What is Maple Water?
What Exactly is Maple Water?
Maple water is pure sap from the maple trees. It's a common misconception that all sap is sticky. Maple sap actually looks and feels just like regular water. The main difference is that maple water goes through a natural process that infuses it with plant-powered nutrients. In early spring, maple trees pull water from the ground and filter it through their roots. This water collects nutrients stored in the tree all winter and provides hydration and nourishment that enable trees' growth and rejuvenation in the spring renewal season.
Trees produce sap most of the year, but it’s only during the spring thaw that conditions are just right to harvest maple sap. In March and April, when the temps are warm during the day and below freezing at night, we tap the trees and collect the nutrient-packed water.
We don’t add anything, and it’s not a byproduct from making maple syrup. In fact, the folks that work in the sugar houses have been drinking maple sap to stay hydrated during sugaring season for decades!
Oh, and did we mention it’s totally harmless to the trees? It actually encourages responsible forestry and can help incentivize landowners to keep healthy forests on their lands! Maple syrup requires 40 gallons of sap to create 1 gallon of syrup, with our maple water 1 gallon of sap produces 1 gallon of maple water so a farmers harvest can have a much more significant economic impact for their operation.
People who drink maple water benefit from phytochemicals and hydration, while enjoying a slightly sweet, faintly woodsy taste. You can read about the Top Ten Benefits of Maple Water here.
A study done by Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Tokushima Bunri University showed that the polyphenols and antioxidants present in maple water (and to be noted that are not found in maple syrup) have an antioxidant and phenolic activity to help with the prevention in aging.
A study done by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette showed that people were able to consume more oxygen during exercise after consuming Maple Water. Maple Water is an excellent choice for anyone set to engage in more extended duration exercise as the study showed that maple water boosts aerobic performance.
The University of Northern Texas found that maple water hydrates at double the speed as regular water.
A Study in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine found that drinking maple water before alcohol can boost the rate at which alcohol is metabolized in the body. Therefore, this could potentially reduce, or lessen the severity of a hangover.