Ivan tea, or willow willow (Chamerion angustifolium = Epilobium angustifolium) belongs to the perennials of the Cyprian family. Wild grass is found in deciduous forests, near water bodies, adapting well to dry and wet soil. Ivan tea grows on the ashes, and gradually gives way to other herbs. The perennial feels good near the raspberry tree. The natural habitat of ivan tea is the Northern Hemisphere. In ancient Russia, the herb was brewed and drunk like black tea. Ivan tea, popular in the 21st century, has useful properties; it is offered in coffee houses and restaurants as a traditional Russian drink.
Ivan tea: description of the plant
The second name of the herb Ivan-tea is fireweed or Koporsky tea. It is known as wild flax, weeds, wheatgrass, sweet clover, Virgin's grass. He became Koporsky for Europeans, who tried the drink for the first time in the 18th century. Landowner Savelyev set up production using Chinese leaf processing technology. Raw materials were collected near the village of Koporye, located not far from St. Petersburg. This is where the trade name comes from - Koporsky tea.
The height of the plant stem is from 50 cm and reaches 2 m. Therefore, the plant needs a powerful root that branches into many roots. They firmly hold the stem, creeping underground horizontally and deeply. Thanks to the developed root system, fireweed is easy to propagate by vegetative division.
On a straight green stem of a perennial, long leaves tapering to the tops are evenly distributed from bottom to top. Their edges are even or with small teeth. The color of the leaves is dark green on the outside. The seamy side is painted in shades of pink and red, sometimes gray-green. The length of the leaves is 12 cm, the width is 2 cm.
During flowering, the upper part of the stem is covered with inflorescences of bright pink, raspberry or muted lilac, purple hues. The fireweed bud consists of four rounded petals. One plant dissolves male and female flowers. Inflorescences occupy from 10 to 45 cm of the top.
Fruits appear from the end of August. Smooth long achenes appear with feathers-parachutes, which are easily scattered from the wind. One plant gives up to 30 thousand fruits.
Ivan tea is harvested for animal feed. Its sedative, antipyretic and hemostatic properties are known to traditional healers who use dried herb in recipes for decoctions and lotions. Fireweed gives the richest honey yield in comparison with other herbs-melliferous plants. Therefore, it is beneficial to grow ivan tea next to the apiary.
Growing ivan tea
The plant is called weeds for a reason. Fireweed grows in any soil like a weed. But unlike weeds, it restores the soil's nutrient resources. Thanks to Ivan-tea, parts of the forest are reborn after the fires. With an increase in humus, the nurse plant disappears.
At the summer cottage, it is useful to sow depleted beds with Ivan tea after harvesting vegetables that absorb a lot of nutrients: cabbage, pumpkin, beets, carrots. The grass grows well in any light.But watering should not be neglected. Without moisture, fireweed produces short stems with small leaves.
Sowing preparation
Before sowing ivan tea seeds, an unusual preparatory ritual must be performed:
- choose a quiet, windless day;
- dig around the area intended for fireweed, marking a line 1 m wide;
- light a fire from brushwood, dry leaves, vegetable waste;
- spread the coals evenly within the earthen boundary;
- cover with straw.
Under the straw "fur coat" the remaining roots decay, the seeds of the previous crops and weeds that have not sprouted. Ash activates the growth of fireweed in the wild and serves as the first natural fertilizer.
Sowing seeds
When growing ivan tea from seeds, you need to consider:
- low germination of fireweed seeds;
- lightness, volatility due to the edge;
- Ivan tea seeds planted in autumn are washed out by melt water in spring;
- sprouts will bloom only next year.
Ivan tea seeds are best planted in spring after the snow melts and the weather stabilizes. Light small grains are not enough just to be placed in the ground. Seeds need to be fixed in the following way:
- cut into strips of newspapers or toilet paper, the width of the strip is 2 cm, of any length;
- at a distance of 8-10 cm, apply the paste pointwise;
- glue 2-3 seeds each;
- wait until the paste is dry;
- roll the strips into a roll.
Ivan tea seeds can be harvested even in winter.
Furrows are dug in the ground with a length of 2-3 cm with an interval of 8-10 cm. Strips of paper with grass seeds are placed in the grooves. The beds are covered with sand and ash, mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. Then the crops are watered with rainwater from a shower head.
Instead of paper and paste, gardeners offer a second way to fix seeds - mix with wet sand. Plants should be spaced 50 cm apart. Too densely sprouted sprouts need to be planted.
Planting rhizomes
Blooming fireweed resembles the lavender fields of Provence. To grow willow tea faster and decorate the garden with juicy purple hues, it is better to choose a vegetative propagation method. Root seedlings immediately receive nutrition from the soil, while seedlings have a root system to develop.
The time for dividing the rhizomes of fireweed is the last decade of March, early April, late September and early October. A strong plant is buried in, 10 cm long shoots are separated from the roots and buried back. In the soil prepared with the help of a fire, depressions are made at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other. Between the rows 60-90 cm recede. The roots are brought to a depth of 10 cm. When shoots appear, the beds are covered with 10 cm mulch from cut grass, straw or other organic matter.
