Egyptian yellow tea and its properties. Yellow tea from Egypt - properties, benefits and uses of Helba tea. Useful properties and contraindications

Nowadays there is a huge variety of teas and tea drinks, among them helba yellow tea. In this article we will tell you about its beneficial properties, contraindications, recipes for preparation and use.

What is helba tea

It would be more correct to call yellow tea from Egypt a tea drink, since it is prepared not from tea leaves, but from fenugreek seeds. And it is called yellow not because of its peculiarities of the fermentation process, as is customary in the classification of tea, but because of the color of the resulting broth.

Egypt is considered the birthplace of yellow tea, but the plant itself, from which the drink is prepared, is found far beyond the borders of this country. The helba plant, due to its ubiquitous growth, has many other names:

fenugreek;
chaman;
camel hay;
hilba;
goat greek shamrock;
blue sweet clover;
Greek fenugreek;
cocked hat;
hay fenugreek;

Egypt is considered the birthplace of tea made from fenugreek seeds, the Egyptians are very fond of drinking helba and its use has already become a tradition in this country.

Compound

Egyptian helba tea contains many useful elements necessary for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Fenugreek contains:

vegetable proteins;
trace elements;
macronutrients;
flavonoids;
fats;
fatty acid;
amino acid;
vitamin complex;
polysaccharides;
phytoestrogen;
hydroxycinnamic acid.

As micro- and macroelements in Egyptian tea are present - selenium, zinc, calcium, magnesium. Phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium are registered.

100 g of helba contains:

10 grams of fiber;

59 grams of healthy carbohydrates;

23 grams of protein;

6.5 grams of fat;

323 kcal.

Egyptian helba tea also contains oxycinnamic and phenolic acids, coumarin, enzymes, binding properties, phytosterol, saponin of steroid origin, essential oil, glycosides, carotenoids.

Beneficial features

Yellow tea from Egypt helps in the treatment and prevention of the following diseases:

respiratory diseases;
hyperthermia of the body;
diseases of the digestive system;
gynecological pathologies;
painful periods;
menopause;
deficiency of lactation;
impotence;
joint diseases;
pathology of the genitourinary system;
diseases of the nervous system.

The beneficial properties of helba tea do not end there. The broth reduces the level of the inflammatory process, removes toxins, acts as an expectorant.

If you brew a helba for a cold, then aches are eliminated, hyperthermia of the body decreases, and immunity is strengthened.

It is recommended to use yellow tea for disorders of the digestive system - an enveloping of the gastric walls is created, the functioning of the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder improves. You can brew Egyptian tea to cleanse the intestinal microflora, increase metabolism, and remove helminths.

It is allowed to use a drink from fenugreek for gynecological pathological processes, to restore hormonal levels, to provide a restorative effect during polycystic disease, mastopathy, fibroids.

During painful periods, helba tea can also help women, however, one should be careful because there is a risk of bleeding. If Egyptian tea is brewed during menopause, the hormonal ebb and flow levels will stabilize.

During breastfeeding, the quality and volume of milk improves. Reduces pain in arthritis, gout, polyarthritis - exacerbation is removed.

Helba is brewed for nervous overstrain, stress, overwork, depression. Among other things, many women drink Egyptian tea for weight loss, and for men it is a means of getting rid of impotence, improves the motility of the prostate gland.

Contraindications

Despite the enormous benefits for the body, helba seeds can be harmful in certain situations. Egyptian yellow tea is not recommended for pregnant women, as it can provoke bleeding and termination of pregnancy. Despite the ban on the use of helba during pregnancy, the seeds of the plant are useful for lactation, but the doctor must calculate the required dose.

You should also minimize the use of the decoction, or not drink at all, for patients with chronic bleeding. It is recommended to refrain from drinking fenugreek for people with diabetes.

Among other things, drinking Egyptian tea in the evening can cause sleep disturbances - insomnia. With caution, and only after medical advice, it is recommended to brew and drink Egyptian tea for people with diseases of the digestive system, as symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may appear.

How to brew and drink helba tea

Egyptian yellow tea is suitable for daily consumption. The technology for making a drink from fenugreek is somewhat different from making ordinary tea, but figuring out how to brew helba tea correctly is not difficult.

