Fig leaf Tea is so amazing! When we moved into our house we had a Brown Turkey Fig Tree in our yard. I was so excited about the tasty little fruits that blessed us in the spring. But I had no idea how amazing the leaves were until a couple of years later when I was reading about how plants had the power to heal. I tried my first batch of tea. I was a little hesitant because well – whoever would think this green tea would taste so amazing. But it did! I added a little sugar and it tasted like butterscotch to me. I was in heaven!
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love to drink it now with honey being my go-to sweetener. The taste is amazing! But knowing the health benefits is what really sold me. I started to collect the leaves each year and keep them on hand.
The fig tree’s leaves are packed with vitamins. So when you drink your Fig Tea you are consuming all those amazingly good nutrients. They are a good source of vitamins B1, B2, and A. And they also contain phosphorus, manganese, potassium, sodium, iron, and calcium.
But that is not all. Now I am no doctor – but I love to research stuff. Figs have been used medicinally, talked about the uses in folklore, and even the bible refers to them. And from all the articles I have read what I have learned is drinking Fig Leaf Tea helps with all sorts of health issues.
Fig Leaf Tea Health Benefits
- The National Library of Medicine has an article where there was a study back in 1998 where 10 people with type 1 diabetes drank Fig Leaf Tea with their breakfast and it decreased their insulin needs by 12%.
- Animal studies have shown improvements in total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and lower triglycerides.
- In ancient times fig leaf tea was drank to help with bronchitis and other lung ailments. It has been known to help with dry cough and reduce the severity of asthma.
- Fig Leaf Tea can help with increasing bone density
- It has also been shown to lower High Blood Pressure
- It may be able to help fight against cancer. There have been studies showing that it helps fight against breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer cells. Studies have stated specifically ‘Ficus carica leaf extract having both a chemopreventive and cancer therapeutic role in early-stage breast cancer.’
How to Prepare the Leaves for the Fig Leaf Tea
So now that we have learned some of the benefits let’s get down to the amazing and delicious way of making the tea that lasts all year.
I love to wait until my tree is FULL of leaves and then randomly pick the leaves from different areas of the tree.
I bring them inside and wash and dry them by running them under cool water and then patting them dry.
Once they are dry I trim the stems off and lay them on a cookie sheet to place in my oven.
Set the oven to 200º and cook them for about 10 min. I check on them until they are completely dried.
I let them cool and then break them up to go into jars to keep them to use throughout the year.
Fig Leaf Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 to 5 tbsp. Fig Leaves
- 2 cups water in Pot
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 6 cups water to fill a pitcher
Items Needed:
- Small Pot to cook in
- Strainer
- Pitcher for Tea
Instructions:
- Bring the water to a boil in a small pot.
- Add in the fig leaves.
- Turn the heat down to Medium/Medium-High and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain water into Pitcher.
- Add honey
- Add water
- Serve warm or over ice.
NOTE: You can add more/fewer tea leaves depending on your choice of flavor. You can also make enough for a pitcher or just a cup.
I love having our fig tree! The figs are delicious, the fig leaf tea is divine, the health benefits are an amazing perk, and the beautiful butterflies that share my garden with me bring me and my girls such joy! I feel blessed!
Try the tea if you get a chance and let me know how you like it!
