Dried leaves of Ivan tea. Drying technologies for Ivan tea. Proper brewing technique

Ivan tea belongs to the group of medicinal plants. With its help, you can overcome a number of abnormalities and disorders in the body. If you constantly use the herbal infusion of fireweed, the composition of the blood improves, inflammatory processes are eliminated, and wound healing is accelerated. It would take a long time to list beneficial properties plants, but to obtain them fully, you need to know the technology for collecting and processing plant materials. To dry fireweed at home, you need to familiarize yourself in advance with all the necessary information regarding this process. To begin with, the area where the raw materials will be collected is selected. It must be clean and free from unfavorable factors such as busy roads and industrial structures. Toxic substances settle inside the plant and can adversely affect its properties and also negatively affect human health.

How to collect and dry fireweed correctly

After choosing a location, you need to decide on the collection time. It is better to perform the action in the morning in clear weather. The flower should already be setting buds and preparing for the flowering stage. During this period, an enhanced period of stocking medicinal raw materials begins. The period of active growth begins at the end of May and lasts until September. This is influenced by the type of area where fireweed grows. When the flowering stage is completed, harvesting stops. This is due to the fact that in place of the flowers, beans containing fluff are formed. They can open up and ruin all the raw materials. Basically, only the leaves are plucked. Sometimes some of the flowers are left. They can give a cloudy tint to the drink, so they are not used often. After collection, the processing process begins. If fireweed is simply dried, it will not be endowed with unique features and special taste. This is due to the fact that the plant will not go through the most important process - fermentation. It is responsible for the rich taste and aroma of the drink.

Having collected the leaves, they must be washed and cleaned of any contaminants acquired during growth. Next, they are laid out on a fabric surface and dried a little. Then the most important part begins in the form of fermentation. Leaves are prepared for this stage in different ways. You can twist the raw materials through a meat grinder, mash them in a container, or roll them into tubes. The type of tea will depend on this: with small leaves, large and granulated. Preference already plays a role here. Before drying the fireweed herb, it is placed in a container and covered with a damp, natural-looking cloth. It is necessary to control its level of humidity and constantly moisten it. The leaves release cell sap that creates fermentation. The longer the fermentation lasts, the stronger the strength of the future drink and the less pronounced aroma. When done lightly, the tea has a mild taste and a distinct floral aroma. After this stage, you can begin drying.

You can properly dry fireweed leaves naturally or using temperature devices. During natural drying, the raw material is spread onto the surface of the fabric and left for 24 hours in a dark place. It is necessary not to dry out the plant, but at the same time bring it to the desired appearance. To speed up the process, stoves, ovens and electric dryers are often used. It has long been believed that the Russian stove gives the plant special energies and healing properties. The oven is used more often, because every home has one. Drying fireweed in the oven is a matter of minutes. It is laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment and placed in the middle. Temperature readings should not exceed 60 degrees. High temperatures can dry out the raw materials and make the tea tasteless. Drying lasts about an hour, then the oven is turned off. If the tea is too dry, it may have no taste and resemble burnt paper. It is not subject to further use, since it no longer has the necessary taste and medicinal qualities.

Before drying fireweed at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the information regarding the entire stage of raw material procurement. Only by following all stages of technology can you prepare a tasty and rich drink with a lot of useful properties. It is important not to overdry the leaves or overexpose them to the fermentation stage. This directly affects the taste. Anyone can make a drink at home. It is necessary to choose the right place where the plant grows and collect its useful parts. All steps are quite simple and do not require much effort. Knowing additional information will only help speed up the preparation process and eliminate the possibility of improper preparation, with subsequent disposal of plant components.

