Amaranth Leaf Tea

Description

Perhaps you’re familiar with Amaranth flour. It’s becoming increasingly popular because of its high nutritional value. Most people, though, are not aware that the leaves and also the flowers of the Amaranth plant also contain high levels of essential nutrients. The leaves, for instance, are a great source of minerals, vitamins (especially vitamin K), antioxidants, and other phytonutrients. A good listing of these can be found here (so you don’t have to take our word for it). Of course, we cannot endorse any unsubstantiated health claims. If you are susceptible to oxalate kidney stones, or if you’re on a drug like Warfarin, check with your doctor first, because the leaves do contain oxalates, and the vitamin K can interfere with Warfarin.

We harvest the leaves and freeze dry them. Freeze drying allows us to remove all of the moisture without using heat (as in dehydrating) which can destroy some of the nutrients. Once they’re dry, you can enjoy them all year round rather than just when they’re fresh from the garden. After freeze drying, we crush them initially into a small size that can be used as an herbal tea. You can use this “tea” to make a nutritious, cozy, warm (or cold!) infusion, just like you would use any loose-leaf tea. And this herbal tea is caffeine free, so you can enjoy it day or night. Like any tea, the experience can be boosted with the addition of a touch of lemon zest, cinnamon, honey, or other flavor enhancers.

If you’d like to have this nutrition to add to green smoothies, baked goods, soups, or stews, check out our Amaranth leaf powder.