Its sweet taste, its attractive yellow tone and its creamy pulp with an unmistakable aroma are a claim for the palate, but there is perhaps another reason why the banana has conquered the table of the 5 continents: it is so easy to peel and eat that it can be enjoyed anywhere, without the need for a napkin or knife.
The banana has many properties. One of the most notable is the ability it has to promote good rest, and this can be obtained by preparing a simple and delicious tea. Due to the large amount of potassium and magnesium it contains, the banana helps to relax the muscles, allowing your body to rest if it has any type of muscle tension.
Find out what it is and how to prepare banana tea .
What is banana tea?
Banana tea or banana tea is a natural fertilizer that we can make very easily at home. As the name suggests, it is made from banana, which is native to Australia. This tea is made by boiling a whole banana in hot water, then removing it and drinking the remaining liquid. It can be done with or without the shell, according to your preferences; however, preparing it with the peel can take longer due to its high fiber content.
Banana tea properties
When we eat banana, we are providing potassium, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, manganese and copper to our body (Cao et al., 2018). Due to the high amount of potassium and magnesium it has, it helps to relax the muscles, allowing your body to rest if it has any type of muscle tension. In addition, tryptophan has also been found, an amino acid that is important for producing the hormones that induce sleep: serotonin and melatonin (Fukushige et al., 2014).
However, each batch of this tea may contain varying amounts of nutrients due to differences in brewing method and brewing time.
Most people drink this banana infusion with a pinch of cinnamon or honey to enhance its flavor.
5 benefits of banana tea
Drinking banana tea is highly recommended for people suffering from insomnia, depression, chronic anxiety, low immunity, poor metabolic function, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and skin irritation; as well as for those recovering from a prolonged illness, surgery or injury.
These are the main benefits of banana tea that can promote your health.
1. Strengthens the immune system
The vitamin C and vitamin A in bananas help boost the immune system . Both vitamins act as antioxidants. Ascorbic acid stimulates the production of white blood cells; while vitamin A, directly related to the prevention of oxidative stress in the retina, prevents macular degeneration and the development of cataracts.
Additionally, bananas are naturally rich in water-soluble antioxidants, such as gallocatechin , which can help fight free radicals and prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease (Wang, Ouyang, Liu, & Zhao, 2014).
Although we have said that boiling the fruit with the peel can take longer, it can also add more benefits, since it has more antioxidants than meat.
2. Prevents swelling
Banana tea is rich in potassium, a mineral and electrolyte that is important for regulating fluid balance, healthy blood pressure, and muscle contractions (Campbell, 2009).
Another effect of potassium that you can enjoy with banana tea is reducing swelling. It plays a key role in fluid balance in cells and muscle contractions. Furthermore, combined with the water content of the tea, it also helps stimulate the kidneys to eliminate more sodium through the urine .
3. Promote sleep
Lack of sleep can increase beta-amyloid levels in the brain and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to the National Institutes of Health . This is why people drink tea not only to stay healthy, but to get a better night’s sleep.
Banana tea contains magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan, known to relax muscles or to produce hormones that induce sleep (Bravo et al., 2013). However, no studies have examined the effectiveness of banana tea as a sleep aid. Also, it is unknown to what extent these nutrients leach into the tea during brewing, making it difficult to know if the tea would have the same potential effects as eating a banana.
4. It is low in sugar
High-sugar beverages have long been linked to diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. Therefore, banana tea can be a healthy option to try to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks since you do not have to use additional sugar for the tea, since the fruit naturally releases small amounts of sugar as a sweetener during the preparation process ( Malik, Popkin, Bray, Després and Hu, 2010).
So opting for drinks without added sugar, like banana tea, can be an easy way to cut back on your sugar intake.
5. Promotes heart health
As a vasodilator, the potassium in banana tea not only regulates fluid balance in the body, but also reduces stress on the cardiovascular system by relieving stress on arteries and blood vessels (Aburto et al., 2013). In fact, a study in 90,137 women found that a diet rich in potassium was linked to a 27% decrease in the risk of stroke (Seth et al., 2014).
In addition, banana tea contains catechins , antioxidants that also contribute to a healthy heart.
How to prepare banana tea?
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- Half a liter of water
- Half cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon (optional)
Steps for preparation
- Wash the banana very well, because you will use it with the peel.
- Cut and separate the ends of the banana, then cut the rest into pieces of approximately 3 cm.
- Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Add the pieces and boil for 10 minutes, until cooked. Add the cinnamon stick in the middle of the process.
- Finally, let it warm up a bit and use a strainer to separate the tea from the fruit.
Take a cup of this infusion before going to bed and, in less than 10 minutes, you will feel how you relax and fall asleep soundly. On the other hand, you can reserve the cooked banana to have it for breakfast the next day.
References
- Aburto, NJ, Hanson, S., Gutierrez, H., Hooper, L., Elliott, P., Cappuccio, FP (2013). Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyzes. The BMJ. doi: 10.1136 / bmj.f1378
- Bravo, R., Matito. S., Cubero, J., Paredes, SD, Franco. L., Rivero, M., Rodríguez, AB and Barriga, C. (2013). Tryptophan-enriched cereal intake improves nocturnal sleep, melatonin, serotonin, and total antioxidant capacity levels and mood in elderly humans. Age . doi: 10.1007 / s11357-012-9419-5
- Campbell, I. (2009). Physiology of fluid balance. Anesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine. doi: 10.1016 / j.mpaic.2009.09.001
- Cao, Y., Zhen, S., Taylor, AW, Appleton, S., Atlantis, E. and Shi, Z. (2018). Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390 / nu10101354
- Fukushige, H., Fukuda, Y., Tanaka, M., Inami, K., Wada, K., Tsumura, Y… and Morita, T. (2014). Effects of tryptophan-rich breakfast and light exposure during the daytime on melatonin secretion at night. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. doi: 10.1186 / 1880-6805-33-33
- Malik, VS, Popkin, BM, Bray, GA, Després, JP and Hu, FB (2010). Sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease risk. Circulation . doi: 10.1161 / CIRCULATIONAHA.109.876185
- Seth, A., Mossavar-Rahmani, Y., Kamensky, V., Silver BLakshminarayan, K., Prentice, R., Van Horn, L. and Wassertheil-Smoller, S. (2014). Potassium intake and risk of stroke in women with hypertension and nonhypertension in the Women’s Health Initiative. Stroke. doi: 10.1161 / STROKEAHA.114.006046
- Wang, X., Ouyang, YY, Liu, J. and Zhao, G. (2014). Flavonoid intake and risk of CVD: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. British Journal of Nutrition. doi: 10.1017 / S000711451300278X
