A Refreshing Pineapple Peel Tea Recipe for Skin and Lymphatic Health
Another ‘Quell the Swell’ Tea Recipe for you!
Have you been throwing out your pineapple peels like I was?!
This pineapple skin tea introduced me to a new way of enjoying pineapple, reduced food waste in my home, saved me $$, and benefiting my Lymphedema!
I've been eating raw pineapple over the years and find it helpful for my Lymphedema, but I didn't realize the peel and core have the highest concentration of Bromelain, not the fruit. Say what?!
Bromelain is a secondary metabolite, a protein-digesting enzyme that helps our skin, gut, and lymph by helping the microbes in our digestive tract break down proteins from both our foods we eat and the proteins found in our skin that are old and worn out. Our body has to breakdown the refuse of 3 billion cells a day and replace them in our body.
It doesn’t end there though. The pineapple peel has a host of other nutrients and antioxidants that are beneficial for our lymphatic health, like Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene, and Manganese to name a few.
Try this delicious tea recipe next time you buy a pineapple and you can enjoy the benefits of bromelain for your lymphatic health in 2 ways - in the fruit and from the skin!
I've added some additional ingredients in here for complimentary flavour and lymph-loving benefits like Ginger Root, Turmeric, Black Pepper, and Citrus Peels.
Outlined below are the ingredients, directions, and benefits of pineapple tea.
Now in a printer-friendly format! Yay!
Pineapple Peel Lymph-loving Tea
Ingredients
- Peels from 1 large Pineapple (organically grown), peeled & cored
- 1 Lemon or Lime, sliced in rounds
- 2 Oranges, sliced in rounds
- 4 in. piece of Ginger root, peeled & chopped
- 3-5 Black peppercorns, whole
- 1-2 tbsp. Burdock Root (optional)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 cloves
- 10 cups filtered water
Instructions
- First step, is to wash the pineapple in a bath of water with 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, or 2 tbsp. baking soda to the water, which helps kill any bacteria on the peel. Set aside for 30+ min.
- While pineapple is soaking, prep by chopping and measuring your other ingredients (from 3-9 noted above).
- Rinse pineapple and place on cutting board to cut off the peel and core the pineapple. Place vertical and cut off the base in a round and cut off the top, so it's sitting line a cylinder. Cut off the peel in vertical strips. Then cut off the fruit until you are left with the core.
- Place the peels and core of the pineapple in large saucepan pot with 10 cups water all other ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
- Then take off stove and let cool.
- TIP: To turn your infusion in a concentrate for making a syrup, put lid slightly ajar. Take off stove after 1 hour and you should have 4-5 cups of infusion left over.
- Once it's cooled, strain through a mesh strainer. NOTE: If making the tea version, you will have 6-8 c. infusion, if making a concentrate for syrup, you will have 4-5 cups.
- Keep ingredients to make another infusion if you like. It will be a bit weaker in flavour, than the first batch, but still reasonable. Or compost the ingredients from your infusion.
- Pour yourself mug and enjoy the tea, add honey to taste.
- If making the syrup: While the infusion is still warm, measure out 1 cup honey for every cup concentrate. Place in a bottle and keep in the fridge for approx 2 months. To keep longer, add 1-2 tbs. brandy or other alcohol of choice.
- Once you have strained your pineapple peel infusion, you can put it in a glass jar and keep it in the fridge. Without honey, it will last approx. 4-5 days before it begins to ferment.
- I usually make some of the tea into a syrup to store in the fridge for longer, as the syrup will last approx. 3 months.
- To make tea from the syrup, boil filtered water, let cool to 70 degrees Celsius, then add 1-2 tbsp syrup to 2 c. water. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
111.06Fat
0.37 gSat. Fat
0.05 gCarbs
29.15 gFiber
4.57 gNet carbs
24.59 gSugar
19.6 gProtein
1.63 gSodium
22.98 mgPotassium
306.66 mgMagnesium
32.5 mgCalcium
68.88 mgVitamin C
105.25 mgVitamin A
193.77 IUSelenium
0.55 µgAll information presented and written within lymph well.life are intended for informational purposes only. LymphWell.life occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although lymph well.life attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Benefits of Pineapple Skin Tea
NATURAL DIURETIC & ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Pineapple contains bromelain, potassium, magnesium, which are helpful for reducing & preventing swelling. With Lymphedema, we can swell more in the summer, so this pineapple tea might help you reduce your extra swelling plus it’s tasty and pretty!
IMPROVES DIGESTION
Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme which helps to quickly break down proteins in our food.
DECONGESTANT
Bromelain helps break down and clear mucus from our gut and lungs. It known in traditional medicine for it’s decongestant properties. Brew up a cup next time you feel a cold coming on. It’s not just elderberries that we can reach for, but so many plants can help us boost our immunity and clear contestant.
SUPPORTS WOUND HEALING
Bromelain can help breakdown scar tissue and old cellular waste from wounds helping the body heal it faster.
Did you try making this unique lymph-loving tea? Tell me about it in the comments below!
