Three teas to keep in the office.

Hawthorn and Cassia for Lowering Blood Pressure

Shen Yanying, Vice President of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital: Our ancestors left us many great "water companions". My desk is never without goji berries, fat sea haws, and hawthorn. Goji berry water is well-known for improving eyesight and strengthening the body, but people under 18 should not drink too much of it. Fat sea haws are a treasure for protecting the throat, with noticeable effects after drinking, but you should not drink it continuously for more than a month. In between, I like to drink hawthorn tea, which has the effect of lowering blood lipids and softening blood vessels. If using fresh fruit, consume 2-3 daily, cut in half, and steep in boiling water. If using the dried product, steep 4-5 slices in boiling water daily. The effect is even better if the hawthorn tea is paired with cassia seeds, which can lower blood pressure, and He Shou Wu, an antioxidant.

Hawthorn, Cassia Seed, and Honey Health Tea

Make Your Own Rice Tea for a Dry Mouth

Zhang Ye, Director of the Nutrition Department of the 309th Hospital of the PLA: Different "teas" have different effects. Many people get confused, but it mainly comes down to a few situations: When your skin is dry and dull, you can drink lemon water for a period of time; for those with constipation, some honey water can help; if you always feel a dry mouth, you can drink rice tea consistently. The method for making rice tea is to stir-fry millet until cooked, take an appropriate amount, place it in a cup, add boiling water, and steep for about 15 minutes to drink as tea. When you're in a bad mood, you can choose rose water to drink; when you have "internal heat" (a concept in traditional Chinese medicine), choose green tea or chrysanthemum water to drink. My drinking habit is not to stick to just one type of tea; I rotate through different kinds. But no matter which tea I drink, I make sure to drink about 800ml of plain water every day.

Drink More Perilla Tea for Your Throat

Ma Yuling, Senior German Translator: Germans are very particular about tea. Besides black tea and Pu-erh tea, they also value the therapeutic effects of tea. For example, at tea stalls, they sell appetizing and beautifying dried flower teas and fruit teas (including apple, pear, strawberry, banana, and hawthorn teas); and functional teas that can prevent illness, such as sleep-aid, digestion-aid, and cough-suppressing teas. I talk a lot, so I often drink perilla tea, and the tea bag packaging says it is effective for pharyngitis. The instructions for use state: Steep in boiling water for 6 minutes before drinking. Once, I had a cold and a high fever, and my landlord brought me a bowl of strawberry water. She added half a pound of strawberries and a cup of water, brought it to a boil, then simmered it on low heat for another 5 minutes. After drinking, I sweated a lot and my body temperature returned to normal.