The Health Benefits of Bay Leaf

5 Easy To Make Bay Leaf Tea Recipes at Home

Bay leaf needs no introduction. It is one of the 'must have' spices in every Indian kitchen and rightfully so. It is in its whole form as well as in the derived oil form is known to have a plethora of health benefits. Bay Leaf tea is one of the prominent beverages that is known to reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, help treat brain disorders, kidney stones as well as accelerate wound healing. 

Bay leaf or 'Tej Patta'(called in Hindi) adds flavour and aroma to most Indian dishes, like biryani, dal makhani, fish curries to name a few.

But bay leaf can also be used in making some of the potent great tea blends. It gives out a flavorful, soothing smell and a better taste to your tea. But apart from that, most people drink it as a natural health drink.

Why Should You Start Drinking Bay Leaf Tea?

There are several bay leaf tea benefits that make it a superb, naturally healthy choice for a beverage. Here are some of the prominent health benefits it has to offer.

1. Bay leaf contains anti-inflammatory agents. Drinking bay leaf tea can help relieve pain such as sprain, joint pains or even arthritis. Study also shows that it helps fight diabetes.
2. Drinking bay leave tea helps prevent many common ailments like cold, cough and flu.
3. Bay leaf tea can relax the body. It reduces blood pressure, improve blood circulation and decreases cholesterol levels.
4. Bay leaf tea can sooth your digestive track. It helps you avoid constipation and other digestive disorders.
5. If you have been looking for ways to lose weight, drink a glass of bay leaf tea twice a day. Bay leaf tea accelerates body metabolism and helps promote weight loss.

5 Different Ways You Can Make Your Own Bay Leaf Tea at Home

Let me start with India’s favorite ‘Tej patta chai’.

1. Tej patta chai:

We Indians love ‘tej patta chai’. It is also called ‘Masala chai’ because of its strong, spicy taste. This is one of our go-to beverages as part of our morning and evening tea routines as well as during the rainy and winter months. You may think, why the rainy and winter season? Well, it is one of the most potent concoctions in the world to keep the symptoms of common cold, cough, and sore throat bay.

Benefits of Tej Patta Chai for Weight Loss

One of the most prominent benefits of tej patta chai is its ability to promote weight loss. Bay leaf is known to possess enzymes which are extremely beneficial in breaking down protein and speeding up digestion. It is also known to help reduce cholesterol and improve bowel movements. It is also believed that having bay leaf or tej patta chai helps your body feel full so that you cut down on unnecessary snacking, which is one of the main culprits for gaining weight.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:

1. 4-5 cups water
2. 1-2 teaspoon of black tea leaves
3. 1-2 dried bay leaves
4.  2 slices of ginger
5. Sugar to taste
6. 2 cups of milk

How to prepare tej patta chai:

Follow the steps below:

1. Heat water in a container and bring it to boil.
2. Add the black tea leaves and continue boiling for 4-5 mins.
3. Add ginger slices and bay leaves to the mixture.
4. Add milk and keep boiling for 3-4 mins.

Your tej patta chai is now ready.

Take it off your stove or heater. Strain it using a sieve. Pour into a cup and add sugar for sweetness.

That’s it. Enjoy every sip of this refreshing bay leaf tea.

If you do not like milk, you can follow the same steps (from 1-3). You may add sugar, if you like, and enjoy.

2. Pure bay leaf tea:

Pure bay leaf tea or bay leaf water, as some people call it, is highly beneficial for health. This tea is sweeter than water and gives a relaxing effect on the body. It is indeed one of the prominent bay leaf tea uses & facts. 

1. 2-3 cups water
2. 4-5 bay leaves

STEPS TO MAKE PURE BAY LEAF TEA:

1. If you have fresh bay leaves then you take 3-4 bay leaves and cut them in small pieces.
   If you do not have fresh bay leaves then you can use the dried bay leaves.
2. Pour water in a vessel and boil it.
3. Add the bay leaves to it.
4. Steep it overnight.
5. Strain the water and pour into a cup.

Enjoy this refreshing drink first thing in the morning. You can have 2-3 cups during the day.

3. Bay leaf cinnamon tea:

This tea is a natural health drink that also helps promotes healthy weight loss.

Here are some of the key cinnamon and bay leaf tea benefits.

Apart from accentuating the taste, aroma, and texture of soups, and savouries, bay leaf when consumed in the form of tea can be beneficial in your weight loss regimen too. The antioxidant, anti-fungal, and other health-aiding properties of the bay leaf when combined with the goodness of cinnamon play a pivotal role in burning fat effectively, and also preventing the accumulation of fat in the body too. Besides, bay leaves are also known to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, promote urination, which can eliminate the body’s toxin content, and this enhances the body’s nutrient absorption capacity too. Several studies have even cited that bay leaf can help improve the body's healthy sugar levels, lower LDL and improve HDL cholesterol, which, in turn, aids in weight management optimally.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

1. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
2. 2-3 bay leaves
3. honey
4. 3-4 cups of water

HOW TO PREPARE BAY LEAF WITH CINNAMON TEA:

1. Boil water in a container.
2. Add a pinch of cinnamon powder and the bay leaves and boil for 5 mins.
3. Strain the water.
4. Add honey for taste.

Let it cool and pour your tea in a cup.

4. Bay leaf tea with other spices:

This is another type of ‘Masala chai’ but without milk. Add bay leaves with other spices that you can find in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

1. 2-3 bay leaves
2. 1 cinnamon bark or 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3. 2 slices of ginger or 1 teaspoon of ginger powder
4. 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric
5. 3-4 black pepper balls
6. honey or sugar

How to prepare:

1. Boil 3-4 cups of water in a container.
2. Add all the spices – a pinch of cinnamon, ginger slices, bay leaves, turmeric and pepper.
3. Steep it for 15 mins.
4. Strain the water.
5. If you like, add honey or any sweetener.

Let it cool and pour your tea in a cup.

5. Bay leaf with green tea:

Do you love green tea? The next time you drink green tea, add bay leaves to it and enjoy the added benefits.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 3-4 cups of water
2. 1 teaspoon of green tea
3. 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
4. 1-2 bay leaves

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. Boil the water.
2. Add green tea, cinnamon and bay leaves to it.
3. Steep it for 15 mins.
4. Strain the water, let it cool and it's ready to drink.

Try out these five recipes at home and enjoy the health benefits of bay leaf tea.

Do you make other bay leaf tea recipes?

Tell us about it. We would love to hear your comments below.