An excellent way to get acquainted with the information is to watch a video. Educational video, which explains how to dry fireweed, helps you quickly learn the facts and secrets of making high-quality plant raw materials. There is no need to re-read many literary sources when everything fits into one interesting video video clip. Here you can get acquainted with the varieties of the plant, its characteristics and preparation options in a few minutes, and learn how to dry fireweed. There are even cooking recipes offered. delicious drink both in the form of independent raw materials and in combination with other herbs and plants. This tea can be used several times by pouring hot water. The finished infusion is stored for about 2-3 days, which is very convenient.

Recently, more and more people are returning to their roots and native Russian traditions are becoming more and more popular. For example, prepare homemade bread kvass or drink aromatic Russian tea from Ivan-tea. We wrote about that earlier, now let’s talk about how to collect, dry and brew Ivan tea so that it is not only tasty, but also healthy.

What does Ivan-tea look like and where does it grow?

Fireweed or fireweed is a perennial herbaceous plant reaching a height of 50-200 cm. Easily recognizable narrow leaves and pink flowers are familiar to many. Lush red-pink glades of Ivan-tea can be found almost everywhere: in dry sandy places in light forests, often in clearings and forest edges, along railway embankments and ditches, near crops, near water, on damp soil. The plant blooms from June to September.

Interesting facts about Ivan tea:
Tea has been drunk in Rus' for a long time, but it was prepared from the local herb Ivan-tea or angustifolia fireweed. This herbal tea, distinguished by its delicate aroma and pleasant taste, was supplied to the imperial table and even exported abroad. A few more names - Koporye tea, Virgin Mary herb, boron potion, skrypnik.

Useful properties of Ivan tea

Fireweed was valued in Rus' not only for the taste of the drink made from it, but also for the benefits that Ivan tea brings. A balanced combination of vitamins and microelements has a beneficial effect on the body. The beneficial properties of Ivan tea have been known for a long time, many of them have been confirmed by modern medicine.

Infusions and decoctions of Ivan tea leaves have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Fireweed has the highest coefficient of anti-inflammatory action among the studied plants of the domestic flora.
The enveloping properties of fireweed are also noted. Therefore, folk herbalists and modern herbalists use fireweed tea in the treatment of peptic ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The ability of angustifolia fireweed to suppress the reproduction of the herpes simplex virus in tissue cultures has been established.
Chanerol, obtained from fireweed, has an antitumor effect. It is not for nothing that in Rus' healers used Ivan tea in the treatment of various types of malignant tumors.
Ivan tea has a calming effect on the central nervous system and is very effective in treating neuroses. Along with this, decoctions of angustifolia fireweed enhance the effect of sedatives and hypnotics and have an anticonvulsant effect. It is a mood modulator, reduces aggressiveness, and is a stress protector. Helps with headaches and insomnia.
Ivan tea has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart, thanks to the hyperoside found in plant materials.
Preparations of fireweed angustifolia in the form of an infusion are used in the treatment of various types of eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and other skin diseases.

The beneficial properties of Ivan tea do not end there.

Benefits of Ivan tea

Ivan tea is one of the most honey-bearing plants. That is why beekeepers go with their hives to fireweed meadows. Fireweed honey is of high quality, has a pleasant taste and is valued for its beneficial properties. In Rus', fresh fireweed leaves were eaten as salad leaves, and the rhizome and stems of fireweed were boiled and served as a side dish. Crushed roots of Ivan tea were added to flour and porridge to sweeten and add satiety. A drink made from roasted crushed fireweed roots is very reminiscent of coffee. Fireweed fluff also brought benefits: they were used to stuff blankets, pillows and even mattresses. A calm and deep sleep on such bedding was ensured.

How to collect Ivan tea

Ivan tea is collected from July - during the flowering period. The weather for collecting Ivan tea should be dry, and the collection itself should be done in the morning. Choose healthy plants and collect a little from each so as not to harm the plant. Some also recommend harvesting the tops of young plants in May. It is believed that cropped shoots will begin to bush, and by the time flowering begins, there will be much more leaves on the plants than usual.

