Herbal tea, called Boldo tea, is derived from the leaves of the Boldo tree in South America. The benefits of boldo tea may outweigh any adverse effects you may experience when using it to treat digestive disorders, constipation, headaches, and other ailments. This also reduces anxiety, increases bile flow, and kills bacteria by increasing urine flow.
Interestingly, fossilized boldo leaves have been found in Chile dating back over 13000 years. Fossils from Boldo are inscribed with imprints of human teeth, indicating it was used as a food source or medicine for a long time.
What Is Boldo Tea?
Blond shrubs, such as Boldo (Peumus boldus), are native to Chile, particularly the Andes Mountains. However, the tree is also commonly found in Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, and Morocco.
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Boldo leaves are eaten for health reasons more often than the bark. Therefore, Boldo tea is not typically consumed regularly. Then again, some sources advocate diluting boldo tea with yerba mate to use it as a daily drink to prevent disease. Yerba mate, also known as mate, is rumored to be a cancer-prevention and weight loss herb.
How to prepare Boldo Tea?
Various health food stores and online retailers sell Boldo herbal tea bags. Using a high-quality tea bag and hot water is the easiest and fastest way to make boldo tea at home. You may, however, purchase dried boldo tea leaves for preparing the beverage and steep them.
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How to Make Boldo Tea at Home?
- In the bottom of each teacup, arrange one or two tablespoons of crushed, dried boldo leaves.
- Bring the water to 90-95 degrees Celsius or 194-205 degrees Fahrenheit. You can let the water simmer for a minute to reduce the temperature.
- Pour 8oz/240ml of water over the tea leaves. If you don’t have a temperature-controlled teapot, you
- The tea leaves should steep for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your preference
- Pour the tea into a cup and strain the loose leaves before drinking
- Alternatively, you can use whole boldo leaves and cook them on the stovetop. Pour a small amount of water into a saucepan, then add 2-3 leaves. Let boil, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Take a sip after a few minutes of cooling.
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Boldo tea is caffeine free -
It’s not tea in the traditional sense. Boldo tea is an herbal tea. Unlike black or green tea, it does not come from the Camellia sinensis plant. To produce it, only the boldo tree is used, which does not contain any caffeine. Thus, boldo tea does not contain any caffeine.
You will get a caffeine boost from boldo tea if you mix it with black tea, white tea, or green tea, as is often recommended.
Boldo Tea Benefits
Boldo tea is rumored to have many health benefits. Herbal drinks are generally credited with antioxidants for livers, causing gallstones to fall out and improving gallbladder health. But there are also other recommended conditions for this drink, including:
- Having an upset stomach
- Rheumatism/achy joints
- Cystitis
- Liver disease
- Gonorrhea
- Fluid retention
- Sleep problems
- Anxiety
- Constipation
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Side Effects
The use of boldo may be contraindicated for medicinal purposes as well.
While boldo is generally recognized as safe for consumption by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency advises that small amounts should be consumed as part of a balanced diet.
Foliage from Boldo trees contains ascaridole, an oil that is toxic to the liver, also known as an essential oil. Therefore, Boldo should be taken as a health treatment only when free of ascaridole, according to many health sources. Furthermore, boldo can cause rashes when applied directly to the skin.
Boldo consumption may also increase your risk of certain side effects, especially if you take certain medications. These are just some of the concerns spoken about by medical sources:
- Boldo may pose a risk to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
- Patients with blocked bile ducts, inflamed ducts, liver disease, or gallstones may be at risk when taking Boldo.
- It is not recommended to take Boldo with alcohol.
- During the two weeks leading up to surgery, Boldo should not be consumed.
- The use of Boldo may be hazardous for people taking lithium.
- In addition to Tylenol, Diflucan, Zocor, and several other medications that can harm the liver, Boldo should not be consumed.
- The combination of Boldo and medications that slow blood clotting (Advil, Motrin, warfarin, etc.) is not recommended.
If you are taking medication or are trying to treat a medical condition, you should consult your doctor before consuming boldo tea. It could interact with your drug and interfere with your treatment or management.