The Philippines is also a tea-drinking nation much like its Asian neighbors, but a cup of coffee rules the household tables, and a cup of tea is more often to be picked up for medicinal treatments. While Taiwanese boba tea has gained its popularity in the Philippines, it is better to shed a light on the traditional Philippine Teas and why ancient Filipinos believed in their healing capabilities.
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Tea History in the Philippines
Centuries of Spanish colonization left the tsokolate (hot-chocolate) drinking habit in the Philippines when the Americans took over kape (coffee) was introduced. But before all of that, there were already Chinese refugees living in the Philippines, and they were already trading goods before the even Spaniards arrived. And as we all know, tsaa (tea) originated from China, which would mean that tea was introduced in the Philippines before the 1500s.
Among all of the ASEAN region, a study mentioned that the Philippines has the least number of Chinese residents in the 1980s, for this reason and the colonization could be why the Philippines does not have a strong desire for tea as compared to the other Asian countries.
Filipinos would drink tea as a medicine and not as a habitual beverage. Medicinal herbal tea had been the go-to treatment of the forefathers and albularyos (folk healers). Doctors were not that abundant and even up until today, certain areas still lack the medical facility, and personnel and rural folks have kept their knowledge of herbal and medicinal teas.
Philippine Traditional Tea
Salabat Tea
One of the most famous Filipino tea would be salabat (yellow ginger) tea and is more known today as turmeric tea. It is believed that it gives strength to farmers and fisherfolks before they go to work, more than that, fishermen would bring a supply of salabat when they head to sea. The heat from the ginger keeps them warm despite continuously diving under the water for several days.
As one would expect this tea is clear, yellowish, and has that gingery taste. Salabat is believed to prevent gout, joint pains, clear sore throat, revert hoarseness, and heal common fever.
Lagundi Tea
The lagundi leaves (Chinese chastetree), when boiled, is natural cough medicine. It is an effective medication for upper respiratory illnesses, it has already been proven and approved by the Philippine Department of Health to treat cough, asthma, fever, headache, and toothache. It also helps facilitate the discharge of phlegm relieving one from the discomfort of continuous coughing. After clinical studies, lagundi is now used by pharmaceutical companies as ingredients in over-the-counter cough medicines.
Guyabano Tea
Guyabano (soursop or Brazilian paw paw) is a natural remedy for viruses, pain relief, and even some types of cancer. It is high in antioxidants which if consumed regularly, would promote heart, liver, and kidney health. It helps lower blood sugar and blood pressure, making this an ideal tea for the elderly.
Traditionally, fresh leaves are boiled as a whole in a pot of water and simmered for about 10 minutes but tea and capsule forms are also available in the market if fresh leaves are not accessible.
Gumamela Tea
The fertile land of the Philippines makes it ideal for agriculture, Gumamelang Pula (red hibiscus) is abundant in the Philippines. When the hibiscus petals are steeped properly, it is light to the taste with a little tanginess, however, when it is over-steeped it becomes extremely bitter. The tea has an antibacterial property, relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and boosts liver health.
Banaba Tea
Banaba leaves (Pride of India) is native to the Philippines and Southeast Asia, Banaba tea has a strong, robust smell and flavor much like black tea. It is a common household maintenance medicine for those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even cancer. The tea is good for losing some extra weight because of its diuretic properties. A study was conducted that participants with type 2 diabetes effectively showed a 10% decrease in their blood sugar after just two weeks of regular consumption of Banaba tea.
Pandan Leaf Tea
Nigella Lawson, a popular British food writer once said that “Pandan will be the next Matcha in Europe,” which is why it is gaining popularity worldwide. Although it is native to Southeast Asian countries, the demand pushed the leaves to be sold fresh, frozen, or dried.
Pandan leaves are traditionally added by infusing a unique aroma to desserts and dishes. The pandan fragrance is not only used for food consumption but also for natural food coloring, natural flavoring, insect repellant, air freshener, and food wrapping – when made into tea, it has a soothing aroma like no other. Pandan tea is light on the taste like a more fragrant version of white tea.
Pandan water is the lemonade of the Southeast Asian countries, it is refreshing, simple to make, and delicious. Pandan water is simply the cold version of pandan tea where boiled water with leaves are chilled.
Pandan tea helps discharge toxins and unhealthy substances from the liver and body, which makes it a great detox tea. It is also a mild laxative, which would relieve with bloating, constipation, and weight loss. It is also known to reduce uric acid levels in the body and can help to alleviate the symptoms of gout.
Tanglad Tea
Those who live in the mountains or one of the 7,641 islands of the Philippines relied on herbal remedies to treat various illnesses, Tanglad (lemongrass) offers a citrusy flavor that is surely refreshing for tropical weather. It is good for digestion, it regulates cholesterol level and blood pressure, boosts metabolism resulting in weight loss, and treats symptoms of flu.
Pito-Pito Tea
Pito is the Tagalog word for seven, this is a traditional tea blend from seven leaves of seven plants mainly Alagaw, mango, Banaba (Pride of India), bayabas leaves (guava), pandan, guyabano, and caimito (star apple). The leaves are boiled in a pot, cooled and strained and this concoction of leaves is the mother of all medicinal teas. It supposedly lowers blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, boosts the immune system, improves the digestive and urinary tracts, lessens uric acid, and increases heart health.
