Sunday is funday when we have some extra time to spend differently. Tulsi gotu kola tea is something special what I have tried last Sunday. It was different and helped me to feel refreshing. If you are thinking it is not so good in taste then you are wrong. Though it is not no-way similar to traditional tea but it helped me to feel refreshing & energetic.
Scroll down to see the recipe
Tea is very popular drink across the world. It is also popular in India too. But gotu kola is not certainly that much popular but people who always want to try something different they will definitely try this. Gotu kola (tea) leaves are also available in the market. Such leaves are dry leaves and probably processed. But there will highly any shop where you can get it in your locality. So we all need to depend on eCommerce sites.
But I live in such a place where I can find gotu kola leaves (thankuni pata) here & there. So I did not need to purchase such leaves. I picked gotu kola leaves from my garden and used it to make tulsi gotu kola tea. I have grown my own gotu kola (thankuni pata in Bengali) plants in a container, so that I can get enough fresh, clean & healthy leaves whenever I need throughout the year. Though it grows rapidly during rainy days but during other period its growth use to stagnant. Particularly during summer days, you may not get enough leaves. But as I am growing those plants in container and give enough water daily and keeping that container under shadow, so I usually get plenty of fresh green gotu kola leaves throughout the year.
I did not hesitate to try this because these leaves are traditionally used in cooking in West Bengal. It is also said that it has several health benefits. Gotu kola extract is also used to make different medicines. Though I do consume it for any of such purposes but I prefer to include those leaves in my diet because I like the aroma of fresh gotu kola leaves. That is why I often try gotu kola drink during summer days.
Apart from many health benefits, it is also said that gotu kola extracts boosts brain power & reduce stress & anxiety. So many people often drink gotu kola juice or include it as an ingredient of a dish. In West Bengal people traditionally use it in making shukto (a traditional Bengali dish). Did you ever try this shukto? It is a very healthy traditional dish and very popular dish in Bengali cuisine.
Ohh, I have missed one thing to say. Till now I did not say one single word about tulsi (Indian holy basil leaves) but tulsi was also used to make this tulsi gotu kola tea. It is an important ingredient to make tulsi gotu kola tea, otherwise, I could simply say this as only gotu kola tea instead of tulsi gotu kola tea. But tulsi leaves a vital role to make this and I like this tea because of the combined aroma of gotu kola & tulsi.
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Tulsi leaves are also an important ingredient to make ayurvedic medicine. It is also used to make various home remedies to cure cough & cold. In India, tulsi plant is often seen in front of a house. Actually many Hindu families worship this plant daily. So tulsi (Indian holy basil plant) is a very common Indian plant. Most families grows their own tulsi plant and often use it for making various home remedy.
I often try such tea during holidays or weekends. Sundays are those days when I can try something special or do some experiments to break monotonous food habit. So such tulsi gotu kola tea makes my Sunday special and this time last Sunday, it made my last Sunday surprisingly special because I tried salty tulsi gotu kola tea instead of sweet one. So do you also want to try this?
Tulsi gotu kola tea recipe
- Handful gotu kola leaves/thankuni pata/Centella Asiatica leaves
- 8-10 tulsi leaves/Indian holy basil leaves
- 2.5 cup water
- Black salt as needed
- 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp sugar or honey
- Add gotu kola leaves and tulsi leaves in a blender and pour water, now blend it
- Then boil this mixture for 5-6 minutes and strain it and pour tulsi gotu kola tea into cups
- Now add lemon juice & black (for salty tea) or sugar/honey (for sweet tea)
Thank you. Wasn’t sure I could mix them and use these fresh. I’ll be an avid drinker of this tea now.