Bariatric Surgery Dietitian Cansu Arslan, while preparing winter tea; He said that the leaves, flowers should be brewed, and the roots, barks and fruits should be boiled. Arslan warned about herbal teas consumed especially in winter. Pointing out that every herbal tea has an expiration date, Arslan also gave advice on brewing techniques.
“THE HERBAL TEA ALSO HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE”
Bariatric Surgery Dietitian Cansu Arslan mentioned that every herbal tea has an expiration date and said, “As the weather gets colder and the winter months approach, we see an increase in the consumption of herbal teas. Linden, mint-lemon, sage, rosehip and echinacea are among our most preferred teas this season. We need to remind you that there are points we need to pay attention to when buying and preparing these teas. Herbal teas should be purchased from places we trust, and it should be questioned whether the environment in which they are stored is dry, cool and away from light. Herbal teas that do not have an expiration date, are sold openly, and whose freshness we do not trust should not be consumed. “It should not be forgotten that herbal teas also have an expiration date, and they should not be stored for a long time,” he said.
“Linden should not be boiled, it should be brewed”
Arslan stated that especially the linden plant should be prepared by brewing and said, “We often see boiling linden in our nutritional culture on cold nights, but linden should not be boiled, it should be brewed. Teas containing flowers, leaves or essential oils should be prepared by the brewing method we call infusion, that is, 1 teaspoon of linden should be added to 1 glass of boiled water, left for 5 minutes, waited for 5 minutes, then strained and consumed. The same method should be applied to sage, fennel and lemon balm. “Otherwise, as these plants are boiled, the essential oils will disappear and the plant will begin to lose its effect.”
“LEAVES AND FLOWERS ARE BREWED, ROOTS, BARLS AND FRUITS ARE BOILED”
Talking about brewing techniques, Arslan said, “Tea is prepared from roots, barks, fruits and seeds by the boiling method we call decoction. A certain amount of the drug, that is, fruits and seeds, with which we prepare tea, is placed in a glass boiling pot. Care should be taken to avoid aluminum because it may interact with the drug. To the herb mixture we have prepared, this mixture can be rosehip, clove, cinnamon, fresh ginger, a certain amount of cold water is added and boiled. After the boiling starts, continue boiling for 5-10 minutes, filter and consume. In order to get the best efficiency from herbal teas, ‘Leaves and flowers are brewed; roots, barks, fruits are boiled.’ This sentence should be remembered. Children under 2 years of age, people with chronic diseases, and elderly individuals should use herbal tea with the recommendation of a physician. It should not be forgotten that no herbal tea alone has any effect on weight loss. “Adults should choose 1-2 cups of different herbal teas a day and take care to consume at least 8 glasses of water,” he said.
(UAV)
