Thanks to this challenge, I was able to discover a lot of teas that I did not plan about. I took advantage of being in Turkey during Covid-19 times, and I tried many herbal teas that I did not even know that they existed. Mallow blossom tea is certainly one of them. I’ve heard its name because I ate it before. Sorry, I mean the same plant is also cooked as a dish almost like spinach. I was not aware that its flowers were sold as herbal tea.
According to the European Medicine Agency report I found, there is evidence of the use of Malva sylvestris for the past thousand years in Europe. The remains of this plant amongst the other medicinal plants have been found through archaeological research among the oldest Central European inhabitants-living in Lower Saxony more than 6000 years ago (Dieck 1985).
Currently, mallow tea is used in medical practice in the treatment of inflammatory conditions in the mouth and throat. Furthermore, in the form of lotion, it is also used to cure cuts, wounds and skin burns. Different countries adopted the use of mallow plant for different purposes, however, there are some overlaps. For instance, both in Turkey and Sicily, it is used in folk medicine and believed to ease toothache and improve dental health.
I also enjoyed its taste. It was quite mellow with a subtle tartness. Almost like the taste of hibiscus. It was also surprising to see that beautiful purple colour disappeared from the flowers after infusion. Only the first infusion gave a very faint turquoise colour which was surprising. The rest of the infusions yielded a tea liquid which was light yellow.
Overall, happy to discover yet another enjoyable tisane. Also, it is interesting to eat a plant, infuse its flowers and drink it as a tea.
Tea Profile:
Type: Tisane (non-tea)
Origin: Turkey
Harvest time: 2020
Leave colour: Purple flowers with green sepals
Liquor colour: Faint teal for the first infusion, light yellow for the rest
Tea aroma: Floral
Tea taste: Mellow with slight tartness and floral notes
Steeping/brewing: Infuse about 3 gr of dry leaves in 100°C water for about 3 minutes.
Shelf life: Up to 2 years (the freshest the better)
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