How to prepare Ivan tea

The collected raw materials should be processed according to all the rules so that the beneficial properties of Ivan tea are preserved and fully revealed, and this is a serious process that requires attention and time. So:

Withering:
- Leaves of fireweed are scattered in a layer no thicker than 5 centimeters per day or day so that they become slightly sluggish, do not forget to mix the layers so that the leaves become evenly wilted. Avoid direct sunlight.
Twisting:
- dried fireweed leaves are rolled between the palms of the hands until they darken from the released juice.
Fermentation:
- The twisted leaves are placed in a layer of 5 centimeters in an enamel or glass container, covered with a damp cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 C) for 6-12 hours. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process goes. The end of the fermentation process can be determined by the change in smell to a rich floral-fruity one.
Drying:
- to dry, the fermented leaves of Ivan tea are finely chopped, spread on baking sheets covered with parchment in a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters and dried at a temperature of 100 C for about an hour. If you don't have an oven, you can dry it in the sun.
Storage:
- It is important to store prepared Ivan tea in tight packaging: glass jars with lids. Ivan tea matures for about a month and in the future only increases its taste and aroma. It is stored for about two years.
Brewing:
- Rinse the kettle with boiling water and add 2-3 teaspoons of dried Ivan tea to 0.5 liters of water; you can add a little dried Ivan tea flowers to the dry leaves. Pour boiling water over one third of the kettle, wait 5 minutes and add boiling water until it is full. It is better to leave for about 10 minutes. The proportions of the brew to water (purified or spring water) can be changed to taste. By the way, without compromising the taste, benefits and aroma, boiling water can be added to the tea leaves several times.

Ivan-tea (fireweed), contraindications

There are no contraindications as such for fireweed. Of course, signs of individual intolerance may appear. Long-term drinking of tea may cause stomach upset in some people.

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A unique plant, which has been rumored for centuries, is narrow-leaved fireweed. Few will guess that the conversation is about the herb known in Rus', from which it was made healing drink. 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, your hemoglobin level will increase significantly and the acid-base level will be restored. It is used in different types: As 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 excellent remedy for problem skin care. It has a great effect on hair growth, strengthens it, and protects against hair loss.

In the fight against various tumors (including malignant ones), the following are used: medicinal herbs. 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 car and train exhaust.

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 fireweed 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 pre-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 by pressure 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 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 corresponds old recipes and retains all 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 - 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 from fresh leaves can be cooked very delicious tea. 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 due to 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 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 tea acts as 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.

How to properly dry Ivan tea leaves

A detailed recipe for making black tea from strawberry leaves, fireweed, etc. given in Verzilin's book "In the Footsteps of Robinson".

Withering: the leaves are scattered in a layer no thicker than 5 centimeters per day or day, until they become limp, and they must be periodically stirred, not allowing the leaves of the top layer and along the edges to dry out.

Twisting: the leaves are rolled between the palms of the hands into small spindle-shaped sausages the size of about half a sausage until they darken from the juice that appears.

Fermentation: The rolled leaves are placed in a layer of 5 centimeters in an enamel bowl or tray, covered with a wet cloth and placed in a warm place (24-27 degrees C) for 6-12 hours to ripen. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation process occurs; the end of the process is characterized by a change in the herbaceous smell to a rich floral-fruity one. Too high a temperature and overexposure are dangerous - fireweed takes on the smell of low-grade, over-boiled “public catering” tea.

Drying: the fermented leaves are finely chopped, spread on sieves or baking sheets covered with parchment in a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters and dried at a temperature of 100 degrees for about an hour, periodically checking readiness by touch. Well-dried tea has the color of black real tea, a rich and stronger aroma than its own; the tea leaves break when squeezed, but do not crumble into dust. When the bulk of the tea reaches this condition, the drying temperature is reduced, and the draft, moderate during the drying process, is sharply increased. If the temperature is too high and the tea is left in the dryer, an admixture of the smell of “dry paper” appears in the bouquet.

