At one time, drinking herbal tea was seen as a symbol of being "petty bourgeoisie," but now it has become a popular beverage. Whether in pharmacies or supermarkets, there are special counters selling herbal teas, where consumers can buy them by weight or choose pre-mixed combinations. Pre-mixed herbal teas are often advertised with different effects, such as detoxifying and beautifying, weight loss, detoxifying and reducing acne, or nourishing the kidneys and boosting qi. Although "food and medicine share the same origin," common herbal tea ingredients like cassia seed and malva nut are actually traditional Chinese medicines. "All medicine has some toxicity," and seemingly gentle, harmless, and health-promoting herbal teas can become a "poisonous tea" if consumed improperly.
1. Some herbal teas are not suitable for regular consumption
Herbal tea refers to a herbal beverage made by boiling or steeping parts of plants such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or peels to produce an aromatic flavor. Since every flower and herb has its corresponding nature, taste, and effects, if used correctly, herbal teas can indeed have certain health benefits. However, consumption should be limited to a specific period, and adjustments should be made based on one's own constitution. Drinking excessively can also cause physical discomfort. For example, malva nut tea is used for a sudden hoarse voice accompanied by cough, thirst, and sore throat. But if consumed long-term as a health drink, it can cause side effects such as a weak spleen and stomach, loose stools, and reduced appetite.
2. Drinking "tea" also requires对症 (treating the specific condition)
The main reason people drink herbal tea is for its health benefits. Therefore, understanding your own constitution and the nature, taste, and effects of herbal teas are two very important points when choosing them. For instance, lotus plumule, chrysanthemum, mint leaf, malva nut, Kudingcha, and butterfly pea flower are all relatively cooling herbs. They can be steeped when there are heat-related symptoms like lung heat and sore throat, but consumption should be reduced or stopped once the symptoms improve.
Some women's health experts suggest drinking more rose tea and motherwort tea. Rose tea indeed has the effects of regulating qi to relieve depression, promoting blood circulation, alleviating pain, and soothing emotions, making it very suitable for women. However, women with a significant qi deficiency should use it with caution and drink less to avoid worsening the deficiency symptoms. Motherwort has the effects of invigorating blood to remove stasis and clearing heat and toxins. It is more suitable for women with irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, or abdominal pain. However, those with yin deficiency and blood deficiency should avoid it, as its blood-invigorating effect can lead to blood deficiency and damage to yin.
Many women also like to casually steep a few slices of lemon in water to supplement vitamin C and make their skin fairer. Lemon water is rich in vitamin C and has antibacterial and immune-boosting effects. However, due to its acidity, it should not be consumed on an empty stomach. Drinking too much can also damage the gastric mucosa and is not good for teeth.
Women all hope to have bright, beautiful eyes without wearing cosmetic contact lenses, and cassia seed has the effect of improving eyesight. In addition, it also has functions such as regulating immunity, inhibiting bacteria, anti-cancer, lowering blood pressure, regulating blood lipids, and promoting bowel movements. It seems like a very ideal drink, but it is not suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach, spleen deficiency with diarrhea, or low blood pressure. In summary, only by selecting herbal teas scientifically can the goals of health preservation and wellness be achieved.
3. Pre-mixed herbal teas may have conflicting medicinal properties
There are many pre-mixed combination herbal teas on the market now. If you buy them, it is best to go to a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. The combination herbal teas sold here are generally prepared by TCM doctors who have a good grasp of which medicinal herbs have conflicting properties. When buying combination herbal teas from supermarkets or online, one should be cautious and最好请懂中医的人帮忙参考 (it's best to ask someone knowledgeable in TCM for help).
The pairing of herbal teas can be chosen based on the mutual generation and restriction of their nature, taste, and effects. In terms of nature and taste, most edible herbs are classified as warm, cool, or neutral. Warm edible herbs mainly include plum blossom, jasmine tea, rose, Chinese rose, and saffron; cool edible herbs mainly include self-heal, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and pagoda tree flowers; neutral herbs mainly include albizzia flower, corn silk, cotton rose, and lavender. When pairing, it is best not to mix warm-natured herbs with cool-natured ones. In terms of effects, for example, steeping a more invigorating herb with lavender will weaken its effect. Similarly, cassia seed has a certain laxative effect. If paired with lotus plumule, the astringent effect of the lotus plumule will weaken the laxative effect of the cassia seed.
4. The "nature" of the "tea" is determined by your constitution
In addition to the medicinal properties, drinking herbal tea also requires attention to your physical condition. Each herbal tea has specific effects, so when choosing, on one hand, you need to understand your own constitution. For example, people with a heat constitution should choose cooling herbs, while those with a deficient and cold constitution should choose warming herbs. Neutral herbs are generally suitable for most people. On the other hand, if you are currently taking medication, you should be even more cautious when choosing herbal teas. For example, a patient taking blood pressure medication should monitor their blood pressure if they also drink cassia seed tea to prevent excessive blood pressure reduction. Choosing the right herbal tea according to your physical condition is the only way to achieve health benefits while enjoying herbal tea.