The classic recipe for making tea from helba is as follows:

Dry the washed seeds for 2 days, then fry and grind.
Pour water into the container at the rate of 200 ml per 5 g of seeds.
Bring the liquid to a boil and add the seeds to it.
Cook for 5 minutes, then let the broth brew.

In order for the broth to contain the maximum amount of useful elements, you can pre-soak helba seeds in water for 2-3 hours, and then boil them in this water.

Egyptian yellow tea can be prepared to treat coughs and relieve colds. To do this, add helba seeds (1 tbsp. L.), Figs, dates to 200 ml of water. The drink is brewed for 7 minutes, cooled down, sweetened with honey or sugar. You can use half a glass three times a day.

Prescription for the treatment of tonsillitis: take 2 tbsp for 500 ml of water. l. fenugreek seeds. Boil for 30 minutes, then leave for a quarter of an hour and drain. Gargle with the resulting broth several times a day.

For the prevention and treatment of impotence men are advised to drink helba yellow tea with milk.

To lower blood sugar you can take 1 tbsp. l. Helba seeds in 200 ml of water, bring to a boil and insist. It is recommended to be consumed in the morning along with stevia broth.

To cleanse the intestines you can take dill and fenugreek seeds, aloe, juniper fruits. The mixture is cooked for several minutes, then infused. It is better to drink the broth at night, 100 ml at a time.

The shelf life of helba seeds is usually about a year, subject to storage conditions. They must be protected from moisture and direct sunlight. It is better to store helba tea in an airtight package to protect it from absorbing foreign odors.

Almost everyone who has ever been to Egypt has tried Egyptian yellow tea (or helba, as the Egyptians call it). Many, having tasted it, even buy it with them to enjoy this delicious aromatic exotic at home. But at home they suddenly face a problem how to make Egyptian yellow tea ... After all, if you brew such tea as usual, then you will not be able to get that yellow aromatic drink that was enjoyed in Egypt. Because Egyptian yellow tea is not tea at all.

What is Egyptian yellow tea in reality

In fact, Egyptian yellow tea is not tea at all. These are the seeds of the fenugreek plant, which look more like unusual buckwheat than tea leaves. Nevertheless, this yellow drink also has a very beneficial effect on the body and is recommended for female and male diseases, colds, skin, kidney, liver problems, and also as a working remedy (in Egypt, at least). The main hitch is just how to brew Egyptian yellow tea properly.

How to brew Egyptian yellow tea in the traditional way

Before brewing Egyptian yellow tea, it is advisable to rinse it with cold water, put it on a clean towel or paper and dry for 2 days.
Washed and dried Egyptian yellow tea is poured into a scoop or small saucepan at the same rate as usual - a teaspoon for each planned glass of drink.
Then pour the helba, bring to a boil. After that, cook over low heat (or, you can say, brew) for 7-15 minutes. The brewing time depends on the taste: you can brew both stronger and weaker - this is a matter of personal preferences, which you yourself will discover after several experiments on how exactly you should brew Egyptian tea.

Here, in fact, are all the tricks on how to brew Egyptian yellow tea correctly: now you can pour it into mugs (to cool down faster - they drink helba warm) and enjoy the aroma, beneficial properties and beautiful yellow color. Although you can brew helba in the same way as was customary in ancient Egypt.

How to make Egyptian yellow tea in ancient Egyptian style

The ancient Egyptian way of brewing Egyptian yellow tea is the same as usual. Except for one detail - fenugreek seeds are boiled not in water, but in milk. Egyptians (both ancient and modern) argue that helba brewed in this way becomes even more effective (especially with women and) and tastier. Whether this is true or not, you can find out only by drinking Egyptian tea, brewed in one way or another.

How to drink Egyptian yellow tea properly

You can drink brewed yellow Egyptian tea in the same way as regular and any tea:

with sugar,
honey
lemon
cinnamon
ginger.

The properties of yellow Egyptian tea will not decrease from such additives - a hot helba will still successfully warm, and a cool one will no less successfully quench one's thirst. And if you make the tea completely Egyptian and throw a handful of dates into it when brewing, then the helba will acquire not only a completely exotic taste, but also effectively wash out the kidneys.

