A few hours ago, I brewed a cup of honeysuckle tea but forgot to drink it. When I remembered, the tea had turned green. I am wondering if it is still safe to drink the honeysuckle tea that has turned green.
Can I still drink honeysuckle tea that has turned green?
Under normal circumstances, it is safe to drink.
Honeysuckle is the dried flower buds or newly opened flowers of honeysuckle plants. It has high medicinal value and can provide benefits such as clearing heat and detoxifying, and soothing the throat. Honeysuckle tea can turn green after being steeped for a long time. Therefore, it is safe to drink honeysuckle tea that has turned green.
Why does honeysuckle tea turn green?
Honeysuckle tea can turn green under two circumstances: normal and abnormal.
Normal green color:
Honeysuckle contains a natural flavonoid compound and chlorogenic acid, which are pharmacologically active ingredients. When brewing honeysuckle tea, the flavonoid compounds are released and dissolved in water, resulting in a light yellow tea. After a period of steeping, the chlorogenic acid is released, gradually turning the honeysuckle tea green. This is a normal occurrence.
Abnormal green color:
If the honeysuckle tea immediately turns green and the color is darker after being brewed with boiling water, it is possible that some vendors have added colorants to the honeysuckle. This is an abnormal occurrence.
Can I still drink honeysuckle tea if it turns black?
In general, it is safe to drink.
Honeysuckle itself is light green or light yellow in color. If it turns black, there are two possible reasons. One is that during the drying process of honeysuckle, it was disturbed or exposed to rain. The other reason is improper storage, where the active substances in honeysuckle oxidize, causing the color to darken or turn black. In general, honeysuckle that has turned black under these two circumstances can still be consumed, although its medicinal efficacy may be reduced.
How to select honeysuckle?
1. Observe the appearance:
The highest quality honeysuckle is plump flower buds that have not fully opened. If the flower buds are too small, it indicates immaturity and the nutrients have not fully formed. If the flowers are fully opened, it means that too many nutrients have been lost, resulting in reduced medicinal efficacy.
In addition to observing the flower buds, it is important to check for impurities and completeness. If there are many fragments or impurities, it indicates poor production process.
2. Smell the aroma:
High-quality honeysuckle has a strong and refreshing fragrance. Even after brewing, the aroma remains strong, even for the second or third brew. Poor-quality honeysuckle does not have a noticeable aroma, or if there is, the fragrance is low or has an unusual scent.
3. After brewing:
High-quality honeysuckle tea has a golden-yellow color with a hint of green, a bright appearance, and a bitter taste with a hint of fragrance. On the other hand, low-quality honeysuckle tea may have a darker color, sometimes brown or black, and may even have a sour taste, which may be the result of sulfur fumigation.
