STRAWBERRY LEAF TEA

One of the best things I learned this year is to never throw away my strawberry tops again! During the Summer you can make this tea and then chill it! It quenches thirst like no other! During the Winter you can make this tea, and it will keep you warm. The taste is just as delicious as the strawberries themselves.  Also the benefits for your health are truly amazing. Considering it even fights cancer!

Organic strawberry leaf tea is a great option for those who want to keep their antioxidant levels topped up and are looking for a caffeine-free alternative to green tea or black tea. A study that was  published in the Czech Journal of Food Sciences found that a water extract of wild/organic strawberry leaves had the strongest antioxidant activity among tested herb and berry extracts, as measured by DPPH free radical scavenging ability. This study assessed the antioxidant activity of water extracts of 17 medicinal herbs and berries, including oregano tops, blackberry leaves, raspberry leaves, rosehips, thyme tops, nettle flowers, mint, elderflowers, linden flowers, chamomile flowers, blueberries, rowan berries and sea-buckthorn berries. That is pretty amazing antioxidant capabilities if I don't say so myself.

Organic and Wild strawberry  leaves contain ellagic acid!

You may have already heard of ellagic acid, a compound that has been shown to neutralize cancer-causing substances, boost the immune system, and induce apoptosis (self-destruction) of cancerous cells. Wild and organic strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pomegranates, and cranberries are perhaps the most famous food sources of ellagic acid, but also some edible leaves – including the strawberry leaves and black berry leaves have been shown to contain this powerful anti-cancer compound. There are many more benefits to this tea. Ellagic acid also is a powerful antioxidant, helps acne, is a potent anti-bacterial, fights fungus, protects the liver, is heart healthy, reduces birth defects, and of coarse, as stated earlier fights against cancer.

How to make strawberry leaf tea:

Simply save the strawberry tips that you cut off. Be sure they are still ripe when making it. If they are not ripe, or you think that you won't be able to keep them ripe, you can dry them or freeze them for later use. When ready, just put the whole batch of tips into a soup pot and add 6 to 8 cups of filtered water. You can also make it with other teas. I made the batch above with mint tea. Yum! Strawberry mint tea. It is perfectly delicious all by itself as well.  Bring to a boil and then add sweetener of choice. The sweetener that is the most alkaline is raw organic honey. I use 2 tbsps. Just sweeten to your taste. It's ready when the water has turned pink, and the strawberries have lost some of their color.