Used Tealeaves

I know that you know tea is good for you. It’s probably one of the reasons you drink it. What you may not know is that used tealeaves (a.k.a. chagra , when they’re dried) are almost as helpful as the tea itself. Read on to learn all about used tealeaves’ uses for multiple infusions, health/beauty, gardening, and the household.

Multiple Infusions
Health/Beauty
Gardening
Household
Other Uses
How to Dry Chagra


Multiple Infusions

Most teas yield multiple infusions. Just add more water to the leaves and steep for about 10 seconds longer than the prior infusion. Note the ways in which the brew’s taste changes with each infusion. In China, many people say the second or third infusion is usually best. Each tea has its own variances, so see what you prefer with your favorites. When the tea stops tasting good to you, it’s time to move on to fresh leaves.

Between infusions, it’s best to keep your leaves out of heat, light, and water. I recommend reusing a batch of leaves over the course of the day, then retiring them.


Health/Beauty

Mouthrinse—Tea and tealeaves are naturally antimicrobial. That means that they kill off germs that cause bad breath and plaque. Also, they contain fluoride, which helps maintain enamel. (White and green teas are best for fighting bacteria, while Oolong is best for fluoride.) You can use unused brewed tea or a brew made with used leaves to rinse after brushing. It’s OK to use a naturally flavored tea (like Earl Grey), but be sure not to add any cream or sugar!

Mild Antiseptic—In Japan, people traditionally used houjicha-soaked cloths as baby wipes. It is said to keep babies’ skin not only clean, but soft. Some people also apply moist tealeaves to their minor cuts to prevent infection. I would not recommend using a flavored or scented tea for this purpose unless you know what is in it and what it will do.

Tea Baths—Tealeaves can make a wonderfully refreshing bath. They contain an enormous amount of nutrients, but only a small percent of these nutrients are removed by the first infusion. A portion of the remaining nutrients can be absorbed into your skin. Just add a few used teabags (or a few teaspoons of used tea leaves in a thin cotton bag) to the water as you draw your bath. Regular, scented, or flavored teas can be used.

Energy—For an extra caffeine boost in the morning, try absorbing caffeine through your skin. There are a few ways to go about this. You can steep fresh leaves in your bath (see tea baths). You can use a tea-scented soap. Or, you can rub used damp tealeaves onto your skin during bathing.

Eye Treatment—Using teabags (or loose-leaf tea in thin cotton bags) as an eye treatment (like you would use slices of cucumber) provides antioxidants to delicate skin and helps it to recover from environmental and biological factors like pollution and stress.

Tea Pillows—Chagra can be used to make relaxing, naturally scented pillows. Chinese folk remedies employ pillows stuffed with chagra for insomnia, headaches, and high blood pressure. Dry your leaves thoroughly, stuff them into a pillow, and sun the pillow often (about once a week), as the leaves will accumulate moisture quickly. You can use a scented or flavored tea if you’d like, but avoid energizing scents like citrus.

Foot Odor—This is the least savory of the health and beauty uses, but apparently it really works. Used tealeaves can be brewed into a strong tea, which can be used to soak the feet. Yay for antimicrobial properties.


Gardening

Fertilizer—As a fertilizer, tea serves multiple uses. Plants can easily put the remaining nutrients in tealeaves to use. Tea is mildly acidic, so it can be used to neutralize basic soil or provide acidic soil for plants that need it. Also, some say that tea’s caffeine helps speed plants’ growth. In China, it has been suggested that pre-consumer tea byproducts (such as stalks and unwanted leaves) be used as a fertilizer for mushrooms to increase growth and boost the economy. Though I don’t grow roses, I hear tea works wonders on them. So how do you use it? You can pour cooled brewed tea over your plants to “water” them. You can use chagra as fertilizer. If you want the fertilizer to be finer or you want to get the maximum benefit from your leaves, you can put them in a food processor, spice grinder, or coffee grinder.

