How to properly dry raspberry leaves and how to brew tea. Beneficial properties of raspberries and their leaves Is it healthy to drink tea from raspberry leaves?

The composition of raspberry leaves includes: vitamin C (ascorbic acid), fruit organic acids, flavonoids, mineral salts (including salicylates), tannins and astringents. IN folk medicine dried raspberry leaves are used for colds and viral diseases, as they have an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and expectorant effect on the body.

Raspberry leaves are used for eye inflammation, inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract, hemorrhoids, and gynecological diseases. They are also used as a sedative for neurasthenia, neuroses and as a hemostatic agent for. Raspberry leaves are harvested in late May-early July. They are dried outside in the shade and then stored in paper bags. Before starting treatment with raspberry leaves, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

How to use dried raspberry leaves

An infusion is prepared from dried raspberry leaves for oral administration, rinsing, and lotions. To prepare the infusion, pour 2 tablespoons of raw material with 2 cups of boiling water, cover the container with a lid, leave for 2-3 hours and strain. Take 1/2 tbsp. warm drink 4 times a day for illnesses gastrointestinal tract. For sore throat, stomatitis, gargle with infusion. For inflammation, wash your eyes with warm broth several times a day.

To treat hemorrhoids, soak cotton pads in the infusion and apply lotions 2 times a day. To improve the condition of your hair and skin, wash your face with an infusion of dried raspberry leaves and rinse your hair with it after washing it. This remedy helps get rid of acne. Add raspberry leaves to vitamin teas. Such drinks are useful for children to increase the body's resistance to colds and infections.

Good effect produces tea consisting of rose hips, linden flowers and raspberry leaves. Pour boiling water over the mixture, leave for a while and give to the child. This tea can be drunk several times a day for a long time. Before giving birth, you can use an infusion of raspberry leaves to increase the tone of the uterus. In this case, before using the product, you should consult your doctor.

Contraindications to dried raspberry leaves: individual intolerance, chronic constipation, pregnancy up to 36-38 weeks, gout, nephritis. It is important to consider that raspberry leaves contain salicylates, similar in composition to acetylsalicylic acid. Therefore, in order to avoid an overdose, you cannot take the infusion and Aspirin at the same time.

Fragrant and delicious berries Many people love raspberries. And they eagerly await their appearance, every day looking under the leaves to see if the long-awaited berries have appeared.

But this time can be spent usefully - preparing raspberry leaves both to maintain health and for brewing fragrant tea.

Berries, leaves and even twigs have beneficial properties.

Beneficial properties of raspberry leaves

• Raspberry leaves contain vitamins A, B, C, E, so they are a good vitamin supplement that improves the taste of many herbal preparations.
• This is a good diaphoretic used for colds.
• The calming effect of raspberries has a positive effect in the treatment of neuroses.
• Raspberries have an astringent and hemostatic effect and therefore are successfully used for diarrhea and bleeding.
• Berries and leaves improve metabolism.
• Used for hypertension and atherosclerosis.
• Leaves and berries are used for hemorrhoids, hypermenorrhea and skin rashes.

When to Harvest Raspberry Leaves

The leaves of wild raspberry species have the best medicinal properties. Raspberries grow on the edges of forests, near reservoirs, in ravines and among other shrubs.

Raspberry leaves are harvested during its flowering period (June - July) or shortly before it, since it is at this time that the maximum amount of useful microelements accumulates in the leaves.

For this purpose, raspberry bushes are chosen away from roads, factories, garbage dumps and industrial waste. To harvest leaves, choose dry and sunny weather. Raspberry leaves are susceptible to infection by fungi and rust, so they must be completely dry from dew.

Only green leaves without signs of wilting or any damage are suitable for collection. For this purpose, it is best to pick young leaves located closer to the tops of the plant. You cannot pick all the leaves from the bush, as this greatly depletes the plant.

