Banana Tea for Sleeplessness

Bananas at market

By Cat, May 8, 2018 (photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

I love bananas, and use them in my smoothie every morning. I’ve always wondered if there were something I could do with the peel besides adding it to my compost pile, and now I know – except for this use, you use the whole, intact banana (flesh and peel).

It turns out that banana peel has amazing health benefits, equal to but different from that of the banana flesh. Put the two together in a tea, and you get benefits of both. I have not tried this yet, but I’m very curious…

See also: 1. Beverages Menu; 2. Natural Healing Remedies Menu

Health benefits and cautions for banana tea

Health benefits of banana tea include (1):

• Eases stress and depression – Banana tea contains serotonin and dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitters that may help boost mood and regulate stress.
• Promotes bone health – The magnesium and manganese in banana tea may help contribute to bone mineral density.
• Helps with digestion – Magnesium and potassium help improve smooth muscle function, especially in the digestive tract. They may help promote bowel movements, and relieve constipation, cramping and bloating.
• Gives your immune system a boost – Vitamins A and C are both antioxidants that may help promote good immune function.

But don’t get carried away with consuming too much, as it can have deleterious consequences such as (1):

• stomach upset,
• vomiting,
• nausea
• hyperkalemia (too much potassium in the body, which can be deadly. Symptoms include irregular heartbeat, and muscle and/or digestive tract spasms).

Banana Tea

This is from Mercola (1). I’ve never heard of this before, and have not tried it yet, but I’m very curious. Be sure to use an Organic banana, because non-organic bananas are sprayed with pesticides after picking. And leave the banana whole – do not separate the peel – but do cut of the hard ends of the banana.