Porangaba tea is a type of weight loss tea. It is found growing mainly in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Acre and Goias. Also known as Cha de Bugre. It is found in certain tropical forest areas of Argentina and Paraguay as well. It grows from a small tree known as Cordia salicifolia that produces a red fruit that resembles a coffee bean, which is roasted and brewed as tea and can be used as a coffee substitute. The tree being native to Brazilian states has got a few other names as well, which includes: cha de frade, louro-salgueiro, claraiba, rabugem, cafezinho, grao-do-porco, coquelicot, bois d’ine, de-negro-mina. The variety of names is a testimony to its long history and popularity in Brazilian culture.

The method of making porangaba tea is just like any other tea. It can be consumed both hot and cold. It is available all over Brazil sold in cafes, pharmacies etc. and exported to many other parts of the world in various forms such as tea bags, liquid tinctures and extracts. It is also the chief component of Brazilian diet pills. It contains high amount of potassium, caffeine, allantoin and allantoic acid. There are numerous health benefits of drinking porangaba tea. It helps reduce fatty tissues and improves the respiratory function of the body helping a person do strenuous exercises and other without the loss of breath. It also works as an anti-cellulite and helps suppressing appetite. Research has pointed that it is not only an appetite suppressant but it also acts as a heart tonic. A research in 1997, where a few rabbits and guinea pigs were given an extract of Cordia salicifolia leaves and results showed the increased cardiovascular activities in the animals used for the experiment.

Health Benefits of Porangaba Tea:

Blood Circulation:

The tea is reputed to have properties which help in improvement of blood circulation in the body. Thus it has quite naturally become popular with many fitness training enthusiasts not only because of its fat reducing abilities but also because of its property of being a mild stimulant that helps in increasing metabolism and raising energy levels. Research shows that porangaba tea has anti-viral properties. Researchers pre-treated cells with the leaf extract of Cordia salicifolia. This proved that the compounds resulted in reduced entry of herpes virus into the cell by as high as 99%.