Storage: Like real tea, Koporsky tea requires tight packaging for storage - best in glass jars with plastic lids. Koporye tea reaches marketable condition after about a month of storage, and subsequently its properties, like those of real tea, improve even more. The dried flowers also make an excellent drink.

Another recipe

While still living in Belarus, I noticed the name of the plant and tried to simply dry it and brew it.It turned out to be nonsense: hay is hay.

I tried something different several times. Then I learned about fermentation, but didn’t know what it was.Having already arrived on my land this spring and seeing the young shoots of this plant, I again wanted to unravel the secret of tea and drink a normal domestic drink. It was a success. I figured out the secret.

It's very simple. The plant itself contains everything necessary for fermentation. These are his own juices and enzymes. If you crush a leaf in your hands, some of the cells will burst and the plant will release juice. In wet crumpled leaves will contain vitamins, nutrients and intracellular enzymes. These enzymes, emerging from the vacuoles, begin to actively change the biochemical composition of the plant. It's like self-digestion. At the same time, the leaves darken somewhat, and a different, pleasant smell appears. For this fermentation process, I leave finely chopped, well-brushed leaves in a non-metallic container under pressure (by reducing contact with air and metal, vitamins are preserved) for 1-2 days at room temperature. If you keep it longer, the tea will ferment like cabbage.

In agriculture, something similar happens when ensiling hay, when the mown grass is collected into clumps and it sours with the help of its own enzymes. The resulting lactic acid naturally preserves the weed. I wrote this to suggest that any medicinal wild plants can be fermented and based on this process an endless variety of teas can be prepared. The taste and smell of freshly dried and fermented herbs are noticeably different. You can add flower petals, dried berries, fruits to teas...

So, after fermentation, you put the leaf on a cast-iron frying pan and “simmer” it over very low heat for about forty minutes. This heating to a hot state is necessary to accelerate fermentation, during which part of the insoluble, non-extractable substances of plant tissue are converted into soluble and easily digestible. These are the substances that give the taste, smell and color of tea.

After forty minutes of simmering, turn on medium heat and, constantly stirring with a wooden spatula, bring the sheet to a dry state. Carefully! Don't burn it. Otherwise the tea will be scorched.

In appearance, it is an ordinary black large-leaf tea, but with a pleasant, unique aroma. When brewed, Ivan tea gives a good color and a pleasant smell, and with increasing dosage it acquires an intense color and astringency like regular tea.

Interestingly, brewing Ivan tea does not stain tooth enamel, and in general, well-made Ivan tea is much tastier than Indian or Ceylon tea. In terms of properties, the drink Ivan tea occupies an intermediate position between black and green in terms of strength and healing properties. And if you add flowers, dried berries and fruits to this tea, then it will have no price!

And this is all “pasture”, a gift from native nature, an environmentally friendly fortified product, made with your own hands to your delight and to the surprise of your neighbors.

So, we collect young shoots of fireweed (you can also have flowers, but I haven’t experimented with flowers yet, I don’t know), finely chop the leaves, crush them thoroughly with your hands so that the green mass becomes slightly moist, put them in a bowl under pressure for a day or two at room temperature.

Then heat under the lid in a frying pan over low heat for 40 minutes. And finally, dry the mixture over medium heat with constant stirring.Ivan-tea, aka Koporye tea, is ready! Enjoy your tea.

Another method of fermentation.

How Koporye peasants prepared Koporye tea

Raw materials were collected during flowering, when the flower cluster has not yet fully bloomed, otherwise it may give unpleasant fluff in the future. They pick off all the flower brushes, which have a few leaves at the bottom, spread them on the floor in a layer of 5 cm and roll them up like a carpet, squeezing them so that the juice is released. The roll is left to lie at an air temperature of preferably 20-25 degrees for 8-10 hours.

