Earth Sciences > Herbs and Natural Remedies
The health benefits of Red Raspberry leaves and how to dry them
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thriftyjennie:
Hello! I'm new to this website and loving the atmosphere here. This is my very first topic, so bare with me.
I have no idea if I'm the only woman that visits this website or if there are others. If there are women reading this, please leave me a comment so I know I'm not alone here.
A few years ago I planted a red Raspberry bush that has grown like a weed, and that's okay because I use it non stop. I found an article that best describes the health benefits of red raspberry leaves for men and women, right here >
http://www.stammnutrition.com/?p=275
Now that You've read the article. I'm going to tell you how I dry my raspberry leaves and prepare my raspberry tea. There are many ways to dry herbs. I'm very OCD when it comes to food. I have to know where it came from and what's in it. The idea of just hanging herbs to dry, bugs me (pardon the pun). I've tried doing that but I kept wandering what bugs or cob webs were hanging on for dear life. And don't forget the dust that has collected from hanging for a week or so.
After I've gathered up the raspberry leaves, i put them in the sink to be washed. You can wash the leaves with white vinegar, baking soda, or organic soap. I have never heard of anybody using soap to wash their herbs, but I figure if it's organic and it's on the herbs for just a moment, then it won't hurt anybody.
I swish the leaves around some, knocking off any debris. While the water is running I clean each and every leaf and lay them on a towel to dry. Make sure to take off the stems. This will take a while. I fold the towel and gently press any moisture out of the leaves. I lay the leaves on one half of an open news paper. When you're done either fold the other half of the newspaper on top or lay another piece of newspaper over, and set aside.
in a weeks time your raspberry leaves should be completely dry. I blend my raspberry leaves up into tiny pieces with a blender, or you can use a mortar. Then put them in a jar and store away.
How I make the raspberry tea:
I boil water in a tea kettle. Remember to use 1 tablespoon spoon of raspberry leaves per 1 cup of water. I put the right amount of raspberry leaves into a jar and fill the rest with the piping hot water. I seal the lid on tight and let it sit. When the water is brown and cooled off some. You can then open the jar and filter the tea into a cup using a cheese cloth. Enjoy!
Amaterasu:
Welcome to Peggy, as We affectionately refer to this site as. Thanks for the great info on raspberries!
And BTW, I am female. [smile]
thriftyjennie:
Thanks Amaterasu!
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