The main secret of Ivan tea: this property of the traditional Russian drink makes it invaluable

Does Ivan tea really have no contraindications and what is its main peculiarity compared to other traditional herbal drinks? Andrey Korolev, doctor, nutritionist, specialist in healthy nutritionshared his opinion.

“Ivan tea is not a mushroom. And not exactly tea: traditional tea is made by infusing the leaves of the camellia sinensis bush. And Ivan-tea is fireweed, a perennial plant reaching two meters in height. height with purple flowers.In Europe, the plant is called “willow grass”: it grows in many countries with a temperate climate, not only in Russia.

Legends about Ivan’s tea somewhat exaggerate its meaning: in Russia, fireweed was most likely mixed with chamomile, mint and other herbs in medicinal decoctions, and they only began to cultivate on an industrial scale only in the 18th century in the village of Koporye (located on the territory of the present Leningrad region) . The reputation of the drink at first was not the best – Dahl even recorded in his dictionary the saying “Koporsky kroshevo and sour and cheap”.

Like other herbal drinks and fruit tea, Ivan-tea requires a more careful attitude – you should not consider it a miracle cure and drink it 5 times a day, eating sweets. Ivan-tea is contraindicated in case of thrombosis, varicose veins or allergies; with prolonged and excessive use, it can damage the digestive tract.

But on the other hand, in reasonable doses when used in the course, on the contrary, it treats stomach ulcers, eliminates constipation, improves sleep and acts as an analgesic. But the main thing that distinguishes Ivan-tea infusion from popular hot and refreshing drinks is that it does not contain caffeine at all. This means that it won’t repeat the invigorating effect of tea, coffee or cola, but it won’t overload the heart either.