You may have heard that black walnuts are healthy for you. Perhaps you’ve even heard of tea made from black walnuts. What are the health benefits of this tea? Does it have any side effects? Keep reading as we discuss all you need to know about how to make and consume black walnut tea.
What You'll Learn Today
What is Black Walnut Tea?
Black walnuts have long been used as a remedy for a variety of ailments. Depending on the specific preparation and the type of ailment being treated, the nuts, leaves, bark, or husks may be used.
Black walnut tea is typically made with the leaves of black walnuts. However, it may also be made using the nuts themselves.
When made with the leaves, either fresh or dried black walnut leaves may be used. When made with the nuts, they are typically raw, though they may be blanched to remove the skins (which give the nuts a more bitter taste).
What are the Benefits of Black Walnut Tea?
Black walnut leaf tea is primarily used to cleanse and detoxify the body. The leaves of black walnut are thought to have blood-purifying properties.
This type of tea may also be used to regulate blood sugar levels, which in turn can help control diabetes. What’s more, it has a calming effect on the digestive system and may be used to treat various intestinal issues and infections.
Finally, black walnut tea can be used externally to help treat acne and other skin problems.
Black walnut tea made from the nuts will have similar benefits, but it is specifically used for digestive issues. It may also be used for treating sore throat, tonsillitis, and thyroid issues.
Again, it can be used topically as well to improve ringworm, acne, and various other skin disorders.
Check out this video to learn more about the health benefits of black walnuts.
What are the Dangers of Drinking Black Walnut Tea?
Of course, with any remedy comes the potential for risks and side effects. What are the possible dangers you may face from drinking black walnut tea?
The most obvious issues that may arise stem from nut allergies. If you are allergic to walnuts or other tree nuts, you may experience an allergic reaction from drinking walnut tea.
Black walnut trees contain high levels of the chemical juglone, which can produce poisoning effects similar to cyanide. The highest concentration of juglone in walnut trees is in the roots, but it is also present in the leaves, husks, and buds.
Juglone is not very water-soluble; in fact, the chemical actually breaks down when exposed to air or water. For this reason, the chances of experiencing juglone poisoning are slim to non-existent as long as you only consume walnut leaf tea and not the leaves themselves.
Still, it is good to be aware of the dangers. Always make sure to strain all of the walnut leaves from the tea before you drink it.
The tannins in walnuts may cause drug interactions if you take medications such as codeine and ephedrine. The tannins may even interact with iron supplements.
If you take any medications or supplements, it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor before you begin taking walnut tea.
What’s more, the tannins in walnuts may cause powerful laxative effects, stomach upset, and kidney or liver irritation. It is therefore recommended that those with kidney, liver, or gastrointestinal issues, as well as pregnant women, avoid consuming black walnut tea.
How to Make Black Walnut Tea
As mentioned above, there are two primary ways that black walnut tea is made. One method uses the leaves, while the other method uses the nuts.
Let’s take a look at each method in turn.
Black Walnut Leaf Tea
To make one serving of black walnut leaf tea, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons walnut leaves, crushed or finely chopped (the leaves may be fresh or dried)
- About 8 to 8 ½ ounces of water
Mix the leaves and water together in a pot on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to continue boiling, covered, for about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and strain the tea through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove all the leaf pieces. Drink it just as it is, without adding sweetener.
This tea may be taken once or twice a day for up to ten days at a time. Repeat this process every three months or so.
To use it externally, dip a clean cloth or gauze pad in the tea, then apply to affected areas of the skin. Do this two to three times a day until skin issues begin to clear up.
Black Walnut Nut Tea
To make this tea, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 cups sugar
- 7 cups water
Place the rice in a bowl of water and allow it to soak overnight. Strain and discard the water, and transfer the rice to a blender.
After removing the seeds, place your dates in a saucepan of water and boil them until you can slip the skins off. Transfer the dates to your blender.
In a separate pan, boil the walnuts for 10 minutes or so, then peel away the skins. Transfer the blanched nuts to the blender.
Pour 1 cup of water into the blender and blend the ingredients until a paste is formed. Mix in 3 additional cups of water, then strain the mixture through cheesecloth or muslin.
To this liquid that you strained off, add sugar and the remaining 3 cups of water. Warm the mixture over low heat for about 10 minutes. The tea is now ready to drink.
You can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days after making it, but for best results, use it as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Black walnut tea has a range of health benefits and can be made using the leaves or nutmeats of the tree. Follow the steps in this article to make your own black walnut tea at home and begin experiencing the health effects for yourself!
For more interesting articles about these trees, check out this guide to their identification.
