I stumbled upon the amazing health benefits of apple peel tea while making baked apples, a favorite sweet treat. I threw away the peels, but when my husband told me that there was probably more nutrition in the peel, I looked it up. And he was right.
Apple peel tea is many surprising health benefits, many of them gut related. It is also easy to make, delicious and wastes nothing! This is my favorite new drink. I drink it cold.
Apple peels are richer in pectin than the flesh. Pectin is a soluble fiber that assists with gut healing, metabolism and detox. It binds to toxins, improves stool consistency, balances blood sugar and feeds good bacteria. Pectin is fermented by good gut bugs that produce the short chain fatty acids that lower inflammation.
The peels are high in fiber/roughage, which makes it harder to digest for some people. So steeping the peels diffuses their benefits into the water and is easier to consume.
If you can’t tolerate apples you may or may not be ok with this tea. But you could diffuse a quartered lemon or lime in your water for other health benefits.
Leaving the peel on citrus and letting it soak overnight in room temperature water diffuses the health benefits of peel and the flesh into the water. D-limonene, found in citrus skin also has great detox benefits.
Benefits of apple peel tea
Rich in quercitin
Quercitin is an anti inflammatory and antihistamine. It supports histamine balance, allergies, asthma and inflammation in gut lining and joints. Acts as a mast cell stabilizer, reducing overactive immune responses.
Good for your skin
The minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols and vitamin C in this tea protect against free radical damage, promote collagen production, brighten skin tone and may have an anti aging effect by lower inflammation.
Feeds good bug in your gut
Contains polyphenols, which act as prebiotic to feed beneficial bacteria like bacteroidetes and akkermansia. These bugs maintain gut barrier integrity, reduce inflammation and support metabolic flexibility.
Supports liver detox and bile flow.
Compounds in apple peels can stimulate phase 2 liver detox pathways. Supporting better bile flow can help with fat digestion.
Repair leaky gut
The tannins in apple peel help tighten up the tight junction lining the gut wall, which helps tone a leaky or inflamed gut. Particularly helpful during a digestive flare.
Glucose regulation and taming sugar cravings
It slows sugar absorption and helps regulate blood sugar, which aids adrenal healing. Reduces sugar cravings and energy crashes when sipped between meals. Add some cinnamon for extra blood sugar control.
How to make apple peel tea
Fill a pot with 4 cups of water and the peel of 4 to 5 apples. *Tart or underripe apples have more pectin.
Boil the water then turn down the heat to a low simmer, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add an option cinnamon stick and let sit for another 45 minutes.
You can also add apple peels to broth when you make it to infuse it that way.
When cool transfer to fridge in a glass container and sip hot or cold.
Using organic apples is best as they are typically unwaxed and free of pesticide residue.
*Add marshmallow or slippery elm tea for more gut lining support.
Each time you take a sip, remember that food is medicine and we have everything we need inside us to heal!
Enjoy.