At this time, fermentation occurs. The raw materials will “burn” like raw hay burns in a haystack. This is the norm. Then the raw materials are spread out, dried for several hours and dried in a Russian oven at high temperature (about 100 degrees). If you do not need such volumes of raw materials, then you can do it easier.

The fermentation process is carried out in a wooden or plywood box, placing crimped flower brushes there and covering with a damp cloth to increase humidity. Further as in the first case. And the method is even simpler. Roll each flower brush between your palms, as ancient people did when making fire, then put it in a plastic bag and keep it warm for 8-10 hours.

Next, spread, dry and dry in the oven at 100 degrees. Well, if you are completely relaxed at the dacha (I want to say lazy, which is not shameful, especially on weekends), pick some flower clusters into a plastic bag, knead it thoroughly and put it in for fermentation. Continue as in the previous case. At the final stage, the dried raw materials are ground by hand.

Can be stored in a closed container for up to two years. It should be brewed like tea at the rate of 1 teaspoon per glass of boiling water and drink half a glass two to five times a day. It is advisable not to sweeten the tea, you can get used to it.

If you notice a fireweed plantation, in the spring, around the beginning of May, although the timing may be different in different areas, tear off the tops of the young shoots, from them you will get top-grade Kaporsky tea. And the cropped shoots will begin to bush and by the time flowering begins there will be much more leaves on the plants than usual.

Tea drinking is a special ritual that can not only awaken you to life, but also create a wonderful mood for the whole day. Already with the first sip of freshly brewed Ivan-Tea, dormant strength and inexhaustible energy are miraculously revived in us. A fragrant cup of Ivan Tea is not only an invigorating start to the morning, but also a real journey to the ancient country of our First Ancestors, an immersion in the ancient motifs of the picturesque Atlantis, the plots of DaAria and an imaginary journey through the valleys and open spaces of that time.

Unfermented fireweed tea . This tea, drunk at night, acts as a tranquilizer. Sleep is restful and refreshing. After it you want to live and work. It enhances the immune process and has no toxic effect. Ivan tea leaves have a strong astringent property and have an enveloping effect. What helps with stomach ulcers.

How to properly collect and dry fireweed at home, as well as methods for fermenting and consuming fireweed, we will tell you in our article. Tea prepared taking into account all the rules given in the article turns out aromatic and pleasant to the taste.

What is Ivan tea

Ivan tea has many other names:

Ivan's grass;
Koporye tea;
Fireweed angustifolia.

This species grows mainly in the regions of central Russia. Ivan tea grows in open areas. You can often find it in abandoned fields, wastelands and forest clearings. Our ancestors also used fireweed for medicinal purposes. The plant has a strong stem up to 1.5 meters high and narrow leaves. During the summer months, Midsummer grass blooms with pink and crimson flowers.

Ivan tea has antipyretic properties as well as barberry, Rhodiola rosea, meadowsweet, blackberry, viburnum, heather, dogwood, and sloe.

When to collect

Before preparing fireweed, you should carefully study the features of collecting the plant and its drying process. The flowering period of fireweed in the northern regions begins in mid-July, and in the southern regions - from the end of June to the first half of July.

The collection of raw materials should begin during the flowering period, when the entire cluster of flowers blooms, but before the ripening beans interfere with the down.

How to collect and dry fireweed

The roots of fireweed, which are also used for preparing raw materials, should be dug up in the fall.

It is very important to learn to distinguish fireweed from other varieties of the same family that should not be eaten. Forest and shaggy fireweed do not have healing properties. Their flowers have a more purple hue, and their height is no more than 15 cm.

What is the fermentation process and why is it done?

When preparing Koporye tea, the fermentation process is one of the most important. From a scientific point of view, fermentation occurs due to the fact that the plant secretes juice, which reacts with oxygen, after which fermentation and oxidation occur. Then the greens of the plant should be dried. This treatment will help preserve the beneficial properties of the tea and add a fruity aroma to it. Simply dried leaves will not have the same taste and benefits as fermented tea, which has a rich aroma and retains all the important components and substances.