The leaves are picked by hand with or without a small petiole. It is possible to prepare leaves with short branches, which also help against certain diseases: bronchitis, laryngitis, herpes and as an expectorant.

Drying raspberry leaves

Freshly picked leaves contain a lot of moisture, and if drying is carried out in cloudy weather, the raw material will become moldy and rot. To prevent this from happening, the leaves are dried very quickly.

But raspberry leaves cannot be dried in the sun, because then the chlorophyll in them is destroyed and many useful substances evaporate.

The torn leaves are laid out in a thin layer on matting, special flooring or burlap in the shade, where the sun's rays do not reach, and dried with good air ventilation. To ensure that the leaves dry evenly, they need to be carefully tossed periodically.

Properly dried raw materials are dry, slightly curled green leaves that crumble well when rubbed between your fingers.

Brown, blackened or rotten leaves must be removed immediately, as they will spoil all the raw materials.

Recipe for the occasion::

Drying raspberry leaves for tea

If raspberry leaves are prepared only for tea, then they can be immediately dried together with other plants that are stored for this action, for example, with currant, cherry or mint leaves, since the rules for drying and storage for these plants are the same as for raspberry leaves. You just need to remember that mint is a highly aromatic plant and therefore you need to add very little of it to the collection. Best of all, add it directly during brewing.

Making tea leaves from raspberry leaves

• First, the leaves need to be dried in the shade.
• Then put several leaves together and roll them tightly into tubes.
• When the juice begins to release, place the twisted tubes in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave for 5-8 hours for fermentation, a chemical process that occurs in the leaves. The end of fermentation can be determined by a pleasant fruity aroma.
• Then the leaves are cut into ribbons, laid out on baking sheets and dried in an oven or oven with the door open at a temperature not exceeding 100°. The raw materials must be mixed for uniform drying.
• This tea is stored in glass jars with a screw-on lid, brewed as usual and drunk 2-3 glasses a day. Of course, if there are no allergies or other contraindications.

Storing dried raspberry leaves

Dried raspberry leaves are stored in glass jars with a well-closing lid so that their aroma does not evaporate. Storage in canvas bags is possible.

Not the only thing you can get from bushes. Therefore, today we will tell you how they are used and how useful they are, and we will also figure out how to brew them.

What are the benefits of raspberry leaves?

With leaves it has such beneficial features: it not only helps to cope with cold symptoms, but also has an anti-inflammatory effect, similar to aspirin; has an expectorant effect and increases the resistance of the immune system to viral diseases.

Used to treat all diseases respiratory tract and also to stop bleeding. In this case, both tea and infusion are used, which can be used to rinse the mouth. It is worth saying that it is recommended to drink tea from people whose work is associated with hazardous production, since such a remedy removes poisons and toxins from the body.

Astringent properties help cope with loose stools, and if you have a sufficiently large amount of raw materials, then you can take a bath with raspberry leaves, which will help get rid of many female diseases.

In cosmetology, crushed green plates are used to create effective masks. Raspberries help get rid of teenage acne and also remove inflammation. A decoction is also prepared on their basis, which is used to rinse hair. This tool Helps against hair loss and accelerates hair growth.

Important! Beneficial features leaves directly depend on their condition, the presence of fungal diseases or sunburn.

Raspberry greens are used not only for making tea, so such raw materials are very valuable. Next we will talk about when to collect raspberry leaves for tea and other needs.

When, how and where to collect

To get quality material, you need to collect greens in the first 2-3 weeks of June. At this time, leaves have the greatest value, since the plant directs all its forces to the development of the green part, and not to the formation of fruits.
You should choose bright undamaged plates. It is better to give preference to the leaves that are located near the top, since they receive the most light. Also pay attention to the presence of insects or fungus. We don’t need such greens, as consuming them can lead to poisoning.