Egyptian yellow tea - life after brewing

Although after brewing Egyptian yellow tea has already given all the best to people, still a lot of useful things still remain in it. Therefore, the tea leaves remaining after drinking helba can be safely eaten, for example, with honey, or added to dishes during cooking - to give a mushroom flavor, as it were. Or it can be used as a face mask - the Egyptians swear that Neferiti was the only one who used it.

And the last thing: if you drink Helba for a long time and persistently, then regardless of how you brew yellow Egyptian tea, your body will still acquire the bitter aroma of a walnut. Therefore, as you brew your next cup of this aromatic yellow drink, think if you would like to smell like this tea, and how many Egyptian men and women smell. If not, remember that moderation is the main friend of happiness and health, and listen to the controversial representative of the Egyptian travel industry in the video below. Be healthy!

1 Yellow tea: discovering new feelings
2 Fenugreek - a wonder of African nature
3 And what is the use?
4 Contraindications
5 Preparing yellow tea the right way

Egyptian helba yellow tea is so different from teas familiar from childhood. Its taste and aroma cannot be confused with anything! But is this drink useful only by external qualities and can it harm health? What is the use of it in medicine? Let's find out the correct recipe for making yellow tea at home.

Yellow tea: discovering new feelings

It is difficult to surprise a modern person with something. This is especially true of his gastronomic preferences. But Egyptian helba tea will be a discovery even for experienced connoisseurs. Yellow teas are also produced in China, but helba is a drink of a completely different quality. This drink is not made from leaves, as we are used to, but from the seeds of a plant. The inhabitants of Egypt are very fond of drinking such tea and will certainly treat the guests of their ancient country to it.

The taste of yellow tea is difficult to compare with something already familiar. There are vanilla, nutty, even chocolate notes in it. And all the familiar flavors in helba feel as if they were rediscovered. Some people take time to get used to new sensations.

Fenugreek - a wonder of African nature

We have already mentioned that helba and tea cannot be called in the literal sense of the word. Fenugreek seeds are used to make this drink. This plant grows not only in Egypt, but also in many other countries. However, only in the ancient homeland of the pharaohs it is used in this form. There are many names for fenugreek. It is also called shambhala, camel grass and even goat shamrock.

Fenugreek is mentioned in the ancient works of Hippocrates, Avicenna and Chinese medieval scholars wrote about it. Now it is well studied by both doctors and biologists. It is an annual plant up to 70 cm high. The leaves and fruits have a pronounced odor due to the high coumarin content. Fenugreek fruits resemble the familiar beans in appearance. They ripen in large pods.

The seeds of Shambhala themselves are rich in various elements useful for the human body. It includes:

protein;
selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium - micro- and macroelements useful for our body;
polyunsaturated fatty acids;
amino acids;
flavonoids;
a huge variety of vitamins - A, C, B4, B9, B1, B2, B3;
cellulose, pectins, starch;
phytoesterone diosgenin - an analogue of progesterone (a female hormone produced by the ovaries) in plant organisms;
tannins;
enzymes;
essential oil;
hydroxycinnamic acids and many other substances.

And what is the use?

Egyptians value yellow tea not for its extraordinary taste. They got used to it for a long time! The main treasure of such a drink is its healing properties. Among the people, Helba is surrounded by some semi-mythical facts, but doctors have their own data on its benefits.

Fenugreek seeds have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antipyretic effects. For some diseases, it is yellow tea that will be useful more than other remedies.

