Homebrewed Tulsi (Holy Basil) Tea

  • DIFFICULTY: EASY
  • 45 minutes

Ingredients

Serves: 1 gallon of Homebrewed tea
homebrewed tulsi (holy basil) tea
  • 1 Bunch Tulsi (*This can be fresh or slightly wilted/dried
  • 1 Gallon Water
  • Additions post brewing: Local honey and lemon if desired.

Method

By Alysha Melnyk

Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil, is an ayurvedic herb that is apoptogenic and makes a delicious herby and sweet tea that can be enjoyed warm or iced. Tulsi tea is claimed to help the body withstand stress. Some select studies have discussed Tulsi’s efficacy as an anti-inflammatory, anxiety treatment, and antioxidant, although no large-scale formal research has been undertaken in the United States. Tulsi tea is easy to brew at home, and makes a great swap for your typical morning tea/coffee or a fun drink to enjoy with a meal.

Happy brewing!

Makes 1 Gallon of Homebrewed Tea

 

Homebrewed Tulsi Tea

  1. Combine entire tulsi bunch and 1 gallon water in a large stovetop pan. Try to submerge the tulsi as much as possible in the water.
  2. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, shut off the heat. 
  3. Cover the pan with a lid and remove the pan from the heat.
  4. Let steep at minimum 1 hour. I enjoy a stronger tea, so I let mine steep anywhere from 3 hours to 8 hours (you may want to sample the tea every so often for flavor). The longer you steep it, the stronger the tea will be flavor wise. 
  5. After steeping is complete, remove tulsi leaves/stems and pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining leave/stem bits and into a storage container for refrigeration. 
  6. Tulsi tea can be reheated and enjoyed warm or kept in the refrigerator to chill and serve with ice.
  7. Add sweetener as preferred (local honey, sugar) and a lemon if desired. I typically enjoy my tulsi tea plain since it has a light sweet flavor.
  8. Enjoy! 

Alysha Melnyk is the Founder and Content Creator of The Kitchenologist©, a food blog dedicated to healthy eating and kitchen experiments. Alysha combined her background in biology with her passion for making food delicious, eye-catching, and accessible. When she’s not cooking in the kitchen or dreaming up a recipe, Alysha works full time as an Implementation Manager at ECRI, an international medical nonprofit located in suburban Philadelphia that is dedicated to improving patient safety worldwide. Alysha finds her many career passions revolve around the power of knowledge and that equipping people with the right tools and resources will help them make better informed decisions.

Share this recipe:

You May Also Like…