Compost—If you have a compost heap, I don’t need to tell you to compost your tea. I’m sure you’ve figured it out yourself. If you’re considering starting a compost heap, tea is great for enriching it.


Household

General Odor and Moisture Removal—Chagra is great for absorbing moisture and odor. Place a teabag or cotton bag full of dry leaves in your trash bin, fridge, bathroom, gym shoes, or wherever else there’s an unpleasant odor or excess moisture.

Carpets—Sprinkle chagra over your carpet. Let it sit for a few minutes. Vacuum. Voila! Odors are reduced in your carpet and your vacuum. I like this use because it’s easy and it doesn’t require any questionable or expensive chemicals.

Wooden Cutting Boards—I’m very careful with my wooden cutting boards. One is for garlic, onions, and other odorous foods, while the others are for everything else. The problem is, my roommates aren’t always so careful. How do I get the garlic smell out before I slice lemons for my iced tea? I spread wet (unscented, unflavored) tealeaves over the cutting board, let them sit for a few minutes, rub them into the wood with my hands, and rinse them off with warm water. If necessary, I repeat the process, but this usually works on the first try.

Simmering Potpourri—My mom used to do this when I was a kid. It really works! Fill a large saucepan with water. Add cloves, cinnamon, and used tealeaves (in the winter) or citrus rinds and used tealeaves (in the summer). Flavored, scented, or regular tealeaves work well. Just be sure the scents don’t clash. Simmer on low and check on it every hour or so—don’t leave it unattended. Add water or make a new mix as needed.

New Wood Smell—If you just moved into a new home or bought new wooden furniture and you don’t like the smell, then try this. Put some damp tealeaves onto a soft cotton cloth. Buff the offending wooden surfaces. Repeat a few times until the smell is gone.

Cat Litter—Tealeaves serve a dual purpose with cat litter. They deodorize AND they’re antimicrobial. Just scatter chagra into the cat box. I wish I’d known about this when I last lived with a cat-owner!

Incense—Chagra makes pleasingly subtle incense that removes odors from your household. It also works as a natural bug repellent for common pests like mosquitoes and flies. Place compressed dry leaves on a nonflammable incense burner (stone works well).

Bug Repellent—See “Incense.”

Mirrors—For streak-free, shiny mirrors without an ammonia smell or weird chemicals involved, clean your mirrors with tealeaves. Put damp tealeaves onto a soft cotton cloth, wipe them onto your mirrors, leave them there for a minute, and wipe them off with the cloth. Buff the mirrors a bit with the cloth if you’d like, then look yourself in the eye and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Rust Prevention—The tannin in tea binds to iron, creating a thin, rust-protective coating. Black tea is highest in tannins, so it’s best for this use. You can use it for steel knives, iron pots, and even that Modernist steel sculpture looming in the foyer. Just wipe on, leave for a minute, and wipe off. Repeat as needed. (The more wear the item gets, the more often you need to repeat.)


Other Uses

Pet Food—I can’t vouch for this personally, but I hear that rabbits love tealeaves mixed with oats. I’d suggest white or green tea unless you want a hyper rabbit.

More Uses—There are more uses out there for used tealeaves. If you’d like to share one with me, contact me!


How to Dry Chagra

Chagra simply means dry, used tealeaves. There are a few ways you can dry your leaves after use.

The easiest way requires warm, sunny weather. Just spread the leaves on a cloth and leave them in the sunlight until they’re dry.

If you’re missing warmth and/or sunlight, there’s another way for you. Strain the leaves well, pressing them to extract as much liquid as you can. Spread them over a cookie sheet and place them in the oven on very low heat. Flip the leaves over a few times, warming them until they’re dry. (Some say you can use a rolling pin and paper towels to dry your leaves, but I know from experience that this takes WAY too long and doesn’t fully dry them. I don’t suggest trying it at home or elsewhere!)

Use unscented, unflavored tealeaves unless you want a particular aroma for your particular usage. Enjoy your tealeaves!