Many people enjoy brewing a cup of chrysanthemum tea at their desk while working or studying, and it's a common sight in hotels and restaurants. But how much do you really know about chrysanthemum tea?
Yellow chrysanthemum dispels heat, while white chrysanthemum brightens the eyes. Chrysanthemum has a refreshing, cool fragrance, a pungent, sweet, and bitter taste, and a slightly cold nature that affects the Lung and Liver meridians. Today's market offers two main types of chrysanthemum: yellow and white. Yellow chrysanthemum is suitable for dispelling wind-heat and can prevent and treat wind-heat colds. White chrysanthemum is better for calming the liver, clearing liver heat, and brightening the eyes, and can be used for symptoms like headaches and dizziness. There is also wild chrysanthemum, which has smaller, yellower flowers and a less attractive shape. Wild chrysanthemum has the strongest effect for clearing heat and detoxifying and is effective for relieving sores, toothaches, and bad breath.
Brew and drink it fresh. Chrysanthemum tea is rich in flavonoids, which have excellent antioxidant properties and help the body eliminate free radicals. It also offers multiple health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and inhibiting high blood pressure. However, flavonoids are very unstable and can be easily oxidized, causing the tea to lose its yellow color and turn green, and its health benefits will be diminished. Therefore, chrysanthemum tea should be brewed and consumed immediately and not left for long.
People who are sensitive to cold or have a weak spleen and stomach should drink it in moderation. Regardless of the type, all chrysanthemums are inherently cold. Generally, individuals with a yang-deficient constitution (who often feel cold) or a weak spleen and stomach (who experience stomach pain or discomfort after eating cold things) should not drink it in large quantities.
For those with a 'heaty' body constitution, do not add rock sugar. For people with a 'cold' and weak body constitution, adding a little rock sugar to chrysanthemum tea can slightly reduce its cold nature, making it more suitable for their body. However, for those with a 'heaty' and strong constitution, adding rock sugar will weaken the tea's heat-clearing effect.
Pair with goji berries to nourish the liver and kidneys; add mulberry leaves to treat colds. Take 6 grams of white chrysanthemum and 10 grams of goji berries, place them in a teacup, and steep with boiling water for 10-15 minutes before drinking. Chrysanthemum is sweet and nourishing to the liver and kidneys, and when paired with goji berries, which also tonify the liver and kidneys, the effect is enhanced. Take 6 grams of yellow chrysanthemum and 6 grams of mulberry leaves, and brew as described above. Both mulberry leaves and chrysanthemum can dispel wind-heat and clear liver heat to brighten the eyes; when used together, they can relieve symptoms like fever and headaches at the onset of a wind-heat cold.