For diseases of the respiratory system (bronchitis, tuberculosis and pneumonia) as an adjuvant. Helba helps the expectoration process, relieves inflammation and removes harmful toxins from the body.
In case of a cold, tea will lower the temperature and help you soon return to your usual rhythm of life.
With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Unlike many other teas, Helba does not irritate the gastric mucosa, but, on the contrary, gently envelops it and creates a strong protective layer. Fenugreek improves the functioning of the liver and gallbladder, suppresses pathogens. This drink stimulates the regeneration of the walls of the stomach and expels worms from the body.
For specific female problems. In this case, the plant analogue of progesterone, phytoesterone diosgenin, acts. Helba, in combination with traditional drugs, will cope with polycystic and ovarian cysts, mastopathy and even female infertility. This tea should not be drunk during menstruation! It will provoke increased bleeding. However, regular use on other days of the cycle will help to cope with painful sensations in the first days of menstruation.
With menopause, yellow tea reduces the unpleasant symptoms of this period.
When breastfeeding - Helba increases the amount of breast milk.
With low libido and other sexual disorders.
For diseases of the excretory system. The drink has bactericidal properties and promotes the destruction of kidney stones.
With chronic fatigue, memory disorders, decreased concentration, depression.

Contraindications

Fenugreek is considered a very useful plant for women. But if you have an increased level of progesterone or prolactin, you do not need to drink helba. This will only worsen the problem.
Pregnant women are allowed to drink Egyptian yellow tea only in the last month. Fenugreek easily tones the uterus, and this in most cases threatens a miscarriage. But before giving birth, such an action of the helba will not hurt. The process will be easier and faster for the woman in labor.
Contraindications also include problems with the thyroid gland, insulin-dependent diabetes. Fenugreek cannot be combined with the use of plantain and foxglove.

Egyptian yellow tea (also called helba) is considered one of the most unusual and healthy drinks in the world. It is produced from the fenugreek plant, but not from the leaves, like other varieties, but from the seeds. This tea is widespread in Egypt: here it is used not just as a fragrant drink, but as a medicine for eliminating and preventing many diseases, as well as a means for losing weight. Yellow tea, about the benefits and dangers of which there has been a lot of controversy among scientists, is very effective if brewed and drunk correctly.

Benefit

Nutritionists recommend including Egyptian yellow tea in your weight loss menu. The drink has diuretic and laxative properties, due to which the body gets rid of undigested food residues and toxins, which helps to reduce body weight. In addition, helba has the ability to reduce appetite. The process of losing weight will be easier and faster if you drink 200 ml of Egyptian tea every morning and then do not eat for 3 hours.

What other beneficial properties for the body does helba tea have? This magic drink is used in the following cases.

With diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The composition of fenugreek seeds allows you to restore the disturbed intestinal microflora, normalize the activity of the pancreas, heal ulcers and postoperative scars. After drinking tea, the stomach is covered with a very thin mucous layer, which protects the organ from the effects of rough or unusual food.
For colds and respiratory diseases. Helba liquefies phlegm and promotes its rapid elimination from the body. The drink has a general tonic effect, lowers body temperature, and soothes in case of fever.
For the prevention of atherosclerosis, for the normalization of metabolism. Tea contains a complex of substances that can reduce the content of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
For the prevention of anemia. Fenugreek seeds are rich in iron, which increases the production of hemoglobin, which normalizes the transfer of oxygen by erythrocytes to tissues from the lungs and prevents oxygen starvation.
For joint diseases. Fenugreek has the ability to repair inter-articular tissue. In addition, it is rich in calcium, without which the normal state of the skeletal system is impossible.
For the prevention and treatment of female diseases, during menstruation that is difficult to bear. The drink has the unique ability to tidy up the hormonal balance in the body. In the treatment of some diseases of the female genital area, douching with a strong infusion of fenugreek is used (in agreement with the doctor).
To increase potency, enhance sex drive. Sprouted fenugreek beans are brewed with milk and drunk daily on an empty stomach.
In order to increase the flow of milk during breastfeeding. Experts call helba the strongest natural stimulant of lactation. A weak drink is also combined with cow's milk and consumed several times a day.
With heavy physical and mental stress.
To eliminate bad breath or body odor. A similar problem appears when a large amount of toxic substances accumulates in the body. With regular consumption of yellow tea, the poisons are flushed out of the body, and the body acquires a light pleasant aroma of fenugreek.

The ready-made tea drink is used in home cosmetology. Its active ingredients (vitamins, amino acids, polyphenols) protect the epidermis and hair from harmful external factors, normalize their structure, improve their appearance, and prevent baldness. On the basis of yellow tea, masks are prepared for the face and curls, rinsing after shampooing. From a mixture of fenugreek seeds and vegetable oils, lotions are made for lifting the breast, increasing and correcting its shape.

