Is the Estafiate the Best Plant for your Health?

In ancient times, many herbs and specific plants were used during various ceremonies. Native tribes from centuries ago would use these plants as a way to communicate with the gods and would burn estafiate during a funeral. Moreover, this herb was used for a number of different health-related applications, thus why we made this complete guide so you can get up to speed with everything this marvelous plant has to offer.

How to identify an estafiate plant?

A big family

The estafiate herb is part of the big sunflower family. We say big because the sunflower family is one of the largest plant families in the world with over 24,000 species and counting. That’s quite a big family, so it’s difficult sometimes to differentiate what plant is an estafiate and what plant is mugwort or silver wormwood, which look alike but are totally different plants.

A pretty tall plant

And if you’re wondering how the estafiate looks like, on a visual level, it’s about 1.5 to 2 feet tall and has weirdly shaped long leaves. That being said, some estafiate plants can grow very tall and well over 2 feet of height, but those are pretty rare cases.

A weird color

For the colors, most estafiate herbs have a bit of white and silver but are mostly green. However, some estafiates will be almost completely white, which is normal so you shouldn’t worry if that’s the case with the one you found.

Where to find estafiate in the wild?

Of course, you can order estafiate online on a number of websites and platforms, but, let’s say you want to find this plant in the wild, where do you go? Well, first, you’ll be happy to know that estafiate can grow pretty much anywhere, as long as the weather is not too extreme. You can find estafiate in some European countries, in North America, and a few Asian countries as well.

Furthermore, it likes to grow between rocks or near big trees since it needs its fair share of shade to be able to grow properly. If there is too much constant sunlight, the estafiate plant will have a hard time growing properly.

Can you eat estafiate?

Yes, you can eat estafiate but expect a very bitter taste. That said, usually, bitter plants are well-known to be excellent for your digestive system. You can drink it in a bitter tonic, or a tea. The estafiate will make your digestive system produce a lot more enzymes and therefore, help your digestion. Finally, since the taste is very bitter, we wouldn’t recommend eating it raw, since raw estafiate is much better and easier to eat when cooked or diluted into a soup, a tea, or a tonic.

What can you mix the Estafiate with?

Aside from its many health properties, the estafiate can be used for many other things as well, especially when paired with other herbs and plants. Here’s a lit of its main uses and pairings:

1. Estafiate and Peony
   Will help you go through many kinds of cramping and is also excellent for PMS. Additionally, can be great if you feel anxiety or a lot of muscular tensions and that you need something to relax.
2. Estafiate and Prickly Pear flowers
   Excellent against prostate pain. Can be used as a moisturizer for the skin as it offers antioxidant effects.
3. Estafiate and Wild Ginger
   If you’re having a lot of trouble digesting lately, a tea with estafiate and wild ginger will help you out greatly.
4. Estafiate and Chaparro
   Can help you go through giardia and also get rid of intestinal parasites. Furthermore, you can count on this mixture if you ever have to deal with gastritis or a gastric ulcer.
5. Estafiate and Azahares
   If you feel a lot of heat in your liver, then drinking some estafiate tea with azahares can help reduce the acidity and relax the digestive system. It is also a very good way to give your heart some rest, as it promotes good blood circulation.

What are the health benefits of the Estafiate plant?

You will be surprised to see how the diseases a bit of estafiate herbs can heal or prevent, it’s quite impressive:

• Is sometimes used as Malaria treatment
• Can help reduce symptoms of some types of Diabetes
• Excellent as a Menstrual Cramps reliever
• As previously mentioned, a very good plant for your digestive system
• Can heal your bruises and burns
• Can help you heal from several common diseases like the flu for example
• Rheumatism and Hemorrhoids Treatment

How to use Estafiate herb in my tea?

Don’t worry, if you were not sure how to use estafiate in your tea at home, we made this little guide just for you. Follow the instructions below:

1. Just before we begin, usually, it is better to use dried leaves of estafiate. You can easily find those online or in some natural herb and spice shops.
2. Now, you will need about 1 teaspoon of estafiate dried leaves that you will put in a teacup full of very hot water.
3. Then, you will leave those to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful to not overdo it and to not put too much estafiate. It’s very important because this plant is very strong and presents an intensely bitter taste.
4. As the last step, you can remove the leaves from your teacup so you just keep the liquid and nothing else. You can put a bit of honey in your estafiate tea to make the taste a bit less bitter.

Please take note that you shouldn’t abuse estafiate as it is a strong plant that could harm you if take too much of it. In general, 3 to 5 estafiate teacups per week is plenty.

On that note, we would like to end this estafiate guide by letting you know that it’s safe to drink or eat but as stated above, keep the quantities on the smaller side of things. That way, you will be able to enjoy all of the great estafiate benefits.