7 Benefits of Drinking Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
on May 15, 2024
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Known for its pretty blue color, butterfly pea flower tea is packed with health benefits. It’s full of antioxidants and beneficial compounds that are so good for the body.
What Is Butterfly Pea Flower Tea?
Butterfly pea flowers are bright blue flowers that grow on vines. The plant is native to Southeast Asia.
The petals look like butterflies, which is how the flower got its name. Meanwhile, their blue hue comes from plant pigments called anthocyanins.
To make butterfly pea flower tea, the petals are dried and steeped in hot water. This infuses the water with the bright blue anthocyanins. When an acid like lemon juice is added to the tea, the anthocyanins turn purple!
Since butterfly pea tea doesn’t taste great on its own, it’s a good idea to add lemon juice or honey. It can also be enjoyed hot or iced.
RELATED: Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade
7 Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Health Benefits
1. Lowers Oxidative Stress
Butterfly pea flower tea is one of the best drinks for reducing oxidative stress. It’s packed with antioxidants, or compounds that fight oxidative stress in the body.
In butterfly pea flower tea, the main antioxidants are anthocyanins. These are the same compounds that give the flowers their pretty blue color.
Anthocyanins work against the molecules that cause oxidative stress. This protects your cells from damage, ensuring they stay healthy. This is important because oxidative stress can increase the risk of chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
2. Decreases Inflammation
If oxidative stress continues for too long, it can activate reactions that increase inflammation. This can also lead to chronic disease, as inflammation damages tissues.
Examples of diseases related to inflammation include diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. Symptoms like pain and swelling are also due to inflammation.
However, since antioxidants reduce oxidative stress, they’ll also lower inflammation. This includes antioxidants like the anthocyanins in butterfly pea flower tea.
Anthocyanins also help by increasing the production of anti-inflammatory compounds and reducing inflammatory reactions.
3. Supports Heart Health
Anthocyanins, which are found in butterfly pea flower tea, are great for the heart. They work by reducing several risk factors for heart disease.
For example, anthocyanins reduce high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. High blood pressure can damage your blood vessels over time, so it’s crucial to control.
Additionally, anthocyanins have been shown to manage cholesterol levels. They can increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol and reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, improving your overall heart health.
The anthocyanins in butterfly pea tea lower oxidative stress and inflammation as well. This protects the cells and tissues in your heart.
4. Controls Blood Sugar
Your cells use blood sugar, or glucose, as its main source of energy. But if your blood sugar levels are too high, it can lead to type 2 diabetes.
In addition to exercising and eating well, drinking butterfly pea flower tea can reduce the risk. The anthocyanins in the tea can control blood sugar levels.
Anthocyanins work by increasing how much insulin your body makes. Insulin is the hormone that helps your cells take up sugar.
They also protect beta-cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for making insulin. As a result, your body will have an easier time managing blood sugar levels.
5. Boosts Hydration
Butterfly pea flower tea is made with water. This means it can contribute to your daily fluid intake, which is key for staying healthy.
Drinking enough water ensures your body can perform basic functions, from metabolism to digestion. It also helps control your body temperature.
For even more benefits, add lemon juice to your butterfly pea flower tea. Not only will it make the drink tastier, but it will support hydration even more.
Lemon juice contains electrolytes, or minerals that balance fluids in your cells. Examples of electrolytes include magnesium and potassium.
6. Contains No Caffeine
Caffeine is a substance that stimulates the nervous system. It increases alertness, concentration, and focus which can be useful in the morning.
But if it’s later in the day or close to bedtime, you’ll want to avoid caffeine and in this case, consider butterfly pea flower tea. The flowers are naturally caffeine-free, so the tea contains no caffeine.
Of course, it’s still a good choice during the day, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine or taking medication that interacts with the substance.
7. Improves Brain Function
Anthocyanins are some of the best compounds for brain health. They’re neuroprotective, meaning they can protect nerve cells, or neurons, from damage.
This may support brain functions like learning and memory, reducing the risk of brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s thanks to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of anthocyanins. Oxidative stress and inflammation can damage nerve cells, but anthocyanins can reduce both processes.
Plus, anthocyanins prevent certain proteins from collecting in the brain, which can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
