Sep
24

How to Make Jujube Tea (Hot & Cold) and the Many Health Benefits of Jujubes!

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Dried Jujubes

What’s a Jujube? I’m not talking about those rubbery little candies we used to eat in the movies that could take a whole day to get out of your molars! These jujubes are small apple-like fruits that have been used in ancient medicine for over 4,000 years. When dried, they are also known as Asian dates, Chinese dates or Indian dates.

As Dr. Oz  explains in his show about Ancient Chinese Cures, “Jujube, the red Chinese date, has been used for thousands of years in China to reduce stress and promote sleep, among many other wonderful health benefits. A big plus of the jujube is that it doesn’t make you tired when you take it during the day – actually, it seems to reduce fatigue related to nervousness. It is usually served as tea, made from a powder extract.” Well, here I was, face to face with the jujube fruit, dried and interesting-looking.

As I wandered through my local farmer’s market, I was first attracted by this colorful sign, praising the jujube for a myriad of benefits! If your farmer’s market doesn’t have the, you can get them on Amazon delivered right to your door!

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photo 6The jujube fruit, seed, bark and leaves are described in Korean, Indian, Japanese and Chinese traditional writings for its beneficial properties. The sweet, aromatic smell of the fruit is said to make teenagers fall in love! This adorable sign definitely piqued my interest and almost made me immediately fall in love with jujubes—as I got closer, I saw free samples of jujube tea being offered by a very enthusiastic lady touting all the health benefits. As you probably know by now, I love the saying, “Let Food be Thy Medicine,” and if jujubes deliver on all of these claims, it would be some sort of divine miracle! But I was intrigued so I tasted the tea and I really liked the flavor–mildly fruity with a little spice of ginger and cinnamon. Delicious!

If you don’t live near a farmers market or yours doesn’t sell jujubes, check out this bag of dried, organic jujubes sold on Amazon!  

According to Science Direct, the major mineral constituents in the the jujube are: potassium, phosphorus, calcium and manganese. Iron, sodium, zinc, copper, vitamin C, thiamine and riboflavin are also found in the fruit. In fact, jujubes contain 20 times the amount of vitamin C as citrus fruits. As described by “Health Benefits of Jujube Fruit” in EHow.com, the jujube fruit contains 18 of the 24 amino acids required by the human body. Jujubes contain saponins, which have a relaxing and soothing effect on the nervous system. 

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Dried Jujubes

 Jujubes have been eaten for 1,000’s of years for these health benefits:

  • soothe the stomach
  • ease sore throats and colds
  • helps ease achy muscles
  • suppress the appetite
  • support cardiovascular health
  • enhance metabolism
  • cleanse the blood vessels
  • eliminate oxidative stress in the liver
  • inhibit growth of cancer tumor cells and has an anti-carcinogenic effect
  • improve constipation as a mild laxative
  • detoxify the liver and kidneys
  • create a sense of well-being when feeling restless or irritable
  • reduce anxiety
  • alleviate insomnia and help promote a more restful sleep
  • increase energy and stamina
  • help build stronger muscles
  • aid in digestion
  • improve skin color and tone
  • increases the activation of choline acetyltransferase and improves cognitive impairment disorder such as Alzheimer’s

https://www.veganamericanprincess.com/handy-guide-to-teas-to-drink-for-health-benefits/

19 Tea Brews to Cure Whatever’s Ailing You ….Get your Go-To-Go-Tea Guide

With a list like that and a lovely flavor, I inched a little closer to the table. The little, dried, dark reddish fruit looked a bit like olives or prunes and were heaped in a mountain for the picking. But also available were hand-bagged kits containing every you need to make Jujube Tea! Way too simple, convenient and interesting to pass up.

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How to make Jujube Tea…..

Jujube Tea Ingredients Conveniently contained in the bag: 

  • about 1 pound of dried jujube fruits
  • a stick of fresh ginger root, unpeeled
  • several pieces of cinnamon bark
  • 1 large Asian pear, unpeeled, uncored, sliced into quarters

jujube tea1

Instructions

If you don’t live near a farmers market or yours doesn’t sell jujubes, check out this bag of dried, organic jujubes sold on Amazon!  