It’s worth talking about when you need to collect raspberry leaves for drying for the winter. The collection period for further storage is not limited to the first weeks of summer, but it is better to collect raw materials before flowering begins. If you collect during the flowering process, then at a minimum you will harm the plant, and at maximum, you will receive products of poor quality and leave yourself without the lion’s share of the harvest.

You need to collect in the morning, when there is no dew on the bushes and the sun is not yet too hot. It is worth understanding that if a plant is already suffering from weather conditions or lack of nutrients, then the absence of several leaves can “finish off” it.

Important! Under no circumstances should you collect raw materials while your neighbors are treating their crops against pests. You will get severe poisoning.

How to dry raspberry leaves

After collecting, they need to be washed under running water and laid out on a woven material under a canopy in one layer. The canopy should be well ventilated and completely protect the leaves from sunlight.
Also do not forget that raw materials are needed turn regularly, so that it does not ban.

Did you know? Fresh berries Raspberries help with alcohol intoxication. Eating just a few berries will help you sober up faster.

Fermentation of raspberry leaves

Before describing the fermentation of raspberry leaves, it is worth understanding what this process is and why it is needed.

So, fermentation in this case, it is the process of decomposition of organic matter under the action of enzymes. Fermentation is carried out to obtain a high-quality product from tea leaves. Simply put, fermentation is the oxidation of products under the influence of oxygen, in which enzymes participate.

We have more or less figured it out, now let’s talk about the sequence of actions that will help us make real tea.

• The first option (labor-intensive). Take clean raspberries and rub them in your palms so that they darken and curl into a “sausage”. A similar action must be carried out with all the leaves from which you want to make tea.
• The second option (“mechanized”). We take the same washed green leaves and pass them through a meat grinder. In this case, it is better to use an old mechanical machine, since an electric machine will twist everything into a homogeneous mass and no tea will be produced. It is important to use the largest grid possible so that the leaves are not crushed too much.

Of course, you can come up with a lot of other options that will also prepare the raw materials, but the ones proposed above are the most common.

If you use the first option, then after grinding you need to pour everything into a large container and put it under a press. If the second option was used, then simply pour it into a bowl and press it with your hand.

Important! You should not spread the leaves in a thin layer, otherwise the fermentation will be poor.

In order for everything to go as it should, you need to regularly check the moisture content of the fabric, and if it has dried out, re-wet it.
It is worth remembering that the optimal temperature for fermentation is 22–26 °C, no more, but no less. If the temperature decreases or increases, fermentation will stop or will not proceed as expected.

The finished mass should have a greenish-brown color and give off a fruity smell. After fermentation, the raw materials are laid out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and dried in the oven for about 2 hours. The optimal temperature is 100 °C.

Now let's talk about how strong is fermentation?:

1. Easy. If the tea is fermented for 3 to 6 hours, its taste will be soft and light, but the aroma will be too strong.
2. Average. After 10–16 hours, the taste changes: the taste becomes tart and sourness appears. The aroma becomes less “acidic”.
3. Deep. After 20–36 hours, only a faint aroma remains, while the taste becomes more tart.

How and where to store dried leaves

Dried leaves (not tea) are stored at room temperature in areas with low humidity. Completely dried leaves are crushed and placed in linen or paper bags.

If you have made tea, then you need to store it like any other tea - in a dry place, protected from light.

Best before date

When stored under suitable conditions, the product has a shelf life of 24 months.

Did you know? Unlike other berries, the usefulness of raspberries does not decrease after processing, so raspberry jam provides the same vitamins and microelements as fresh berries.

Recipes for delicious and healthy tea

It's time to talk about the variety of raspberry leaf tea options, as well as how to prepare them.
Let's start with the fact that to get a tasty and healthy drink, just take 1 tsp. brews for a standard cup of 150–200 ml.

The healing power of raspberries has long been used in folk medicine - not only the berries, but also the leaves of the plant contain many substances valuable for health. However, before using the green part of the plant for healing purposes, it is necessary to study and medicinal properties, and contraindications of raspberry leaves.

