This spring I went to a mocktail event at the Thyme Herbal Apothecary in Worcester. They taught us to make all kinds of delicious, healthy, and beautiful mocktails with different herbs. The star of the show in my opinion was the Butterfly Pea Tea because of its dazzling blue hue (although sometimes it’s a gorgeous purple like in the picture). As a nutritionist, I know that those natural blue and purple pigments are extremely healthy and not that easy to come by, so I promptly bought a package of the dried Butterfly Pea flowers to brew up at home.
Right around the same time, one of my friends started drinking it daily as well. Then the magic started to happen. Within one month, we both noticed a notable lack of interest in sugar. Cravings had just vanished. My friend had been eating sugar throughout the day so this was a minor miracle for her. Then, one month after that, she showed up looking like a new person. She had lost 25 lbs and was feeling so light and joyful, like “a deer prancing in the woods” as she described! A week after that, her routine bloodwork confirmed that she is no longer prediabetic. Yet another bonus – we both notice that our hair has become thicker and healthier.
It’s incredible that the only thing either of us did differently was to start drinking Butterfly Pea Tea every day. How have I not known about this tea until now?
The Science
- The scientific, Latin name of Butterfly Pea tea is Clitoria Ternatea.
- The rich hue in butterfly pea tea is due to a class of antioxidants called anthocyanins which have numerous health benefits.
- One published review reports that Butterfly Pea has “diuretic, nootropic, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antidiabetic, antilipidemic, anti-arthritic, antioxidant, and wound healing properties.”
A Few Tips
- You can get Butterfly Pea Tea from Thyme Herbal Apothecary or Mountain Rose Herbs. If you choose another supplier, just be sure that the flowers are organic.
- We make ta big batch of the tea once a week by adding about a half cup of the dried flowers to a saucepan of water, letting it simmer for 10 minutes, and then letting it sit for a while, even overnight. Once cooled, we strain it into a bottle and store it in the fridge.
- The tea has a unique earthy flavor subtly reminiscent of edamame.
- My friend puts a little organic lemonade into her tea (which is delicious). I like it plain or mixed with other herbs (lavender is especially good). I’ve started adding a squeeze of fresh lemon because it tastes great and also may enhance the bioavailability of the nutrients.
- Don’t ruin your tea by adding artificial sweeteners!
- Have a cup every day and see what happens in a month or two.
I hope that you also have amazing results from your Butterfly Pea experiment. Please let me know how it goes!
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