111 Days of Herbal Tea - Day 53, Fig Leaf
Dear Gentle Reader,
Wolves, Rome, murder, and bread make up the history of this tea. Need I say more to lure you in? Promenade with me to collect the fig leaves from a tree so large that it resembles a small forest from afar.
We have a wolf to thank for the founding of the great city of Rome. According to Roman mythology, the twin babies, Remus and Romulus, drifted around the Tiber until their basket touched land by a Fig tree. Under that same tree, a wolf suckled the babies until they grew strong.
After founding Rome, Romulus killed Remus to keep the throne for himself. Much like his own father, King Amulius, had done when he ordered his twin babies killed (1).
Allow the myth to tint your tea, swirling around with the health benefits of fig leaf tea:
- Treat eczema
- Relieve constipation
- Regulate blood sugar levels
- Remove warts
- Stop diarrhea.
- Boost skin health
- Prevent excessive sweating
- Help with herpes
- Support the digestive system
- Regulate menstrual cycles
- Lower a fever
- Protect the heart
- Regulate blood pressure levels
- Prevent urinary tract diseases
- Clear the respiratory channels (2)
To sweeten your memory of the tea, pair your cup with a thick slice of rye bread, topped with melting goat cheese, fresh figs, and honey stripes. The fig leaf recipe to fill your cup is:
1 teaspoon of dried fig leaves
3 star anise
1 cup of water
- Bring water to a rolling boil
- Reduce heat to a simmer
- Simmer the fig leaves and star anise for 15 minutes
- Strain and serve warm
To intricate stories,
Valeria Paz
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Sources:
- Hansen, W. (2019). The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths (Reprint ed.). Princeton University Press.
- Mon, A. M., Shi, Y., Yang, X., Hein, P. P., Oo, T. N., Whitney, C. W., & Yang, Y. (2020). The uses of fig (Ficus) by five ethnic minority communities in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 16(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-020-00406-z
