I finally made some fig leaf tea!

14 years ago

I have read about it here and other places, I was kinda concerned about the "laxative affect" that some people mentioned. I have problems in that area already! LOL

I picked 5 leaves Friday, so that I could get over any bad effects before Monday, washed them and put them in my toaster oven on the 2 slices of toast setting. They were dry and crumbly about half way through the cycle, so I took them out.

I crumbled them and put them in my coffee maker, brewed up a 12 cup pot full. The aroma in the air was fantastic, who needs candles! LOL

I'm not too big on hot tea, but I put in some Splenda and drank a cup hot. Really good! I put the rest in a jar with a lid and stuck it in the fridge overnight. Fantastic!

I didn't have any ill affects by Sunday, so I dried some more and brewed up a gallon to take to work today and share with my coworkers. They loved it!

I warned them about the possible side affects from posts I have read and they still drank it with their lunch. I have requests from all of them for leaves to make their own, so I'm going to gather a few bags full when I get home.

I hope nobody gets the possible side effects! LOL

Could there be a market for fig tea? My tree is huge, so i could get a lot of leaves late in the season.

Featured Answer

samsaraedu

9 years ago

A friend sent me some links on benefits of figs.

http://www.healthbeckon.com/figs-benefits-and-uses/

http://www.natures-health-foods.com/fig-leaves.html

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Comments (10)

greenhummer
14 years ago
Can you use any fig leaf (cultivator?)
wertach zone 7-B SC
Original Author
14 years ago
I think so, but I'm not sure. Mine is an old tree, so I don't know what it is. I think it may be a brown turkey.
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tmc2009
14 years ago
I never heard of this before. I will have to try it. I have to ask though, were you glad you tried it on the weekend? Any I'll effects? What is the taste like?
wertach zone 7-B SC
Original Author
14 years ago
No side effects. The taste is kinda hard to describe, but good. It has a hint of ripe fig taste and is very aromatic, it kind of reminds me of a mixed herb tea.

I read that it is good for hypertension and diabetes. My blood pressure is a little better now, I've drank it ever day this week. I hope it does help since no doctor has found anything to completely control mine.
bedtime
13 years ago
I just tried some fig leaf tea. Took a medium sized fresh leaf, blended it, and poured hot water over it. Steeped for 10 minutes with top of cup sealed. Waited another 5 minutes to cool down and drank.

It's not something I would give guests as its quite bland and not much to appreciate or even notice. On the other hand rosemary tea and lavender tea is fantastic. Lime leaf tea is nice, as is mint, but fig leaf let tea let me down.
ediblelandscaping.sc
13 years ago
ok so I read this a thought oh god don't eat or drink fig leaves, but there seems to be some good things about it and as far as the concern of latex in your stomach it has been proven that small amounts of latex from ficus carica in the stomach can slow or stop cancer growth in the stomach by the inhibition of stomach cancer cells to reproduce. I still won't drink too much and be careful who you give it to Thanks for sharing.
wertach zone 7-B SC
Original Author
13 years ago
bedtime, It needs to be dried, not fresh! The taste of a fresh leaf would be bland or worse!

I am still drinking it a year and a half later!

My blood pressure is better and I love the taste.

I have found that natural drying is much better. And I don't use it "straight" anymore. I use a good handful of dried crushed leaves in a tied up coffee filter and I put 5 family size ice tea bags in the coffee pot.

I don't let the brewing start until the water starts boiling. I let it steep for about 1/2 hour before I remove it from the heat.
Cyrita Calhoun
9 years ago
I make it fresh from the green leaves! Wash them and boil them in purified water. I use to buy the fig leaf tea from my herbalist in Chicago... we mix it with another great herb, and it killed my fibroids in 2010! I don't do it often, maybe once a month. I picked the leaves from a neighbors yard (she doesn't even use them)... had about 10 trees, and cut about 6 of them down
Beth Browne
6 years ago
What size do the leaves need to before you harvest them?