Spring weather is unpredictable, with alternating warm and cold spells, which many babies can't handle. It's easy for babies to develop symptoms of "internal heat" (shanghuo). At times like this, mothers can use common ingredients to help alleviate the heat. This approach is not only easily accepted by babies but also effective in treatment.
If your baby is showing signs of internal heat, you can try food therapy to help cool them down. You likely have many effective heat-clearing ingredients on hand. Today, I'll recommend a few "natural heat-clearing teas" that you can make by steeping ingredients in water. Unlike the extremely bitter traditional herbal teas that babies often dislike, these natural ingredients create a light and refreshing aroma, making them much more palatable for children.
Honey Fruit Tea
For babies with internal heat, drinking fruit-infused water can help expel toxins. Fruits like apples, pears, oranges, and pomelos can all be steeped in water. You can also add honey rock sugar for extra sweetness, which is quite effective for clearing heat. The light, sweet taste is very popular with children. When making fruit tea, it's best to use no more than three ingredients, as too many can compromise the flavor.
Lemons are rich in Vitamin C, but because the pulp is extremely sour, it's not suitable to eat them directly. Slicing and steeping them in water helps release the nutrients. Lemon water is very effective for quenching thirst and cutting through grease. You might worry that such a sour lemon would be harsh on your baby's stomach, but there's no need to be concerned: the water from steeping one or two slices of lemon is very mild, not as stimulating as a carbonated drink.
When making lemon water for your baby, it's best to use fresh lemons rather than dried ones, as fresh lemons have a higher Vitamin C content. The water temperature for steeping should be controlled between 60°C and 70°C.
For babies with internal heat, drink Lo Han Guo water: to clear heat and cool the blood.
Lo Han Guo has multiple benefits, including clearing heat and cooling the blood, promoting fluid production to relieve cough, moistening the intestines to relieve constipation, and moistening the lungs to resolve phlegm. A Lo Han Guo fruit from the pharmacy can be broken into small pieces to brew several cups of water. It's best not to use too much at once, as it can become overly sweet and unpleasant.
For babies with internal heat, drink chrysanthemum tea: excellent for reducing "heatiness".
Chrysanthemum tea is the most common beverage. Chrysanthemums are known for expelling wind-heat, subduing liver yang, clearing the liver to improve vision, and clearing heat and detoxifying. However, chrysanthemum tea is on the cooling side. If you're concerned about it being too "cold," you can add a little rock sugar to slightly temper its cooling nature.
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