  1. Place 1 gallon of water in large pot
  2. Slice ginger root into 1 inch pieces. Put into pot, unpeeled.
  3. Add the cinnamon bark and slices of Asian pear
  4. Make a deep cut into each jujube and put into the pot.
  5. Simmer for 4 hours
  6. Strain all solid ingredients out of the liquid and the rest is tea
  7. Drink and enjoy!

photo 21Important Notes:

  • I enjoyed it hot, immediately. But the remainder should be cooled and refrigerated. It should keep about 10 days. From the fridge, it can be warmed up or drank cold, as iced tea! I added a nice squirt of lemon and loved it cold.
  • Jujube tea can also be made solely by simmering only dried jujubes for 4 hours. The additional ingredients give it a mellow cinnamon-ginger flavor and the Asian pear gives it added sweetness. There are also added health benefits from the cinnamon and ginger
  • Your kitchen will smell amazing 

 

 

 

If you don’t live near a farmers market or yours doesn’t sell jujubes, check out this bag of dried, organic jujubes sold on Amazon!  

 

Click here for Dr. Oz and Ancient Chinese Cures to Relieve Stress

Click here to read more about Benefits of Dried Jujube

Westlake Village Farmers’ Market, California on Sundays 

Click here for Science Direct article about the health benefits and nutrients found in jujubes

Click here for the EHow.com article on the health benefits of jujubes

Click here for the Ehow.com article on the health benefits of Jujube Tea

Click here for more information about Jujubes on Drugs.com

Vegan American Princess’ Handy Guide to Healthy Tea

Vegan American Princess’ How to Make Ginger Tea and the Health Benefits of Ginger Tea

Vegan American Princess’ How to Make Calming Soothing Turmeric Tea Like Dr. Sanjay Gupta

PS I have been drinking cup of Jujube Tea every night this week, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, always with a splash of fresh lemon juice and I’ve been sleeping like a baby (and by that I do not mean waking up every hour crying with a wet diaper!)

Jujubes can be found at Farmers’ Markets, Asian and Indian markets, health food supermarkets and on Amazon!

xox Enjoy!

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Comments

  1. Helen Maxman says:
    April 26, 2014 at 9:03 am

    I am definitely going to make this tea, sounds delicious and healthful! And I hope I don’t wake up crying every hour with a wet diaper either!

  2. Erica says:
    January 10, 2015 at 12:34 am

    My Kaiser Office had a farmers market this afternoon and I bought this bag of dried jujube fruit. The sweet Asian lady pointed at the sign that also mentioned the long list of its benefits. She said it was for tea or a quick snack. So I brought it home turned the flame on the pot of water, sat down and googled it. I found this blog, and find it interesting that unbeknownst to me I had brought home a second ingredient for this tea recipe; Asian pears. Now I’m excited to begin the 4 hour simmer tomorrow morning. Thanks for the tip! 🙂

  3. Claudia Macmillen says:
    August 15, 2015 at 5:22 am

    Hi, I have a beautiful jujube tree full of fruit in my garden in the north of italy.
    Now I know what to do with it!
    Thank you.
    Claudia

  4. Susan Ragusa says:
    March 23, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    Please Help-Veteran whom has many health issues in need of others help trying to find-get these JuJube. My lovely neighbor had made me Tea from this a few times. Looking to help us make our own. Respectfully susan

  5. Geri Martinez says:
    June 12, 2016 at 10:22 am

    I have several of the beautiful trees in my yard, they send out new trees in a root network. Trees are over 50 years old. Since childhood we have eaten the fruits and I am interested to know what is the best time to harvest and dry the fruits. I am wondering if using a dehydrator to dry would help. They have golden leaves in autumn before they fall from the trees.

    • Ellen Francis says:
      August 10, 2016 at 11:25 am

      Dear Jeri,
      You are so fortunate to have these trees in your yard! Here is some info from a site called Papaya Tree Nursery for you. They seem to know exactly what you should do enjoy your jujube so!
      “The jujube fruit will have developed full flavor and peak sugars when they are completely dark brown. You can however consume them when they are only approximately 50% brown and green everywhere else. The fruit should feel firm to the touch when consumed fresh and will begin to lose moisture soon after the skin of the fruit has turned completely brown while still on the tree.
      The fresh fruit is best stored between 52* and 55* F in a special green plastic bag that counters the ethylene gas naturally given off by ripe fruit. You may have seen the info commercials promoting this product and just so you know, it does indeed work…( can you believe it?…no bullshit info commercials). They can also be allowed to fully dry on the tree or you may pick them when they just begin to show signs of desiccation ( wrinkled skin) and dry them in a flat open basket at room temperature out of direct sunlight. You should not pull the fruit off the tree, instead you should cut the small stem as this will give you a clean sealed product.
      Sometimes the fruit will show signs of premature drying before fully brown or even at the light green stage and this fruit is usually not the best for drying as the fruit should be allowed to fully color up brown if the intention is to store dry fruit. The usual cause of this premature drying is from heat/water stress and should be less of an issue as the tree becomes more established since it is a drought tolerant species.
      After the fruit has been satisfactorily dried, it is a good idea to freeze the fruit for a few hours, then remove from the freezer and allow the excess condensation to evaporate before placing the fruit in the storage container (Available at Smart&Final). Once the jujube has become established (Judgment call), I only fertilize the tree once a year just after the majority of the blossoms have set fruit.”
      Good luck and please let us know how it comes out! Thanks for reading and commenting!

