Blueberry Tea Benefits

Blueberries are often enjoyed by the handfuls, but another way to enjoy blueberries that delivers a load of health benefits is by drinking blueberry tea. Blueberry tea can be made from the leaves of the blueberry plant or from the juice of the blueberries themselves. You can drink it hot or cold. Once you know the benefits to your health, you may want drink a cup of blueberry tea daily.

Anti-oxidant Benefits

An antioxidant is a substance within the body that protects it from damage from free radicals. The National Institutes of Health describes a free radical as a molecule that can damage cell structure and contribute to cancer and many age-related diseases. Not only can antioxidants prevent cellular damage, the National Diabetic Association explains that they can repair damage. So how do antioxidants relate to blueberries? A study in the June 2009 issue of the "Journal of Medicinal Foods" shows that blueberry tea made from the leaves of the blueberry plant prevents the activity of free radicals because the leaves have a high antioxidant content. Blueberry leaf tea is available at health food stores, or you can add your own dried blueberry leaves to a cup of hot green tea and let it steep for 20 minutes before drinking.

Liver Protective Benefits

One of the antioxidants found in blueberry leaves is called proanthocyanidin. "Nutrition Science News" reports that proanthocyanidin can extend the life of other antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E, and they also protect the body from viruses and prevent hardening of the arteries. Proanthocyanidin is also known to protect the body from the hepatitis C virus, which can cause severe damage to the liver, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. A report in the August 2009 issue of the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" suggests that blueberry tea, made with the blueberry leaves, be used as an anti-hepatitis C treatment.You can make blueberry leaf tea by placing a handful of leaves in 1 cup of boiling water. Let it boil for 5 minutes and then steep for 20.

Improved Brain Function

The high antioxidant content of blueberries is not limited to the leaves of the plant, but are abundant in the berries themselves. Juicing fresh blueberries or steeping 1 cup of them in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes allows you to extract the blueberry juice and add it to a cup of hot or cold green tea. You can even add the fresh blueberries to blueberry leaf tea. The antioxidants in the berries have been found to have a protective effect upon the brain. A study in the September 2009 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition" reports that the blueberries can decrease the free radical damage to the brain, especially the damage that occurs with aging. Thinking ability and motor function can also be improved with blueberry consumption.