Healthful Triple Tea
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Herbal tea can have many bioactive ingredients and wonderful healing properties. This tea has three main ingredients, Green tea, Hibiscus and nettle which can have blood pressure lowering, cholesterol lowering and anti-allergy effects.
Green Tea: Has compounds that can be useful in treating breast, lung, and prostate cancer. It can also inhibit the conversion of glucose (blood sugar) into fat and decrease appetite. In addition, evidence suggests that green tea prevents cholesterol plaques from forming on blood vessel walls. Green tea also has other benefits, including increased energy, decreased inflammation, weight loss and better metabolism, and reduced blood sugar.
Nettles: Though best known for its nutritional benefits, nettle also offers mild antihistamine effects and helps keep the blood clear of compounds that irritate the immune system.
Hibiscus: This flowers is loaded with antioxidants. Scientists have just begun to confirm their heart benefits. Hibiscus tea has been shown in some studies to be quite effective at lowering blood pressure. It appears to work like an ACE inhibitor and reduces sodium levels without affecting potassium. It also has a positive effect on cholesterol and triglycerides, helps normalize blood sugar and insulin response, and protects the liver.
You can use just plain hibiscus and green tea but feel free to find varieties with other herbs and spices. For instance in this recipe the green tea is plain, but we find that many people like a green tea with ginger. The hibiscus we use is combined with blueberry which adds a little sweetness. Find teas that suite your tastes just make sure the most abundant ingredients in each are green tea, hibiscus and nettle.
We like to make the tea in the container pictured below. It holds about 6-7 cups and can have boiling water pour directly into it. It pours nicely and stores easily in the refrigerator.
Enjoy this tea hot or cold. You can heat up seconds or thirds in the microwave if you like it hot.
MAKES: 6 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 10 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 Green Tea bags
2 Hibiscus with Blueberry Tea bags
2 Nettle Tea bags
1 extra Tea bag of your choice (green, Hibiscus or Nettle)
DIRECTIONS
Boil 7 cups of water.
Pour water into a heat proof container wait about 5 minutes then put in all seven tea bags.
Allow to steep about 5 mins then remove the tea bags and enjoy a cup at a time.
Will last a week in the refrigerator.