How to properly dry fireweed at home

After the routine stage of collecting plants, you can proceed further. Harvesting fireweed for the winter is not an easy task, but it is quite doable. There are a large number of different instructions on how to how long to dry Ivan-tea, so it’s very difficult to make a mistake. You can use an oven or electric dryer to prepare tea, but be very careful. Next, all the main stages of preparing this tea will be described.

Watch the video! Secrets of preparing and fermenting Ivan tea

Preparing for drying

For harvesting, you can use all parts of the plant:

leaves;
stems;
top;
roots;
shoots.

Withering of leaves

To remove excess liquid from the leaves, they are withered. There is no need to wash the plants before harvesting. The leaves are placed on the fabric in a layer no more than a few centimeters thick and left for 12 hours.

The leaves must be stirred periodically. In this case, the optimal air temperature should be maintained at about 26 degrees, with a humidity of 70%.

Advice! If the temperature is higher, the leaves will wilt much faster.

It is best to carry out this procedure in a dark room, in rare cases - in the open air. On the street, felting is carried out only in the shade; greenery should not be allowed to be in those areas where sunlight reaches, in order to avoid complete drying of the plant.

To find out if the leaves have wilted enough, you need to squeeze a few leaves in your fist. If they are not ready, they will disintegrate, and if they are ready, they will remain compressed.

After this procedure, the leaves should be rolled.

Twisting

You need to take ten leaves of the plant, put them together and twist them into a sausage between your palms. This must be done with effort until they begin to secrete juice and become darker.

Next, the leaves are crushed. This procedure can be carried out using a meat grinder or knife. The most common way to make Koporye tea is to grind the greens through a meat grinder. To do this, take a mesh with large holes. While cranking, the meat grinder should be periodically left to cool for a couple of minutes.

Fermentation

Preparing fireweed tea cannot be done without fermentation; this is a mandatory procedure that greatly affects the taste of the drink.

Fermentation techniques for fireweed tea

Under pressure, normal. The plant is cut into small pieces, kneaded by hand in a container with a non-metallic coating and covered with a cloth. Cover the mass with a plate or wooden circle of the required diameter. And they place a load: a stone, a weight or a container of water. The mixture should be left for a couple of days. The main thing is not to over-bake the tea, otherwise it will look like sauerkraut.
Under load in own juice. Completely cut plants are divided into 2 parts. Juice is squeezed out of one using a press juicer; just a little is enough. And the second part is loaded into a metal-ceramic container and filled with prepared juice. A weight of at least 20 kg is placed on top and the fireweed is kept in this way for about 3 days. After which the mass is dried.
Using a meat grinder. Dried or fresh raw materials are crushed using a meat grinder, using an attachment with large holes or without it at all. The resulting mass is placed in a container and covered with a damp cloth. The fermentation process should continue for ¼-½ days.
An ancient method for making large quantities of fireweed. The raw materials are laid out in a layer of 3 cm on a damp linen cloth. After this, the fabric is rolled into a roll. During the rolling process, the fabric should be constantly moistened with water so that it does not absorb the released juice. Next, the roll is pulled with a rubber band or rope and for 30 minutes I bend, unbend and pull it so that the herbal mass is ground. The tube is left to be stored under normal conditions for 2-3 hours. At this time, you should check whether the canvas is heating up; when your fingers feel the heat, the roll can be unrolled. The mixture will smell like sour pear compote. It should be transferred to a jar or bucket and left to sit for 36-40 hours.

Advice! Those who value the special taste of fireweed should store fermented raw materials in the basement, this will add taste and aroma to the tea.

Watch the video! IVAN-TEA (fermentation)

Drying without fermentation

Ivan tea can be dried without fermentation, in the same way as regular medicinal herbs. A plant dried in this way also retains its beneficial properties. However, tea makers continue to claim that Ivan tea gets its unique taste precisely when the fermentation process occurs. This is a real Russian drink that competed with Indian brews, but was undeservedly forgotten.

