As spring warms and flowers bloom, many women who love beauty brew and drink tea made from fresh flowers. Each type of flower has its own "personality," and consumption should be tailored to individual circumstances. Chrysanthemum can help lower blood pressure, dilate coronary arteries, and has antibacterial properties; Honeysuckle is mainly used to treat sores, carbuncles, and dysentery caused by heat-toxin. Drinking it in the summer can prevent dysentery, but it is not suitable for long-term consumption, nor for individuals with a deficiency-cold constitution or during menstruation. Jasmine can be used to make tea, but not in excessive amounts. Flowers such as Yellow Azalea and Oleander contain toxic substances and should not be used to make tea. Rose has a fragrant aroma, regulates qi and invigorates blood, and has a certain effect on facial chloasma. It is suitable for young and middle-aged women.
Making ginkgo tea from freshly picked leaves is very dangerous. Ginkgo leaves are a traditional Chinese medicine. While ginkgo leaf extracts contain components that invigorate blood, resolve stasis, and open the meridians, they are different from the unprocessed leaves. Ginkgo leaves contain toxic components; using them to make tea without proper processing can cause side effects such as paroxysmal spasms, nerve paralysis, and allergic reactions. Most traditional Chinese medicines are not suitable for long-term consumption like tea. Excessive dosage or prolonged use can lead to adverse effects. For example, after drinking wild chrysanthemum tea, some people may experience digestive reactions such as stomach discomfort.
Some people believe that starting to drink herbal tea now can not only clear internal heat but also prevent heatstroke in the summer. A few even believe that herbal tea can cure all illnesses. Herbal teas are composed of herbs that are bitter in taste and cold in nature. They can be taken for colds, fever, headaches, and sore throat, as well as for disease prevention in very hot and humid seasons. However, for individuals with a weak constitution and infants, it may damage the spleen and lungs. Many herbs have a certain degree of toxicity and require processing or pairing with other herbs that have mutually restraining or synergistic properties to avoid harming people. Folk "remedies" should be approached with extreme caution. Most people have limited ability to identify herbs, so it is best not to pick them randomly. One should purchase ready-made traditional Chinese medicines from regular pharmacies.
When the concentration of theophylline, caffeine, and theobromine in tea is too high, it can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, affecting appetite and hindering digestion and absorption. Therefore, people with stomach ulcers should drink less tea. Additionally, the elderly and patients with poor kidney function should not drink large amounts of tea. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or menstruating, as well as patients with ulcers, severe arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, insomnia, and fever, should also pay attention to drinking less or no tea at all.