The Best Palo Azul Tea: Buying Guide & Reviews

For centuries, the ancient tribes of the New World relied on a mystical plant to promote health and well-being: The Palo Azul Tree. In this post, we’ve brewed up your guide to the best Palo Azul tea.

Known as the “blue stick” for its vibrant blue wood, Palo Azul was brewed into a tea to support kidney health and urinary functions, as well as increase overall vitality. The Native Americans grew this herb in the dry climate of Central and South America, but they weren’t fascinated by the attractive shrub or white flowers. Instead, they appreciated the value of the blue bark of the tree and the magical drink they prepared by boiling or steeping it.

Today, this tea is readily available at wellness and online stores. So, which is the best Palo Azul tea on the market? Grab a mug and read on to find out.

What is Palo Azul Tea?

Palo Azul, or Eysenhardtia polystachya, is a small flowering tree native to Central and South America. 

To make Palo Azul tea, the inner blue wood of the tree is chipped or shredded and then brewed into a vibrant blue-hued herbal tea. 

This mystical tea contains high levels of flavonoids, compounds that give it its signature blue color and provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It’s also rich in several minerals and vitamins. 

Palo Azul tea has an earthy, woody taste reminiscent of yerba mate. It can be enjoyed either hot or chilled by simply steeping a couple of tablespoons of palo azul wood chips in eight ounces of hot water for an hour or more. 

The result? A smooth and earthy tea with an unusual color and fantastic health benefits. 

The Best Palo Azul Tea on the Market

Now that you know the benefits of Palo Azul tea, you’re probably wondering where to get it.

Thankfully, you don’t have to embark on a treacherous quest through South American terrain. Many marketplaces offer this precious tea and will ship it right to your door. Here are some of the best choices available:

1. Kidney Wood Palo Azul Natural Kidney Cleanse

Kidney Wood Palo Azul Natural Kidney Cleanse tea, made from the inner wood of the Palo Azul tree, brews into a vibrant blue hue with an earthy flavor. 

Rich in antioxidant flavonoids, it offers both a unique color and significant health benefits, especially for kidney health and detoxification. 

This tea is a natural choice for enhancing wellness with its unusual taste and supportive properties.

Pros:

• Turns into a bright blue color when brewed properly, indicating potency. 
• Can make a lot of tea from a small amount of bark. 
• The resealable bag keeps it fresh. 

Cons:

• The bitter taste may not appeal to some. 
• Needs to be boiled for a while before it turns blue. 

2. Yerbero Palo Azul Herbal Loose Tea

If you’re looking for sustainably harvested Palo Azul wood, the Yerbero Palo Azul Herbal Loose Tea is the one to buy. It brews blue tea with a fantastic flavor and is available in multiple sizes, from two ounces to one pound. 

Pros:

• You can reuse the wood chips for multiple batches because of the bark’s high quality. 
• Has a smooth and subtle flavor. 

Cons:

• Some pieces may be too large and hard to use. 
• Requires a long boil time to turn blue. 

3. Alfabel Natural Solution Palo Azul Tea

Alfabel Natural Solution Palo Azul Tea is crafted from the premium inner wood of the Palo Azul tree, ensuring a pure brew without any added colors or additives. 

Packaged in a resealable stand-up pouch, it offers both quality and convenience, making it easy to enjoy the natural benefits of this distinctive tea.

Pros:

• The color is bright blue compared to other brands. 
• The transparent bag allows you to see how much bark is left without opening it. 

Cons:

• The taste might be too strong for some users. 

4. Palo Azul Tea – 2Lb Bulk Blue Kidney Wood Chips

This 2lb bulk package features pure blue kidney wood chips, known for their strong flavor and natural diuretic effects, ideal for those who use the tea regularly. 

Offering great value, this selection is completely free from any additives or preservatives, ensuring a pure and potent brew every time.

Pros:

• Its bulk size will last for many cups of tea. 
• The company focuses on organic and fair-trade ingredients.

Cons:

• More expensive than other brands. 

5. Tu Salud Plus Palo Azul Tea

This affordable tea is made from blue stick tree bark, without any additives. If this is your first time preparing palo azul tea, you can pick this one because it comes with easy-to-understand preparation instructions. 

