Leaf Tea

Lemon Tea:

Add one teaspoon of Darjeeling Leaf Tea to hot boiled water. Cover it for five minutes. Then stain it in a cup. Add sugar, a pinch of black salt and little lemon juice. Stir properly. Adjust the taste of salt, sugar and lemon juice according to your wish. Serve hot with biscuits. Wonderful beverage for a cloudy or winter evening. This tea is favourite at our home.

Benefits of Lemon Tea:

• High blood sugar occurs when your body produces inadequate amounts of insulin or when it cannot utilize insulin properly. Hesperidin, a compound in lemons, can modify the function of enzymes that affect your blood sugar levels, according to a study published in the January 2010 issue of the “Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition.” This not only shields your body from the early stages of diabetes but also helps avert diabetes complications if you already have high blood sugar. Additionally, hesperidin has cholesterol-lowering effects.
• One fluid ounce of lemon juice contains 12 milligrams of vitamin C. Water-soluble, vitamin C helps fight free radicals that damage our DNA. Free radicals may contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.  By counteracting the negative effects of free radicals, vitamin C helps decrease the risk of developing cataracts by 80 percent. In addition to healing wounds, vitamin C helps maintain and repair your teeth and bones. Moreover, your body requires this antioxidant to form collagen, a protein used to build skin, blood vessels, cartilage and tendons.
•  If you are experiencing nasal congestion, drinking lemon tea can help to decongest your blocked nose.
• Citrus fruits, such as lemon, are one of the primary dietary sources of quercetin. A flavonoid, quercetin protects the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas from the damaging effects of free radicals. In addition, quercetin has an anti-inflammatory effect, as it helps stabilize the cells that release histamine in your body. Histamines are chemicals that trigger allergic reactions. According to the American Cancer Society, quercetin can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and can help promote apoptosis, a type of cell death. Animal studies have shown that quercetin may exhibit a protective effect against certain types of cancer, especially colon cancer.
• A study published in the “Journal of Nutrition” in April 2005 revealed that lemons contain compounds called limonoids that have the potential to impede the growth and development of cancer cells. Not only did limonoids decelerate the growth rate of cancer cells, but they also enhanced cancer cell death when tested against human cancer cells. The study further states that these anti-cancer agents have free-radical scavenging activities.

( Source: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/medicinal-benefits-lemon-tea-10965.html)

Benefits of Black salt:

It helps in digestion, prevents heartburn, cures constipation and bloating, joint disorders, cures intestinal disorders etc. It is a low sodium salt and good for patients having high blood pressure. Actually black salt is super healthy as its health benefits are countless.

We are fond of tea and experiment with tea leaves. The quality of tea leaves enhances the flavour of the tea. Sometimes, to taste good flavoured tea we don’t hesitate to shell out extra bucks from our pockets. I have visited many tea gardens in Assam, Darjeeling and in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The tea museum of Kandy is just a dream place to visit. It showcases too many varieties of tea leaves and prepares tea as per your wish.

Try my recipe of lemon tea using good quality leaf tea  and give me feedback.

Have a nice tea time 🙂

Leaf