RRL question

[hold_fast]

I hate to annoy everyone with *another* RRL question, but I couldn't find this one in the memories. I was drinking the tea hot, but I seem to have turned into a regular furnace as of late. If I brew the tea hot and then ice it down, will it still have the same effect, or does this totally defeat the purpose?

Comments

[ias]

What effect?

if you mean the effect of making you sweat. not iced tea won't do that. The sweating is because you are drinking an hot liquid - you could be drinking hot lemon instead and the effect would be the same.

Personally I brew my tea with water that has just boiled and then cool it down with cold water.

[hold_fast]

Er, no. The toning effect. I know the effects of some herbs can be eliminated by temperature or not preparing them a certain way. I wasn't sure if cooling the tea would ex the toning effect.

[ias]

Cooling doesn't tend to effect chemicals that way, it the addition of heat, i.e. energy, to a system which will change the molecules within the system.

I'd tend to cool it naturally or with cold water rather than ice if you want to retain maximum efficacy as the ice might cause some of it to freeze and there by change state which may mess around with the molecule structures.

[a_tergo_lupi]

No, I don't think cooling the tea will change the chemical construction of the tea.

[hold_fast]

Thank you. I know that doing things like boiling parsley tea to induce a period prevents it from working, and while I didn't think cooling would do anything similar, I figured I'd ask. :)

[and_after_that]

boiling / heating is very likely to change the structure of proteins in there (denaturing them and making them inactive), but if they can withstand the heat, cooling is much less likely to have an effect. i mean, i don't know anything about your tea, but that is the case for lots of substances.

also, have you tried refrigerator brewed iced tea? it is a lot easier than brewing hot and then icing, and usually requires less tea to boot. you can google it, but basically you just put your water and tea in the fridge for 8+ hours, and it comes out great!

[hold_fast]

It's red raspberry leaf (RRL) tea. I'm drinking it to tone my uterus. :) I guess I should have typed it all out, it seems to be throwing people off. :/

[kastinkerbell]

I drank mine iced almost exclusively. Made a giant pitcher everyday and stuck it in the fridge. My babe came out in one push, so I would wager my uterus was pretty toned. :)

[hold_fast]

Thank you! I'll have to start doing that. I don't mind the taste at all, as long as it doesn't make me sweat like crazy. ;)

[bugorama]

THIS. I've been making a big jar of it (with a little honey!) and then storing it in the fridge. It's way too darn hot for hot tea.

[kotorifuu]

I've read on boards in anothger group that many women would cool it even make icecubes out of it. I did that as well, though I can't tell you if it works or not, I winded up needing a csec for my stubborn boy! But general consensus seemed that it still worked wonders! ;)

[hold_fast]

Thank you! I'm sorry you ended up having a csection, but in the end all that matters is your baby boy is healthy! :)

[sxdx]

As long as you let it steep for the said amount of time, it's fine to cool it down. Should say so if you got the boxed variety (I did, from Whole Foods).