It depends on your goal...
Traditionally, it's recommended to drink between 1–3 cups a day every day. This of course will depend on your goal, your gender, weight, and the amount of exercise you do. Palo azul tea has zero calories and zero caffeine, so you could drink a good amount daily.
The best time to drink palo azul tea, is when you consume processed foods, refined sugar, and alcohol. Studies show that palo azul is a powerful antioxidant & anti-inflammatory, so it may help to inhibit the oxidative stress, free radicals, and inflammation caused by processed food and alcohol.
A 2002 study mentions that "this plant is used in traditional medicine, for this purpose the wood is boiled with water to produce a golden colored liquid, with a blue fluorescence of which the patients drink a cup daily."
Additionally, a 2008 study mentions the following: "For ingestion purposes, the wood chips are brought to boil in water to produce a golden-colored liquor having a light blue fluorescence, from which the sick can take two or three cups a day."
Detox
If your goal is to help your body detoxify, then we recommend drinking around 3 cups daily. We usually drink more palo azul tea during the weekends to counteract the negative effects from consuming processed foods, refined sugar, and alcohol. Many studies have shown that palo azul tea is a powerful antioxidant, therefore it helps to scavenge free radicals and inhibit oxidative stress, both of which can be caused by processed foods and alcohol.
Exercise
When we exercise, the body eliminates toxins in the body and our system cleanses itself without the need for food or detoxification products. However, studies have shown that palo azul is alkaline because it has electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium which are essential for hydration. For this reason, we often drink palo azul tea before and during our workouts.
Shelf life
If the tea is stored in the fridge, it stays good for upto 1–2 weeks. Interestingly, a 2021 study on palo azul found that "above 95% of the original amounts of flavanones (antioxidants) remained in the solution after 5 days storage" and it "showed great short-term stability." This means that palo azul tea will retain its antioxidant capacity decently well after being prepared.
We usually prepare around 2–3 gallons at a time and I keep it in a glass pitcher. This usually lasts us around 1 week and we all feel better than ever so we drink a lot of magik!
Magik Ice Cubes
To ensure your palo azul stays the freshest, try freezing the magik to get some blue-hued cubes. These are perfect for chilling your Magik Potions without watering them down and adding an extra sparkle to your day! ✨
Magik Potion Recipes
Here are our favorite recipe ideas that make palo azul taste even more magical. The blue disappears with anything acidic or too much of certain ingredients. If the blue isn’t your focus, palo azul pairs beautifully with lemon, orange peels, ginger, turmeric, cacao, or coffee and you’ll still get the benefits. Let us know if you come up with an exciting Magik Potion recipe and we'll give it a try!
Our Favorites:
- Palo azul, mint, lemongrass, honey
- Palo azul, cinnamon, rosemary, maple syrup
- Palo azul, vanilla, jasmine, lavender, agave
Hi Erika, some people say they feel the benefits right away, it depends on what you’re using it for. Some testimonials say that within a few weeks their kidney function improved. The traditionally recommended amount is 1-3 cups per day but you can drink more if you’d like since it’s 0 caffeine and 0 sugar. I hope this helps!