A version of this, the siyam-siyam (nine-nine) where they add anise and coriander or some other leaves.
Variations of this tea can be found in the many tribes of the Philippines. Especially those that live in the mountains. Leaves are replaced with what is edible and available in the area. Folklore would have it that drinking a certain tea would give you superhuman powers.
Tawa-Tawa Tea
Tawa- tawa (asthma-plant) is a wild weed growing anywhere from rainforest to just the regular patch of land outside the house. This humble weed has saved countless lives, as this tea experientially has healed dengue patients all over the country, tawa-tawa tea has said to increase in platelet count, reduced bleeding time, and decreased blood clotting time of a patient with dengue.
Tawa-tawa, as its English name asthma-plant can help cure asthma and bronchitis, and can also be used as a bronchodilator, similar to the Ventolin inhaler for asthmatic individuals. Tawa-tawa tea is anti-diuretic which reduces urination in a healthy way it keeps one stay hydrated as the tea absorbs electrolytes and water in the body system. Finally, a compound called quercitin, found in tawa-tawa leaves helps with vomiting, chronic diarrhea, and fevers.
Malungay Tea
Malungay also known as moringa leaves (drumstick tree) is used in chicken soup but after the discovery of its health benefits it has now been made available in other forms such as capsules and tea. Malunggay is a plant that grows in tropical climates such as the Philippines, India, and Africa. Malunggay enhances the milk supply of a breastfeeding mother, and it is also a great immune booster for pregnant women and the child in their womb. It also helps in digestion, flushes out toxins, and has Vitamin B for continuous energy.
Malunggay tea is rich in antioxidants which would help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It helps stabilize blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar at its ideal level.
Sambong Tea
Sambong (Ngai camphor) is widely used in the Philippines and it is clinically proven to dissolve kidney stones and reduce size and number of urinary tract stones. It is also a herbal medicine to treat Myoma, wounds and cuts, rheumatism, hypertension, and the flu.
Sampaguita Tea
Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) or Jasmine flowers are the national flowers of the Philippines. Although edible and very aromatic, the flowers are rarely used for cooking, it is however boiled in hot water and drank as a tea. It is rich in Vitamin C which helps strengthen the immune system, and improve one’s resistance to the common cold.
Similar to Betadine and other disinfectants, Sampaguita is an antiseptic with compounds such as benzyl benzoate, benzoic acid, and benzaldehyde that helps prevent wound infections, or when inhaled treats infections in the respiratory system. The scent of the jasmine flowers is a natural remedy for snoring and breathing issues, it contains an expectorant property which eases the throat and widens the air passage.
For the ladies, Sampaguita tea alleviates premenstrual symptoms, reduces labor pain with its natural muscle relaxant, and increases milk supply for breastfeeding mommies.
Calamansi Tea
Calmansi is a fruit native in the Philippines, it is a round juicy citrus fruit similar to lemon and lime, which are all said to have strong detoxifying effects on the body due to the high amount of Vitamin C that it contains – which also boosts collagen production. Calamansi is a Philippine herbal medicine for phlegm, mucus, colds, infections, and the flu.
Ampalaya Tea
Brewing the ampalaya (bitter melon) seeds, leaves, and flowers for those who are diabetic will greatly affect their glucose level. Ampalaya is a powerful treatment for diabetics as it helps in reducing blood sugar. The ampalaya extract is also said to be effective at killing cancer cells of the stomach, colon, lung, and nasopharynx.
The extract from the leaves and roots are said to be effective in shrinking hemorrhoids, while the leaves treat cough, fever, and roundworms.
Philippine Tea Brands
Tsaa Laya
Tsaa Laya is a local tea manufacturer, they farm and harvest different tea leaves and ingredients to represent the vast culture of Philippine teas. Their farms are in Calauan, Laguna and they provide a livelihood to the mothers in the community. Beautifully designed products give honor to local tea favorites like tanglad, turmeric, and pandan.
Yamang Bukid
Yamang Bukid is known as a social business, their community partnership system gives great sales opportunities to small farm communities. Their farms are spread over in places like Palawan, Benguet, and Davao. One of their flagship products is their turmeric tea that are farmed, harvested, and blended by their community partners. The tea is sold in jars and packets, not in tea bags.
ABS Herbal tea
One of the bigger brands for ready-made, Philippine herbal teas. They have manufactured and distributed their products since 1999. Their tea line includes sambong, lagundi, and ampalaya tea among others. They have since developed a growing clientele for herbal tea in the country.
Carica
Established in 1996, Carica developed a long line of herbal teas and has given information on local teas for the past decade. Included in their product line are tawa- tawa, coconut tea, guyabano tea, noni, malunggay, lemon grass, and many more.
C2 Green Tea
C2 is the brand that offers a ready-to-drink bottled iced tea which provides a healthy alternative to consumers who would want to veer away from carbonated beverages.
The Philippines has its fair share of history with tea, it may have been introduced by the first Chinese settlers, but with the sheer resourcefulness characteristics of the Filipinos allowed them to discover the different advantages of their local plants and flowers. Although the tea-culture in the Philippines may have been greatly altered since the boba tea craze, it allows the Millenials to understand how flexible and delicious a cup of tea can be. In the end, once we are feeling under the weather, a cup of tea will surely soothe any discomfort once again.
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