Recipe
Biwa-cha — loquat leaf tea
- Herb:
- Loquat Eriobotrya japonica
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 20 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Crumble dried leaves (brushed, without the felty coating) and put 2 tablespoons into a pan with 500 ml of water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes on a low flame.
- Strain through a fine sieve so no leaf hairs pass.
- Drink warm; in Japan it is also drunk chilled through summer.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 2 polévkové lžíce sušeného nakrájeného listu na 500 ml
- Solvent:
- voda, mírný var 10 minut (odvar), pokličkou
- Shelf life:
- 1 den v lednici
- Target compounds:
- triterpeny (kyselina ursolová), flavonoidy a třísloviny; odvar je hnědočervený a lehce svíravý
Notes
A traditional Japanese and Chinese drink with no known particular risks in ordinary amounts; use leaves only, never seeds or kernels (amygdalin). Brush the felty underside off before drying, the hairs irritate the throat.
Why it works
The decoction draws triterpenes and flavonoids from the leaf; loquat leaf (pipa ye) is traditionally used for cough and phlegm in Chinese materia medica, and Liu's review summarises laboratory anti-inflammatory data behind it. Human clinical evidence is lacking.
Literature
- Liu Y, Zhang W, Xu C, Li X (2016): Biological Activities of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): A Review. Int J Mol Sci 17(12):1983 — Přehled složení listu a plodu a laboratorních dat; tradiční použití listu při kašli.
Related
Loquat — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail