • The presence of phenolic compounds anthocyanins in strawberries has a higher antioxidant capacity. Its antioxidants are higher than plum, orange, red grape, kiwifruit grapefruit, banana, apple, tomato, pear, and honeydew melon (2).

2. Good in taste

Strawberry tea has a wonderful fruit fragrance and contains lower amounts of caffeine. This type of tea is a lesser astringent and bitter taste than black tea. Thus this type of tea is even good for a non-tea-drinking person (3).

3. Good for skin

Strawberries contain polyphenols and vitamins that help to protect the skin against harmful UV radiation (4).

Intake of strawberry tea reduces the cell death and production of harmful radicals thus prevents UV-induced skin diseases and sunburn (5).

4. Reduce blood glucose level

Strawberry fruits and leaves contain flavonoids, dietary fiber, and fructose. These compounds increase insulin levels and control blood glucose by slowing digestion (6). Its dietary fiber also helps to control calorie intake by its satiating effect (7).

5. Good for obese people

Obesity also increases the risk of many diseases such as heart problems, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Strawberry fruits are an excellent source of polyphenols and vitamin C. These nutrients help to increase antioxidants in the body and protect from various diseases (8).

6. Improve blood circulation

Strawberry leaves act as a vasodilator that opens or widens (dilate) the blood vessels and improves blood flow (9).

7. Treat diabetic nephropathy (kidney-related complication)

Poorly controlled diabetes can cause damage to the kidney, heart, gastrointestinal and urinary bladder.

Strawberry leaf is rich in polyphenolic compounds that decrease glucose, urea nitrogen levels in the blood and treat kidney dysfunction (10).

Strawberry tea side effects

This tea is safe when taken in moderate amounts. However, no one knows its long-term effect on human health. So precaution is better before consumption. 

How to make Strawberry tea

1. Strawberry tea

Yield – 1 cup

Total time – 8-10 min

Ingredients

  • Water ( 2 cups)
  • Strawberry leaves ( one teaspoon) fresh or dried/fresh Strawberry fruit ½ cup (chopped)
  • Honey or Jaggery or sugar (as per choice)
  • Green tea (2 bags)

Instructions 

  1. Add water, ¼ cup strawberries, or 1 teaspoon leaves in a pan, and bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat, add tea bags for 5 minutes then discard the bags.
  3. Strain it and add the remaining ¼ cup strawberries in serving cups.
  4. Strain the tea in the cups and discard the cooked strawberries.
  5. Add honey or sugar to taste and serve immediately.

2. Strawberry bubble tea/ Strawberry boba tea

Yield– 4 serving 

Ingredients

    • Tapioca pearls or Boba (uncooked, ½ cup)
    • Simple syrup or Honey 1-2 Tablespoons
  • Fresh strawberries, roughly chopped 1 cup.
  • Ice 1 cup
  • Milk 1 cup
    • Black or Green tea (2-3 bags)
  • Water 5 cups

Directions 

Tapioca Pearls Recipe – Uncooked tapioca pearls

  1. To cook the tapioca, first, boil the 3 cups of water.
  2. Pour the tapioca ½ cups into boiling water and stir lightly. 
  3. Boil until pearl begins to flow on top, cover, and cook for 20 minutes in a low flame.
  4. Remove from the heat and strain the pearl.
  5. Mix well with honey or simple syrup until the honey or syrup has melted and kept it aside.
  6. Steep tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes and let cool.

3. Strawberry smoothie recipe

  1. Blend strawberry, milk, tea, and ice in a blender until smooth.
  2. Spoon some tapioca into the bottom of a tall glass and top with your smoothie.
  3. Pour the cooked tapioca pearls into a glass or cups.
  4. Pour in the blended Strawberry Bubble Tea mixture and enjoy.

4. Strawberry milk tea

Ingredients

  • Fresh or frozen strawberry (1/2 cup) 
  • Milk  (coconut milk or as per your choice) 
  • Honey or sugar (1-2 teaspoon)
  • Green tea or black tea bag (1-2 bag)

Description

  1. Steep tea bags in 1 cup of boiling water for 5-7 minutes before discarding the tea bags.
  2. Let it come to room temperature and refrigerate until completely cool.
  3. Set aside a few strawberries. Place the remaining strawberries in a blender, and make the puree. 
  4. Strain it, then add strawberry juice, milk, and sugar/honey in tea.
  5. Stir until sugar/honey is mixed completely.
  6. Serve in chilled glasses over ice. Garnish with reserved berries.

5. Strawberry iced tea

Yield – 2 drinks

Ingredients

  • Sliced strawberries (1/2 cup) or strawberry leaves  2 teaspoons.
  • Lime or lemon 1
  • Sugar/ honey (as per taste)
  • Green tea or black tea (1-2 bags)

Method

  1.  In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. 
  2. If you are using strawberry leaves add them to the water.
  3. Add black or green tea bags and steep for 5 minutes.
  4. Add sliced strawberries to a food processor and make juice. 
  5. Strain the juice; add lemon juice and honey or sugar.
  6. Refrigerate until ice cold and pour over ice.
  7. Then garnish the glass with fresh strawberry and lemon slices or mint.