If we asked you to say the first thing you think of when we say banana peel, you may answer with slippery, but not likely with tea.
I’m sure you’ve seen the references many times in cartoons when you were a kid all the way to movie scenes where someone slips and falls on a banana peel.
But, until you first discovered that it could be used as a tea, I’m sure that was not something you’d have marked down on a list of top uses.
Compost maybe, but tea?
Who would have thought such a thing?
Well, you’re in luck, we have assembled all the best information on using banana peels for tea around, and put it all into one spot for you, so that you don’t have to hunt around all over the place like we did.
Now without further ado…
What Is Banana Peel Tea?
Simply stated, it’s not much more than steeping banana peels in hot water to create tea.
There is a specific way that you want to do it that we will cover below, or you’ll have little to no results at all.
However, it’s pretty straight forward and simple.
How To Make Banana Peel Tea?
There’s really not much too it.
You simply take fresh banana peels from ripened banana’s and steep them for 1 hour in hot, but not boiling hot water.
You DO NOT want the water to come to a boil or it can destroy the beneficial ingredients that impart the effects you’re after.
Once steeped, remove the peels and strain out any pieces.
Then either drink it on the spot or allow to cool to room temperature before putting it in an airtight container and refrigerating it.
The mixture should be consumed within 3 days to ensure freshness.
It can be mixed with other teas, honey, stevia and even fruit juice if you’d like.
Does Banana Peel Tea Work For Weight Loss?
Yes, it can actually.
It’s a very novel mechanism that is being studied by more and more researchers. However, it would appear that ancient peoples were correct in using the banana peel for weight loss and other benefits that we will cover separately below in other sections.
The peel has a unique indigestible fiber that causes increased transitory time of foods through the digestive tract.
This helps in eliminating toxins, aids in digestion and can reduce the number of absorbed calories from your foods.
The peel also contains a novel energy source that researchers are finding more powerful than other bio stocks at its ability to produce bioenergy for the body.
Simply stated; researchers have found that the peel has an energy source that when liquified imparts energy to the body, but not in normal caloric pathways.
So, it’s not a sugar, but possibly a novel starch that doesn’t readily convert to sugar that your body can use.
This is thought to increase metabolism and thereby aid in weight loss. Though science has not conclusively proven this action yet, there are hundreds of years of testimonies stacked up from people who have experienced its unique properties.
Banana Peel Tea Benefits
Over and above weight loss there are a myriad of other benefits from banana peels and some that are enhanced when you take them with other natural ingredients that we will cover in depth below.
So, follow along and discover some of the wild and crazy uses and benefits of the lowly seeming banana peel.
Does Banana Peel Tea Help For Sleep?
The short answer is yes, however, you should take a closer look into it before you use a peel to slip into sleep. Banana peels are rich in both potassium and magnesium which have both been shown to aid in relaxation and sleep. Which is why many suggest chewing the peels instead of steeping tea from them.
However, both minerals do in fact infuse into water during steeping so this can help you to avoid chewing on them before bed each night.
One might ask why you wouldn’t just eat the whole fruit of the banana to get these minerals instead of messing about with the peels?
Good question.
The reason is the banana is one of the highest sugar fruits around. It’s been shown to spike blood sugar which will be counterproductive to restful sleep and those sugars before bed will raise insulin which would then trigger your body to store any excess calories preferentially as fat.
Not likely what you want. So, the peel contains the same sleep nutrients as the fruit body, just sans the sugars and insulin spikes.
Is Banana Peel Tea Safe For Diabetes?
There is truly interesting research being done in Japan on diabetic rats that shows that banana peels exert a strong saccharide cleaving blocking agent that does not disrupt the process but seems to slow it down rather markedly.
In layman’s terms this means that; there is an agent in banana peels that slows down the enzymes in your body that cleave (chop/separate) long chain carbohydrates into short chain carbohydrates.
It doesn’t thwart the process, instead it limits the rate at which these long chain saccharides are cleaved.
This is to say that it slows long chain carbs from being turned into sugars. This slows the release of sugars into your system, thereby influencing insulin secretion and having its effects on diabetes.
Scientists agree that this merits additional study because the long-term benefits could prove valuable to both drug and natural supplement companies.
Are There Any Banana Peel Tea Side Effects?
While there aren’t any known side effects to the consumption of banana peels or it’s tea in reasonable amounts, there is one thing that you MUST be aware of and take into consideration.
Bananas are one of the most heavily sprayed crops for pesticides of all the fruits and vegetable groups.
Yes, sure there are many people saying pesticides are not harmful, there are more who say they are.
Our position is very simple.
If it kills a bug, how can it possibly be good for you?
So, we strongly advocate for organic foods at all times. Especially for those in the groups that are the most heavily sprayed.
Since the they spray the outside of the banana, it would make sense that the peel would have the greatest concentration of the pesticide. This makes consuming nonorganic peels an even greater concern.
