FROM CUP TO CURE: SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED FROM BUTTERFLY PEA AND GINGER HERBAL TEA FOR DIABETES AND OBESITY MANAGEMENT
Herbal teas made from plants other than Camellia sinensis, like ginger (Zingiber officinale) and butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), offer notable health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory properties. This study employed green synthesis methods to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracts from ginger and butterfly pea as reducing and capping agents. The characterization of the AgNPs through UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed their successful synthesis. Antimicrobial tests against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli showed that the green-synthesized AgNPs had greater efficacy than those made using traditional methods. Additionally, the preparation of herbal tea involved drying the ingredients at 60°C for 2 to 3.5 hours, with varying amounts of ginger powder (1–3%). The best results were achieved with 3.5 hours of drying and a 3% concentration of ginger, yielding 4.25% moisture content and 5.04% ash content. These findings highlight that ginger and butterfly pea herbal tea can be a healthy beverage and a sustainable method for producing biologically active silver nanoparticles with significant antimicrobial and therapeutic properties.