Pros:

• It creates a range of brown, red, and blue hues. 
• Offers excellent value for money. 

Cons:

• Some of the chunks are wood, not bark. 
• The flavor is mild compared to some of the other products. 

The Benefits of Palo Azul Tea

Now that you have an idea of the best Palo Azul on the market, it’s time to see what it can offer you.

Here are some of the beneficial properties of Palo Azul tea:

Palo Azul tea is a natural diuretic, helping to flush out toxins. Some herbalists also recommend Palo Azul to help relieve minor urinary issues, which explains why the tree is called kidney wood.  Additionally:

• This tea is easy to prepare and has a rich, woody flavor. You can also enjoy it cold or hot. 
• Palo Azul tea contains no caffeine, so it’s a healthy drink that promotes vitality and improves liver health without disrupting your sleep.
• The tea supports kidney and urinary tract health and is traditionally used for minor urinary issues like UTIs. Regularly drinking this tea can reduce the likelihood of the formation of kidney stones. 
• It contains no calories and increases the metabolism rate to help with weight loss and prevent the buildup of fats. 
• The tea is rich in saponins that decrease the lipids in the body and reduce the risk of cancer. As it reduces cholesterol levels, drinking this tea improves your cardiovascular health. 
• The flavonoids combat cell damage and have an antioxidant effect. 
• The tea reduces inflammation, which leads to cell damage.
• It contains tannins that promote the production of digestive enzymes and flavonoids that aid in bile production for better digestion. 
• You can use this tea as a natural food coloring to add to homemade ice cream, jelly, and baked desserts. 

Choosing the Best Palo Azul Tea

Palo Azul tea is growing in popularity for its vibrant blue color and traditional health benefits. But with so many options on the market, how do you ensure you’re getting an authentic, high-quality product? 

Here are some tips for choosing the best Palo Azul tea:

1. Look for Real Palo Azul Blue

The signature blue hue of Palo Azul tea comes from the inner wood or bark of the Palo Azul tree. Make sure the product you choose contains actual bark chips from this plant. 

Pure Palo Azul wood will turn the water into a bluish hue when boiled or left to simmer in boiling water. Beware of “flavored” teas that don’t contain the real wood.

2. Check Color Transformation

Avoid tea types that contain artificial coloring. Palo Azul tea should be caramel-brown with a cobalt hue on the top, and it gets darker and more blue when you let it simmer. 

Read reviews and look for customer photos of the color change. The wood should turn the water a deep blue within an hour of boiling or simmering. If not, it may be diluted or fake.

3. Consider Convenience

Palo Azul wood chips can be messy to strain and prepare when they’re too big. This is why you should look for finely shredded or small bark pieces. They’re also more affordable. 

Although flakes can be more convenient to use, they might not be as potent as the bark. If you choose teabags, ensure that they don’t contain any additives. 

4. Evaluate the Source

Opt for Palo Azul that has been harvested ethically and sustainably from its native regions in South and Central America. Companies based in these areas likely have the best access to pure, high-quality Palo Azul, while US-based brands may distribute inferior wood.

5. Read Reviews Carefully

Focus on reviews with photos showing the tea’s color and describing prep experiences. Make note of reviews complaining about a lack of blue color or weak flavor, as the product may be diluted or just plain fake. Quality wood should produce a blue tea with an earthy, woodsy taste.

6. Compare Value

Palo Azul tea can range from $1 to $5 per ounce. Evaluate the amount you get and the projected cup yield to the overall price. Consider buying smaller amounts first to gauge quality before purchasing in bulk.

Wrapping Up

Palo Azul tea is rich in nutrients and helps detoxify the body and promote gut and cardiovascular health. You can prepare it by boiling or simmering the bark of the kidney wood tree to enjoy a healthy, earthy blue tea that reduces inflammation and improves metabolism. 

Try the Kidney Wood Palo Azul Natural Kidney Cleanse, as it comes in a resealable bag that keeps it fresh for a long time. 

If you drink this magical blue tea regularly, we recommend you give Yerbero Palo Azul Herbal Loose Tea a try. The high-quality bark is reusable for multiple batches, making it one of the best options for regular Palo Azul drinkers.