      • Muhammad Tariq says:
        February 13, 2017 at 1:17 am

        Salam,
        In my mauntanious and desert area of karak kpk Pakistan jujube is cultivated for feeding to goats and sheep and jujbe fruite seldom eaten . but we know the dried jujube benefits like in common cold ( jushanda) and constipation especially but people preffere aleopathic medicine instead of herbals.
        Thank you very much for the article about jujube benefit. I have tried it for lowering high blood pressure, my bp counting was 180/150 in three days it lower to 130/110.
        Jujube fruits is very delicious in fresh and tremendous in dry phase.
        Little children eat the seed in winters and summer raw when they break the outer shell of jujube which hard enough. People of my area love this tree as I mentioned above for feeding goats.
        People sell jujube fresh fruits and exported to different central Asian countries. People says this one of the third fruit of heaven and this is the apple of poor people.
        Thanks a lot.

  6. Aimee Ollman says:
    December 3, 2016 at 1:25 am

    I recently purchased a package of dried jujubes, and the back of the package says I should boil them in water for 30 minutes before serving…. is this a necessary step, or only a suggestion for making jujube tea? Meaning, can I eat the dried fruit like a snack, right out of the package?

  7. Tracy Gaitan says:
    January 7, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    I live in Orange County and buy my jujube tea kit from this same lady you have pictured every time I go to the Orange Farmer’s market. She’s also got me eating purple sweet potatoes. So much better than taking vitamins!!!! I was just super surprised to see her pictured on our page when all that I was doing was looking for the recipe to share with someone else.

  8. phyllis says:
    January 22, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    can the jujubes be reused after I make the tea? Can I re-dry them or once they are used, i discard them. Thanks,

  9. tracie says:
    March 14, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    Hi Ellen!

    I just discovered the Jujube seller at our local farmers market in Westlake Village – the same one in your article here, and started drinking the tea this weekend. As I was googling Jujube tea, I was so happy to come across your blog and what you wrote about it. Are you still drinking it? I would love to know what results you continue to have.
    Thanks!!!
    Best,
    Tracie

  10. REBECCA LIR says:
    March 22, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    Ellen,

    I’m drinking the tea right now. I met that energetic Asian woman at the Oxnard farmers market and went home to make my tea. My daughter and I have been enjoying it this week, how and cold. Amazing!

  11. Joan Todd says:
    March 4, 2018 at 10:26 pm

    I, too, just bought the bag of ingredients from the same lady. (FYI – she has the best pomegranates when they’re in season, she sells the whole pomegranates and also the arils in a plastic container – for those who don’t want the hassle of seeding a pomegranate).
    I’ve made longan tea in the past – using jujubes and longans (which I got from the 99 Ranch Market) along with ginger. It’s great for colds.
    Thanks for printing the recipe and for continuing to drink the tea.

  12. PHYLLIS ZATEK says:
    September 23, 2018 at 9:25 am

    I am so happy I found this thread. I drank Jejube tea when I was in South Korea and fell in love with it. Now that I am back in the Midwest I am wondering if anyone has purchased any of the”packaged” tea from Amazon or online that would recommend a brand?
    Thanks for your input .
    Have an awesome day!

  13. Acil Para says:
    October 28, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Thank you Ellen! I love jujubes 🙂 Can jujubs be reused after making tea?

  14. James Kopp says:
    May 25, 2019 at 10:57 pm

    This is also a great reference on jujubes: https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Yet-Modern-Popular-Depth/dp/1542309891

  15. Joshua Howard says:
    August 31, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    Thank you for sharing this healthy recipe! I live the eco-friendly lifestyle and love natural food. Can’t wait to try this tea

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