Bluebutterfly pea tea made from the flowers of cl*toria ternatea is an amazingdrink that has wonderful health benefits and medicinal uses. This bluebutterfly pea tea is also called Anchan Tea, Color Changing Tea,cl*toria Tea, Thai Blue Tea, Blue Tea, Blue Chai (India) and AparajitaTea in different parts of the world.
What Is Blue Butterfly Pea Tea?
Blue butterfly pea tea is actually a native drink ofSouth East Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam made by boiling either the fresh blue butterfly pea flowers or dried blue butterfly pea flowers in water. Nowadays this amazing blue tea is gaining popularity all over the world due to it’s amazing medicinaluses.
Blue Butterfly Pea Plant:
The botanical name of blue butterfly pea plant is cl*toria Ternatea. The plant is a climber and it belongs to the familyFabacea and genus cl*toria.This plant has been used in Ayurveda formany years for treating many neurological problems like depression,anxiety and for improving memory.All parts of the plant including theleaves, seeds, roots and flowers have medicinalproperties.
Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea:
Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea:WhenI wrote about butterfly pea plant a few weeks back, I had mentioned about the butterfly pea tea in the post.One of my friends asked me towrite in detail about butterfly pea tea so I thought I will give step bystep instructions for making this wonderful tea (with 3 variations) along with the healthbenefits.
The tea made with it not onlylooksbeautiful (it has got a vivid blue color) but it is full of antioxidantstoo.Though you can make the tea with fresh flowers each time, I wouldsuggest drying the flowers during summer time so you can use it yeararound.To dry, collect the flowers and spread it on a plate, cover witha thin mesh and sun dry till crisp and store. Now you can makeantioxidant tea all year round.In our farm, butterfly pea flowers grow in abundance so I collect it everyday till Ihave enough flowers, dry them and store for future use.
This tea isvery easy to make and can be served as a refreshing drink and I have toadd, it looks stunningly beautiful if served in transparent glasses.Another beautiful thing about this tea is when we add lemon juice to thetea, the color changes! This is the reason the tea is also called colorchanging tea.Though it sounds childish, I love to watch thecolor of the tea change from purple to beautiful pink color after addinglemon juice to it, a must try tea in my humble opinion.
Blue Butterfly Pea Tea Taste:
Blue butterfly pea tea has a very subtle earthy taste. I make the blue butterfly pea tea with both fresh and dried flowers. Butterfly pea tea is so refreshing but has a very very subtle taste, we can only taste the lemon and honey in the tea mostly.
Nutrients:
Bluebutterfly pea flowers are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese and sodium so this tea is very rich in vitamins andminerals too, this tea is also full of antioxidants!
Blue Butterfly Pea Tea Health Benefits:
When you drink blue butterfly pea tea, you will feel energised due to it’s high antioxidant content and it is a good remedy for fatigue. Since we have this plant at home, I like to have a cup of this tea in midmorning to relieve fatigue especially if I am doing heavy work. This tea is a good remedy for stomach ulcer and it has a soothing effect on our stomach. Since it helps lower blood sugar levels, it is good for diabetic patients.
It helps treat respiratory problems like asthma, cold and cough and a warm cup of this tea when you are suffering from cold is like heaven! This tea also helps relieve stress, depression and anxiety, if you are feeling stressed or not able to sleep, try a cup of this tea before bed, it will help. This tea is also good for hair and skin and if you are suffering from any kind of skin inflammation, please consume this tea for a few days.
Where To Buy Blue Butterfly Pea Tea?
Where To Buy Blue Butterfly Pea Tea?In India, ready made butterfly pea tea is not common but butterfly pea flowers are commonly found everywhere. We can easily get them in flower markets. While buying them make sure they are not sprayed with pesticides. Ifyou don’t have access to fresh blue butterfly pea flowers, you can easily order dried butterfly pea flowers through online shops like amazon.
Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Powder & Extract:
Blue butterfly pea flower powder got by grinding the dried flowers is also sold online. It can be used for both making the blue butterfly tea and also as a natural coloring for dishes. It is popularly used to make blue colored rice.
We also get butterfly pea extract, which is nothing but sugar, butterfly pea flowers and water boiled together to make a syrup. You can add little bit of the syrup to water along with lemon juice to make instant blue butterfly pea tea.
How To Grow Blue Pea Flower At Home?
If you plan on having butterfly pea tea regularly, I would suggest growing your own butterfly pea plant at home. You can easily buy young butterfly pea plants in most nurseries cheaply in India and plant them in your garden.
It can survive in almost all types of soil but needs good drainage. You can also grow them from the seeds too.To plant butterfly pea seeds, soak butterfly pea seeds overnight in water and plant them in small pots next day and water regularly. The seeds will germinate in 2 to 3 weeks time.
Blue Butterfly Pea Tea Side Effects:
This tea has fewer side effects, in fact I couldn’t find anyside effects at all and it also has been clinically proven to have veryvery low toxicity even when taken in large quantities.Though it is safe for consumption, I couldn’t find any study proving that it is safe for pregnant and breast feeding women so for them I would suggest to practice caution. If you do consume, do it only in moderation.
3 Best Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Recipes:
3 Best Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Recipes:1. Basic Blue Tea:
Collect fresh flowers, wash and spread them on a plate and sun dry till crisp covered with a net. To make the tea, boil water and pour the boiling water over the dried flowers, steep till the color of the water changes to blue color. Strain and add honey to taste. Your beautiful blue tea is ready, pour into a serving glass. You can also make the tea with fresh flowers too.
2. With Lemongrass:
Follow the same recipe but take a small piece of lemon grass, pound and then add to the dried flowers before pouring the boiling hot water. This tea is so aromatic and wonderful!
3. Color Changing Butterfly Pea Tea:
Follow the same recipe as before. Now for the magic part, add few drops of lemon and see the color change to beautiful purplish pink. If you add more of lemon juice it will turn fully pink.
NOTES:
- You can use either use fresh or dried flowers.
- This tea is full of antioxidants and has been proven through clinical research.
- Add lemon juice according to your taste, the color change will depend on the amount of lemon juice.
- If you have irritable bowel syndrome, drink it plain like given in the first recipe.