Our opinion is, for banana peels, buy organic or don’t consume them in any way including tea.
One of the things you really have to think about is that; here in America we have banned many different types of pesticides.
However, the countries that grow bananas and other foods that we consume don’t have such laws or bans in place.
Did you know that DDT is still manufactured? It is.
This means that people are still spraying crops with it in 3rd world countries. These are the same countries who grow bananas, coffee and other staples.
You just have to be logical. If they are so poor that they carry coffee and bananas with burro’s and sleep on dirt floors in houses with no running water, do you REALLY think they are paying the top price for the latest, safest pesticides?
Or would it make more sense that they are buying and using the cheapest thing they can that gets the job done?
Of course, they are. Otherwise, companies wouldn’t still be making it and selling it.
If this is not one of the best reasons for you to buy organic whenever possible then you need to go re-read this argument.
We know this article is about bananas, but our goal is to help you in every way possible.
So, with respect to coffee. Think about it for just a moment.
They spray it with who knows what. They send it to the USA where we make a concentrated, hot beverage out of it and consume it first thing every morning.
When you make coffees such as espresso you concentrate it.
Heat as you likely know activates many chemicals and pesticides are in fact one of them.
This means that you made the bug killer that’s banned for use in our country into a concentrated toxin with increased activity, and drank it first thing in the morning even before food.
Again, if this doesn’t make you want to consider organic coffee, then you may want to go re-read what we just spoke of.
With regards to the banana peel itself, supposing it’s organic, no, there are no known challenges with it in reasonable quantities.
Sure, if you sat and ate 40 or 50 peels in one sitting you might get a stomachache or a wicked case of diarrhea, but as far as we know, that should be about it.
Is Banana Peel Tea Safe During Pregnancy?
Here we must say that you really need to consult with your nutritionally educated healthcare practitioner to evaluate whether it’s safe for you or not while pregnant.
We are not allowed to, nor are we attempting to give medical advice in any way.
Pregnancy is a critical time that needs to be thought of as safety first.
So, please consult with your physician and take their advice to heart before making your decision.
What Is Banana Peel Tea With Cinnamon Used For?
Cinnamon and its oil have been shown in dozens if not hundreds of studies worldwide to be effective at helping to control blood sugar levels and preventing the spiking of both blood sugars and insulin.
Since we spoke of banana peel tea’s effects on blood sugar and insulin in a section above, we will concentrate mainly on their combined effects.
Cinnamons main effects are twofold.
1. Cinnamon helps increase insulin sensitivity thereby making insulin much more efficient at transporting glucose into the cell where it can be used as fuel.
2. It mimics the effects of insulin which decreases the bodies need to secret more. This lowers overall insulin levels, but without curtailing its glucose transportation capabilities.
When you combine this with the digestive resistant starch found in banana peels you are starting to put together and potent one two punch to stabilize blood sugars and modulate insulin against spiking.
This is why you’ll find many people in various countries drinking banana peel and cinnamon tea after lunch. They use it to help stave off that 2 or 3 o’clock slump that so many people get.
If you find yourself getting tired and sleepy anywhere from an hour to a few hours after you eat, then you too might want to consider making a little of this flavorful tea.
Just don’t sweeten it with sugar, honey or another carbohydrate that breaks down quickly into sugars or you’ll most definitely be defeating the purpose.
Can Banana Peel Tea Be Used For Fertilizer?
The answer is yes, absolutely. But why wouldn’t you use the whole banana peel if you’re just going to bury it. The answer is that; you may not want rotting banana peels in your houseplant pots indoors where it may smell bad and attract bugs.
As such, brewing banana peel tea and using it to water your indoor plants gives them both the water they need and a great fertilizer that you get for free.
Is Banana Peel Tea A Good Fertilizer For Orchids?
Yes, orchids respond particularly well to soils rich in potassium and magnesium. And as you know, the banana peel is loaded with both.
The tea works especially nice as you don’t have to bury banana peels into your indoor flowerpots and end up smelling up the whole house.
You can water them with your tea killing the two birds with one stone of watering and fertilizing at the same time.
Does Banana Peel Tea With Eggshell Make A Good Fertilizer?
Yes, it does. It’s once again quite nice for your indoor plants.
If you want to use it on your outdoor garden, you can. However, you might be better served just throwing the peels, shells and other organic waste into a compost pile and letting nature do her thing to make you some outrageous homemade fertilizer.
If on the other hand it’s for your indoor plants, well then yes, have at it.
You would add your eggshells to the tea before you start heating it. They will leach their calcium and proteins into the water which will then nourish your indoor plants as you water them with the mixture.
All In All
Who would have thought that you could possibly get so much use out of a silly little banana peel?
Nature sure does work in mysterious ways.
Sources
1. http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/25%20(01)%202018/(8).pdf
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0961953419300169
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5. http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-KXJY201204011.htm
6. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/fanres-18/25907133
7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13105-011-0091-5
8. https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2014/04/bananas
9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225411016301894
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