Ivan tea care
If planting requires additional effort, then caring for Ivan tea is simple. Sowings of fireweed should be watered so that the ground is kept moist - every day or every other day. When the growth of Ivan-tea seedlings reaches 10-12 cm, it is necessary to water less often, once a week. In the heat - 2 times a week. Once a month, the land in the bed with fireweed needs weeding and loosening. Vegetable mulch will minimize the need to loosen and water the willow-herb plantations.
A month after the appearance of sprouts of willow-tea grass, fertilizer is made from chicken manure. For quick feeding, use a solution. To prepare it, you need to stir 1 liter of fresh droppings in 15 liters of water. The pieces that have settled at the bottom are filtered. 1 bucket is consumed per 1 sq. m.
For mature plants, you can use the litter after cleaning the coop and spread it over the beds. Under the influence of water, sun and insects, it turns into compost, and decomposing, it will gradually nourish the plants.
In late autumn, willow tea is fed with a complex fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Ash is also used for feeding. For the winter, the fireweed must be cut off, leaving 15 cm of the stem. Then cover with needles, oak and walnut foliage. In the spring, the stems are cut completely so that the plants are renewed.
Ivan tea, grown in small volumes, does not get sick and does not attract parasites. After 5 years, the beds are disbanded, the rhizomes are divided and planted in a new area. Ivan tea is a perennial, unpretentious to care for, which will decorate the garden and maintain health.
How to collect and store Ivan tea
Ivan tea leaves are harvested in July and August, while the grass is blooming, before the seeds appear. Plants with achenes lose their medicinal properties. To prepare fireweed, it is harvested, fermented and dried.
Collection
Ivan tea is harvested in dry weather. When the dew dries up, around 10 o'clock in the morning, you can go for raw materials. In the heat, it is better to postpone the collection of Ivan tea for the evening. Leaves are cut off in the middle of the stem, leaving tough basal leaves. You also need to leave a few leaves under the inflorescences. You need to pick off the leaves carefully, you cannot leave the bare stem, otherwise the plant will die.
If willow tea grows next to bushes, raspberries, you need to carefully examine the stems. Together with the leaves, you can capture a stinky tree bug. It is difficult to notice because of the green shell that merges with the foliage. The tree bug or tree bug gives off a liquid with an unpleasant odor and spoils the raw material.
Fireweed flowers can also be harvested to add to tea.
Drying
The collected leaves of willow tea are sorted out and sifted out unhealthy, damaged ones. For drying, choose a dark room, a pantry. The temperature should be at least 20 degrees Celsius. Wet towels, sheets made of natural fabric, linen, cotton are spread in the room. Leaves are spread on the litter in a layer of 3 cm. The raw materials are dried for 12 hours, stirring occasionally. Leaves should dry evenly.
To check the readiness of raw materials for the next stages of processing, you need to bend the sheet in half. If the longitudinal vein breaks, then you need to continue drying. The finished leaves become stiff and, when compressed, hold their shape without straightening.
Fermentation
To get a real healing Koporye tea, fireweed leaves must be infused in their own juice. To do this, the dried raw materials need to be kneaded by hand or grinded in a meat grinder. Put the ground mass in glass jars, tamp it tightly and cover with a damp natural cloth. Infuse raw materials for 36 hours in a dark place. During this time, juice will be released, which contains enzymes. Under their influence, fermentation occurs.
At the next stage, the raw materials from the cans are laid out on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 95-110 degrees and put the tea on a baking sheet to dry. The oven door is left open and the leaves are periodically stirred. They should turn into dark brown granules. The process is complete.
Tea is stored in a plastic, glass jar with a lid. The shelf life of homemade Koporye tea is 3 years.
Brew 2 teaspoons per 200 ml of boiling water. The drink is insisted for 15 minutes. Ivan tea is drunk hot and cold. Its taste is well emphasized by oriental sweets: dates, dried apricots, halva, raisins. It is better to replace sugar with honey.
Ivan tea: benefits and harms
The ivan tea plant contains the following beneficial substances:
- cellulose;
- lectins;
- vitamin C;
- sucrose;
- organic acids;
- pectin;
- flavonoids;
- iron;
- copper;
- manganese;
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- lithium.
Tannins, tannins add astringency to the taste of tea. Thanks to the rich set of minerals, the drink based on willow tea is useful for inflammatory, nervous, and intestinal diseases.
Healing properties
Diseases for which it is useful to add ivan tea to traditional treatment:
- BPH;
- urological diseases;
- inflammation of the prostate gland;
- gastrointestinal disorders;
- flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis;
- neurosis;
- epilepsy.
The drink is used as a diaphoretic for colds. The soothing effect of ivan tea enhances sedative and hypnotic drugs. The decoction, when applied externally, promotes healing of the skin with psoriasis, eczema. Acting as an antioxidant, fireweed removes toxins. The skin stays fresh and firm for longer.
Ivan tea has a beneficial effect on human behavior.Its regular use increases communication skills, relieves nervous tension, anxiety. Infusion of fireweed reduces the frequency of headaches, normalizes sleep.
Contraindications
Ivan tea increases blood clotting. In case of thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, you need to consult your doctor if there is a risk of exacerbation of the disease due to the drink. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, a doctor's consultation is also needed, whether ivan tea can affect childbirth and the baby. If you drink an infusion of fireweed every day for more than a month, bowel disorders, diarrhea may occur.
