Strawberry leaves have a long history of being used as an herbal remedy. Wild strawberries have more condensed healing properties, but conventional ones will get the job done. Strawberry leaves, like other leaves and herbs, can be used to make a healing tea to treat diarrhea, aid in digestion, combat nausea, and settle an upset stomach. Tannins in strawberry leaves have low pH levels and serve as a strong digestive. One cup of strawberry leaf tea contains enough tannins to ease symptoms.
Strawberry tops are also loaded with caffeic acid, a compound that alleviates inflammation which is good news for arthritis sufferers.
Infusing your water with the leafy tops of strawberries also adds flavour, and helps to use up those excess pieces that are headed to the compost bin. This works especially well if you’ve cut off too much of the strawberry meat. To make, place your cleaned strawberry tops into a lidded container and top with water. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, and sip (you can strain if you prefer). Ten to twenty tops should do the trick, but you can play around with the amount depending on how strong you want the taste. Strawberry infused water also pairs nicely with some cucumber peels or fresh mint.
Drying the strawberry tops in an oven or food dehydrator will allow you to preserve them for later use when needed. Add three to five fresh or dried strawberry tops to your teacup. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of other fresh or dried herbs of your choice (mint, verbena, rosemary, lavender, basil). Pour boiling water over the tops and let steep for five to ten minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon or sweetener of your choice. The cooled tea can also be used to soothe sunburned or inflamed skin.
This may be a little teaser in prelude of an upcoming rich and yummy herbal tea aid for digestion and bloating on it's way to our shelves for you at bee23.ca!
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