Dried fireweed can be an integral component of a medicinal collection; for this, the plant should be dried using the usual method:

Fireweed tea can be hung down with inflorescences in a dry room where air circulates well; a distance should be left between the bunches so that they are freely blown with air. You can also place it on a baking sheet in a loose layer, covering it with parchment so that air also flows from below.
Using an electric dryer, you can significantly reduce the drying time of plants from 4 days to 4 hours. Temperature and ventilation are set following the instructions in the instructions. The most important thing is to prevent the smell of dry paper from appearing, which indicates overdrying.

At the same time, fireweed prepared in this way cannot be called a full-fledged tea brew.

Types of drying

Drying the raw materials is the last part of processing. There are several main ways to carry out this procedure.

At what temperature should I dry it in the oven?

After the fermentation procedure, fireweed leaves are placed on a baking sheet, which is previously covered with baking paper and placed in an oven heated to 60 degrees. It is no longer worth increasing the temperature, since this way you can preserve a sufficient amount of microelements and vitamins.

Important! You cannot close the oven completely, as good draft is necessary.

You can check the readiness of the tea leaves by touch - the leaves should not stick and look like dust, they should simply break. This procedure takes about an hour. The entire process must be carefully controlled, since the raw materials can become too dry, and this will significantly worsen the taste of the future drink.

When the brew is ready, you can turn off the oven and leave the door slightly open so that the raw material can cool. The appearance of such tea will be very similar to ordinary black tea leaves.

In the Russian oven

Many experts who study this plant advise drying fireweed in an oven, since a living fire will give all its energy to the tea, which will make it even more useful.

Drying is carried out in an oven that was heated in advance and stood for at least an hour. The fermented raw materials are laid out on a baking sheet, placed on coals and the tea is dried. During the cooking process, you should constantly turn the raw material so that it evenly acquires a dark shade.

Such stoves have been preserved in the Russian hinterlands and are often used to prepare infusions of fireweed tea.

In an electric dryer

You can also dry the grass in an electric dryer at a temperature of +60 degrees, so that the plant does not overheat and lose its useful qualities. The duration of drying depends on the general condition of the raw material; on average, at this temperature, the procedure lasts about 5-6 hours. You should always check if the tea is dry.

Important! Raw materials dried at too high a temperature, or overdried, will have an unpleasant papery taste.

Drying indoors and can you dry in the sun?

Important! Ivan tea, like other medicinal herbs, cannot be dried in the sun.

To dry a plant without a stove or oven, you need to spread the raw materials on a baking sheet and leave it in a dry, well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight. It is necessary to constantly turn the mixture so that the tea leaves dry evenly. The duration of this procedure is about a week. And this is the best method that allows you to save everything useful substances as part of fireweed tea.

How to store

You can store dried tea leaves for a couple of years or even longer if certain conditions are met. Dried raw materials should be kept in a hermetically sealed container, preferably glass. Dry leaves should sit for about a month before the tea is brewed. The longer the tea leaves are stored, the more aromatic the tea becomes.

How to brew Ivan tea correctly

Fireweed should be brewed correctly in the following proportions:

3 teaspoons of tea;
for 150 ml of boiling water;
should be left to brew for a couple of minutes, after which another 300 ml of hot water is added to the kettle.

The volume of water may vary depending on the required strength of the drink. The same tea leaves can be refilled with boiling water a maximum of 5 more times.

Ivan tea can be prepared without using boiling water. To do this:

1 liter of water;
you need to pour 1 large spoon of raw materials;
leave overnight.

In the morning fragrant and healthy drink will be ready. Fermented tea leaves can be mixed with flowers dried in the usual way.

Watch the video! The entire harvesting process from A to Z at home