What Is It – Health Benefits – Elderflower Tea Recipe – Pros – Side Effects – Summary
Making tea from an elderflower might not have crossed your mind. It’s a lot less common to make tea from then black or green tea for example. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to take from this.
Elderflower is a very aromatic and beautiful flower when it’s freshly picked. The fresh acidity and vibrant aroma of it is hard to top. The best tea you could make from elderflower will be from fresh flowers, but you could also dry the flowers and enjoy them during the rest of the year too.
What Is Elderflower
Elderflower is a tree that can grow pretty large. The flowers are white and bloom during the early summer when the temperatures are starting to get higher and higher.
The flowers are the most aromatic and flavorful part of the tree. They bloom in very white colored petals and a yellow center. They are almost acidic and very perfumed. After blooming the flowers will instead start turning into small buds that develop into elderberries. These are dark purple with a slight sweetness to them.
The elderflower tree will grow the best in a place where the sun is shining quite a lot. The soil should dry out too much as that will just result in the tree drying out and you wont get as many elderflowers as you might have wished for. Often it’s grown in parks and sometimes on the wild as well if you are lucky enough to find one.
Benefits Of Drinking Elderflower Tea
Drinking elderflower syrup has often been done to help with a cold or even fewer. The antioxidants that are in elderflower help alleviate the pain and also slow it down. Elderflower is also very rich in Vitamin C which is a vital property to get into the body. It will help with the overall functions of your body, like the liver and cognitive ability.
The acids from the antioxidants help mitigate “free radicals” in the body. This is what often creates inflammation, be that a headache or joint pain. So drinking elderflower is not also to cure you from a sickness, it’s also to help prevent any more coming along.
You could even use the tea as a mouth gurgle as the flavor of the elderflower is very pleasant. On top of this, elderflower tea can also help with respiratory issues. It helps clear up the throat a bit more. You might wonder how often you should be drinking this tea then. We often say about 3 – 4 times a week is a pretty good amount. Anymore you won’t really see an increase in benefits.
Our Own Elderflower Tea Recipe
There are a number of different recipes out there as to what the best elderflower tea might be. The fact of the matter is that the fresher the elderflower is, the more flavorful the tea will be.
Below is some of the guidelines that we follow when making elderflower tea:
- Pick one bunch of elderflower
- Boil about 2 cups of water
- Pour the water over the elderflower
- Let it steep for about 3 – 4 minutes
- Strain and enjoy while it’s still warm
If you would like, you could add some honey to the tea. This will play really well together with the acidic and aromatic elderflower. For 2 cups of tea, about 1 tablespoon of honey seems to be the best ratio.
Benefits To Drinking Elderflower Tea
There are a number of different benefits to drinking elderflower tea on a regular basis. It’s not really a drink you need to have too often to reap the benefits of it. About 3 – 4 times a week will definitely be sufficient.
Helps With Sleep
If you drink elderflower tea before going to bed, it often seems like it can really help with falling asleep more quickly. But it can also make you reach deep sleep more quickly. In the long term this means that the sleep you are getting is of better quality.
Prevents Sickness And Colds
Since elderflower is so rich in antioxidants it’s great for protecting you against the risk of getting a cold or a fever. Those are caused by inflammations, which in turn are caused by something called “free radicals” which are present in the body. The antioxidants have acids in them that help keep those levels down.
Are There Any Side Effects
There are some side effects to drinking elderflower tea, but it’s more if you do it in a surplus amount. It’s often not recommended to drink this if you are allergic to pollen. Since this might trigger your allergy quite severely. But there are also people who are allergic to elderflower specifically, or the berries since they are a part of the stone fruit family.
As elderflower is also rich in acids, there is a risk of consuming too much of this will start upsetting your stomach. This might happen if you are drinking it like twice a day or so, with a strong dose of elderflower in the tea as well.
Summary And Conclusion
Elderflower has for a very long time been used to help treat colds and fevers. Making a strong syrup or cordial from elderflower was often then used to treat the early signs of these illnesses. They are also rather effective as elderflower is rich in antioxidants, which is known to help the body fight against inflammations.
All in all, elderflower tea is a great idea to introduce into your daily life. Drinking it about 3 – 4 times a week will provide your body with a great level of nutrition and beneficial properties. It’s easy to make and lovely and cool during the summer.
Additional Information
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