Raspberry subshrubs grow not only in the wild; many gardeners successfully grow hybrid varieties of the plant in their suburban areas.

Raspberry leaves are a real storehouse of substances that are useful and vital for humans.

Raspberries have become widespread thanks to their tasty and healthy berries, the jam of which is considered the primary anti-cold remedy. But not everyone knows that the leaves of the plant also have powerful healing potential. And they certainly deserve to take a place in your home medicine cabinet.

The biochemical composition that determines the beneficial properties of raspberry leaves is considered unique. A medicines, prepared from the green mass of the plant, have a universal effect on the body.

The medicinal value of raspberry leaves is provided by the following substances:

• vitamins - A, C, E, groups B and K;
• minerals - potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chlorine, sulfur, sodium, iron, zinc, boron, manganese, copper;
• cellulose;
• flavonoids;
• mineral salts - oxalates and salicylates;
• resins;
• organic fruit acids - lactic, tartaric, succinic, citric, malic, salicylic, folic;
• tanning phenolic compounds;
• pectins;
• mucus;
• Sahara.

An interesting fact: raspberry leaf is rich in a record amount of vitamin C - 100 g of plant material contains 25 mg of ascorbic acid.

Raspberry leaves: medicinal properties

The raspberry leaf has exceptional healing properties, therefore its use is appropriate in the treatment of most organs and systems of the human body.

The beneficial properties of raspberry leaves are very extensive.

1. For colds, flu and acute respiratory infections, raspberry leaves will have an antipyretic, expectorant, diaphoretic, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect.
2. A decoction of raspberry leaf will help stop bleeding, remove waste and toxins from the body, eliminate intestinal upset, ease breathing during bronchitis, and improve well-being during hemorrhoids and colitis.
3. And rinsing with plant-based products will relieve swelling, eliminate sore throats due to tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis, and stop the inflammatory process due to stomatitis.

Indications for use of raspberry leaf:

• viral infections, colds, respiratory diseases;
• pathologies that cause bleeding - peptic ulcer, hemorrhoids, gynecological diseases;
• stomatitis, gingivitis;
• conjunctivitis;
• acne;
• avitaminosis;
• inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract;
• dermatological problems, psoriasis, eczema;
• kidney diseases, with the exception of urolithiasis;
• hypertension;
• anemia;
• stomach or uterine bleeding;
• prostate diseases;
• ovarian dysfunction;
• infertility;
• herpes;
• wounds, bruises, insect bites.

It is characteristic that dried raspberry leaves completely retain their medicinal properties and, after heat treatment, can be used to prepare a medicinal product.

Healing properties for a woman’s body

The use of raspberry leaves is recommended to solve many women's health problems. Raspberry leaf tea helps relieve heavy periods. In addition, decoctions, teas, baths and douches with an infusion from the plant have a powerful healing effect in the treatment of thrush, infertility and ovarian diseases.

Benefits during pregnancy and children

The properties of raspberry leaves are considered especially valuable for women during pregnancy. The fact is that the plant helps soften the cervix and increases the elasticity of its walls.

Drinking tea from raspberry leaves is possible only in late stages of pregnancy.

Taking this decoction in the last stages of pregnancy can minimize the risk of ruptures. Therefore, in many European countries, gynecologists recommend taking tea from the leaves starting from the 35th week of pregnancy. For 14 days, the drink is taken warm, one glass per day.

As the birth approaches, both the total amount of drink consumed per day and its temperature increase. As a result, at the 40th week, pregnant women are advised to take four cups of hot raspberry tea per day.

Drinking raspberry leaf tea early stages pregnancy can provoke spontaneous rejection of the embryo and lead to miscarriage.

Therefore, pregnant women can take this tea only after consultation with their doctor.

For children

The use of raspberry leaf for the treatment of children is allowed from the age of six months. Raspberry teas and decoctions are relevant if a child has a cold with high temperature. Start taking raspberry-based products with a minimum volume of half a teaspoon.

