In the middle of summer, leaving the city, you can see how every now and then along the road among the greenery clouds of lilac fog flash, thickets of blooming willow-tea. This flower is well-known, it has many names: a firefighter, a kokornik, it is also a narrow-leaved fireweed, a down jacket, etc. His fame as a noble doctor is great among the people.
Fireweed angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous plant, the flowering period is from June to August, depending on the place of growth and weather conditions. The flowers are small, in colors from pink to lilac, collected in a brush at the top of the plant, narrow pointed green leaves extend from the trunk. Under favorable conditions, fireweed can reach a length of up to two meters.
From the history
It is difficult to answer the question of when exactly they began to collect the coporn. One of the first mentions in history refers to the reign of Alexander Yaroslavich (Nevsky). In 1240, the prince liberated the fortress of Koporye from the Swedes, and grateful local residents treated the savior with a healing decoction, which gave him courage and strength. Kopornik tea was used everywhere and was well known far beyond the borders of Rus'. Even in Tsarist Russia, profitability from tea exports was in third place after rhubarb and hemp. Ivan-chai could not stand the competition and, in part, was undeservedly forgotten, but now the situation is changing. Many people return to their roots and traditions, make a choice in favor of natural products, and, therefore, health and longevity.
The benefits of Ivan - tea
Studies by scientists have shown that narrow-leaved fireweed contains many useful substances, namely up to 2/3 of the entire periodic table of chemical elements. In addition, kokornik absolutely does not contain caffeine, which is rich in tea and coffee, thus it does not have a stimulating effect on the body. On the contrary, it has a sedative effect, soothes and relaxes.
It is not surprising that such a unique plant has a wide range of applications in traditional medicine:
- A cup of Koporye tea helps to fall asleep with insomnia.
- Ivan tea is a good anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent.
- Regular consumption of tea normalizes hemoglobin.
- Indicated for use in male diseases, improves the function of the prostate gland.
- Fireweed decoctions have a beneficial effect on problem skin, nourish the hair roots.
- Ivan - tea helps with food poisoning, effectively removing toxins and toxins from the body.
And this is not a complete list of the use of this wonderful perennial.
Collection
Gather Ivan - tea during the flowering period, until the formation of seeds, as the white fluff flying everywhere degrades the quality of the collected raw materials. Leaves and flowers are collected and dried separately. The collection of leaves must be carried out in warm, dry weather, for this they choose healthy, disease-free plants. You can pinch off a leaf, hold the stem with one hand, and with a directed movement with the other, remove all the leaves from it or cut off the upper part of the plant (about 2/3 of the above-ground part) and do it in a comfortable environment.
The end result will be exactly the same. Do not forget that the plant is a perennial. No need to pull it out of the ground with roots and pluck everything to the last leaf, Ivan-tea will die, and next year you will have to look for another place to collect it.
Drying and fermentation
Ivan - tea is scattered in a thin layer on paper or fabric in a place protected from light. The flower mass is periodically stirred so that it does not cake and does not rot, until it dries completely. You should never spread medicinal raw materials on newspapers, as you can get herbs with a taste of printing inks. The leaves, if necessary, are washed with water and laid out to dry, repeating the same operations as when drying flowers. So, most of them are usually harvested for the winter. 
medicinal plants, but real Koporye tea cannot be prepared from raw materials prepared in this way.
So, how to dry Ivan tea? To preserve most of the beneficial properties, fireweed leaves should be subjected to a fermentation process. It is worth spending 2-3 days and you can provide yourself and your loved ones with Koporye tea until the new harvest. The secret is that the leaves are not dried to a crunch, but only slightly dried in the shade, then twisted. You can twist each leaf with the movement of your palms or scroll all the raw materials at once through a meat grinder with large holes, this will not significantly affect the final taste of the drink. Fermentation itself is the process of fermentation. We put the twisted leaves in a container (glass, ceramics, enameled dishes) and put them under pressure in a warm, but not hot place for 12-30 hours. During fermentation, the raw material acquires a pleasant smell characteristic of the final product.
The taste and color of the future drink depends on the degree of fermentation:
- With light fermentation (up to 6 hours), the tea taste will be light and delicate, the color is not saturated.
- During fermentation from 6 to 18 hours, the taste of tea will be pronounced with a slight sourness.
- With deep fermentation for more than 18 - 20 hours, the taste of Ivan - tea will be tart, and the aroma will be pronounced.
You should not get too carried away with the fermentation process, otherwise the raw materials may become moldy and nullify all efforts.
Fermented Ivan - tea must be dried. To do this, you can use any method that is most accessible to you: in the oven, dryer, oven, etc. The average temperature during drying should not exceed 50-60 degrees, otherwise the tea may burn out. Fermented raw materials must be monitored, periodically turning, shaking and stirring so that it dries evenly. The main thing is not to overdry. Ready tea is stored in closed vessels in a dark, dry place.
Before brewing, you can add flower petals, dried fruits and other components to Ivan tea, creating your own unique blend. Happy tea.