Making mulberry leaf tea is straightforward: steep dried mulberry leaves in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, strain, and drink. You can use leaves you’ve dried yourself from a mulberry tree or buy them pre-dried from tea shops and online retailers. The resulting tea is naturally caffeine-free, mildly sweet, and has a grassy flavor similar to green tea.
Harvesting and Drying Fresh Leaves
If you have access to a mulberry tree, pick young to medium-sized leaves in spring or early summer. Young leaves contain higher concentrations of beneficial compounds than mature ones. Choose leaves that are bright green, free of spots or insect damage, and haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Rinse them thoroughly under cool water and pat dry.
You have three options for drying. Air drying is the simplest: spread the leaves in a single layer on a clean rack or screen in a warm, well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. They’ll take 3 to 5 days to dry completely and should feel papery and crumble easily when ready. For faster results, use a food dehydrator set to about 95 to 105°F (35 to 40°C) for 6 to 12 hours. Oven drying works too: set your oven to its lowest temperature (usually around 170°F), prop the door open slightly, and check every 30 minutes until the leaves are brittle. Lower temperatures preserve more of the plant’s active compounds.
Once fully dried, crumble or cut the leaves into smaller pieces and store them in an airtight container away from light and moisture. They’ll keep for up to a year.
Brewing the Tea
For a single cup, use about 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried, crumbled mulberry leaves (roughly 2 to 3 grams). Bring water to around 175 to 200°F (80 to 93°C), just below a full boil. Water that’s too hot can make the tea taste bitter. Pour the water over the leaves in a cup or teapot and let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes. A shorter steep gives a lighter, more delicate flavor; a longer steep produces a stronger, more herbaceous cup with more of the leaf’s compounds extracted into the water.
Strain out the leaves using a fine mesh strainer or tea infuser. The tea has a naturally mild sweetness on its own, but you can add honey or lemon if you prefer. It’s equally good served hot or chilled over ice. For iced tea, brew it double strength (use twice the leaves) since the ice will dilute it.
Powder Preparation
In Japan, Korea, and China, mulberry leaves are also ground into a fine powder and used much like matcha. To make your own, take fully dried leaves and grind them in a spice grinder, blender, or mortar and pestle until you get a smooth, bright green powder. Sift it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any fibrous bits.
To brew with powder, whisk about half a teaspoon into hot water. You can also blend it into smoothies, stir it into yogurt, or mix it into baked goods. The powder delivers a more concentrated dose of the leaf’s nutrients compared to steeped tea, since you’re consuming the whole leaf rather than just what dissolves into the water.
Why People Drink It
Mulberry leaf tea’s biggest claim to fame is its effect on blood sugar. The leaves contain a natural compound that mimics glucose and blocks the enzyme your body uses to break down sugars in the gut. This means less sugar gets absorbed into your bloodstream after a meal. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial published in Nutrition & Metabolism, mulberry leaf extract taken with a sugary meal reduced peak blood glucose by 40% and the overall blood sugar response by 42% compared to placebo. Insulin levels dropped by a similar margin.
The key compound varies in concentration depending on the variety and age of the leaf. Across 132 mulberry varieties, mature leaves contained between 0.13 and 1.47 milligrams per gram of dried leaf, while younger leaves from some varieties contained significantly more. This is one reason young leaves are preferred for tea.
Beyond blood sugar, mulberry leaves contain antioxidants and flavonoids with anti-inflammatory properties. The tea is popular across East Asia both as a daily drink and as a traditional remedy for managing metabolic health.
Safety and Side Effects
Mulberry leaf tea is considered safe for most adults. In studies, powdered leaf has been used at doses of about 1 gram three times daily for up to 3 months without serious issues. Some people experience mild digestive effects like bloating, gas, or loose stools, especially when first starting out.
The blood sugar-lowering effect that makes this tea appealing also creates a real interaction risk. If you take diabetes medications, drinking mulberry leaf tea could push your blood sugar too low. Research has also shown that extended use of mulberry leaf extract can slow the body’s clearance of metformin, potentially increasing that drug’s effects. If you’re on blood sugar-lowering medication, monitoring is important.
Tips for the Best Cup
- Leaf quality matters. Bright green dried leaves with a fresh, grassy smell produce the best-tasting tea. Brown or musty-smelling leaves have likely degraded.
- Timing with meals. If you’re drinking it for blood sugar benefits, have it with or just before a meal containing carbohydrates. The active compound works by interfering with sugar absorption during digestion.
- Start mild. Begin with a lighter steep (5 minutes, 1 teaspoon) to see how you like the flavor and how your stomach responds before going stronger.
- Resteep the leaves. Dried mulberry leaves can handle a second steeping. The second cup will be milder but still flavorful.