Raspberry leaf tea will help you win colds and boost immunity.

However, it should be remembered that the plant can cause allergies, and therefore if after drinking raspberry tea the baby develops a rash, it should be stopped.

For older children, raspberry leaves are recommended as a remedy for teenage acne and rashes. In this case, decoctions are used externally, in the form of lotions.

Traditional medicine recipes with raspberry leaves

In folk medicine, the raspberry leaf received quite wide application.

1. The classic recipe for making tea contains the following proportions - three tablespoons of raspberry twigs and leaves are poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for 15 minutes. Take half of the received portion at three-hour intervals. The use of tea is indicated for colds and viral infections, gastrointestinal diseases, heavy menstruation, gastric and uterine bleeding.
2. A decoction of raspberry leaf is prepared in the same proportion as for tea. But after pouring, keep the composition for 10 minutes in a water bath, and then infuse for an hour. Used for baths, rinsing and douching.
3. An alcoholic tincture of raspberries is prepared as follows: take five tablespoons of vodka for one tablespoon of crushed raw materials. The liquid is placed in a dark glass container and kept for 10 days in a dark place. After the specified period, the product is used to wet tampons used for insect bites.
4. Raspberry green ointment is prepared from fresh leaves. To do this, plant materials are washed and dried, then ground in a mortar and mixed with Vaseline. For one part of leaves you will need two parts of Vaseline.
5. Alternative preparation: juice from fresh raspberry leaves is mixed with petroleum jelly or ghee. For one teaspoon of juice take four teaspoons of fat.
6. To treat herpes, a paste of crushed fresh leaves of the plant is applied to the sore spot several times a day.

Herbal teas with the addition of raspberry leaf

When treating certain diseases, other types are added to classic raspberry tea. medicinal plants. This allows you to increase the intensity of its impact and thus enhance the therapeutic effect.

Tea with raspberry leaf and the addition of other beneficial plants can enhance the healing effect.

• For bronchitis. Mix equal amounts of raspberries, coltsfoot and thyme. To prepare one serving of tea, take a tablespoon of the collection. Drink hot, with honey added.
• From infertility. Mix equal amounts of raspberry and red clover leaves. For one serving of tea, take a teaspoon of the mixture. Take a cup a day for four months. Then they take a two-week break.
• For renal colic. Mix one part of dry raspberry raw materials and five parts of birch leaves. The collection is poured with five liters of boiling water, infused for an hour and used as a hot bath.
• From ovarian dysfunction. IN classic recipe tea include one spoon of currant leaves. Leave for 15 minutes. Take half a glass three times a day.
• From heavy menstruation. Mix equal amounts of raspberry and strawberry leaves, oak bark and yarrow herb. For one tablespoon of the mixture, take a glass of boiling water and keep the composition in a water bath for an hour. Take filtered, warm, once a day. The course is a week.

When to collect raspberry leaves, how to dry and store

In order for products prepared from raspberries to provide optimal therapeutic results, care must be taken to properly collect and store the raw materials.

Raspberry leaves are harvested in late spring, early summer.

The raspberry leaf accumulates the greatest amount of substances valuable for health in May-June. This period is especially recommended for collecting green mass. The collected raw materials are dried away from direct sunlight, periodically turning over each sheet.

• nephritis, urolithiasis and gout, since oxalates in the leaves can provoke an exacerbation of the disease;
• gastritis and gastric ulcer, because salicylates, which raspberry leaf contains, belong to the group of natural analogues of aspirin and can cause increased stomach acidity with exacerbation inflammatory processes on its mucous membrane;
• chronic constipation, since raspberries contain tannins that have an astringent effect;
• tendency to allergies.

In addition, the use of raspberry leaf should be limited while taking aspirin at the same time - this will avoid an overdose.

Raspberry leaves are a real natural gift, the skillful use of which will bring joy healthy life and good health.