Harm

Before taking yellow tea from Egypt, you need to study both its benefits and harms. Excessive consumption of the drink can become dangerous for the body: more than 6 cups a day will lead to a state of tea intoxication. At the same time, causeless anxiety, dizziness, acute hunger, pain in the stomach appear. The same symptoms can occur with an improperly prepared drink.

With gastroenterological pathologies, the use of helba can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and exacerbation of the disease. It is recommended to drink yellow tea in the morning: drinking in the evening can make it difficult to fall asleep and provoke insomnia.

Contraindications

Yellow tea from Egypt is contraindicated to drink when:

diseases of the digestive tract;
acute diarrhea;
receiving hormone replacement therapy;
carrying a child;
increased levels of the hormones estrogen and prolactin;
allergies to fenugreek seeds.

Is it possible for pregnant and lactating women

In the first trimester of pregnancy, as well as with the threat of miscarriage, the use of Egyptian tea is strictly contraindicated. Fenugreek beans have the ability to increase progesterone levels, which can cause miscarriage. You should consult your doctor before drinking yellow tea in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

During breastfeeding, you can drink yellow tea, making sure that the baby is not allergic to this product. To do this, the drink must be introduced into the diet in very small portions. With normal tolerance of tea by the child's body, you need to use Helba with milk regularly: this will increase the flow of milk.

Composition (vitamins and minerals)

Egyptian yellow tea contains:

vitamin A;
vitamins B1, B2, B9;
vitamin C;
potassium;
magnesium;
sodium;
phosphorus;
iron;
selenium;
zinc.

How to cook

It will not be possible to brew yellow tea from Egypt in the usual way, since seeds are used, not leaves. If you just pour boiling water over the fenugreek beans, the infusion will not contain all the nutrients. The valuable properties of seeds are revealed only during cooking. Washed and dried fenugreek is boiled for 8 minutes. There is a strong drink required, add no more than 200 ml of water per 1 teaspoon of tea leaves.

To get a more aromatic tea, the seeds must first be fried and ground. This will also get rid of the bitterness that fresh beans have. Fenugreek will give a maximum of useful substances to the drink if it is soaked in cold water for 3 hours before cooking.

How to use

In order for helba tea to bring the maximum benefit to the body, it is necessary to drink it correctly. Nutritionists recommend:

drink the drink slightly cooled;
drink in small sips;
arrange a tea ceremony separately from meals;
add honey instead of sugar;
to strengthen the immune system, combine helba with ginger, lemon;
with anemia, drink tea with dates;
use a strongly brewed drink to dissolve kidney stones;
for arthritis, add stevia to tea;
to increase male potency, use milk instead of water for brewing.

Storage

High humidity and sunny colors are detrimental to fenugreek seeds, so yellow tea should be stored in a ceramic container with a tightly screwed lid. The container should be placed in a dark, dry place, away from products with a strong aroma, as tea easily absorbs foreign odors. In such conditions, the tea leaves can be stored for up to 12 months, then it loses its valuable qualities.

Brewed yellow tea retains its properties for 24 hours. For each type of tea, you must select a separate teapot so that the aromas of the drinks do not mix.

How to choose

High-quality yellow tea looks fresh on the outside. Seeds that have expired are easy to distinguish from fresh seeds by color: beans suitable for brewing will have a bright mustard hue; over time, fenugreek darkens.

The quality of the tea can also be detected by the taste. The infusion of old seeds will be very bitter.

What is combined with

For the treatment and prevention of some diseases, drinks are prepared from a mixture of yellow tea with other components. For example, with arthritis, arthrosis, fenugreek seeds are combined with stevia leaves, with diseases of the genitourinary sphere - with a thick date broth. The finished drink goes well with milk, natural honey, ground ginger, lemon.

Yellow tea from Egypt is not tea in the usual sense of the word. This is a drink with the strongest properties, thanks to which, in the absence of contraindications, proper preparation and use, it can improve overall health and appearance, cure and prevent many diseases. To find out if there are any contraindications to the use of helba, you need to visit a doctor.