Honeysuckle, Mulberry Leaf, and Apricot Kernel Tea

Herbal Tea Name: Honeysuckle, Mulberry Leaf, and Apricot Kernel Tea

Chinese Name: 银花桑杏茶

Formula

30 grams of honeysuckle, 30 grams of mulberry leaves, and 15 grams of apricot kernels.

Main Ingredients

How To Make

Wash the mulberry leaves, chop them finely, place them in a gauze bag, tie the bag tightly, and set aside. Soak the apricot kernels in clean water for a short while, then place them in a clay pot along with the washed honeysuckle flowers. Add the mulberry leaf bag and an appropriate amount of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Once the apricot kernels are soft and mushy, remove the herb bag, and the tea is ready.

Efficacy

Dispels wind, clears the lungs, relieves cough, and resolves phlegm. Suitable for acute bronchitis of the wind-heat type.

Usage

Drink in the morning and evening as a tea substitute; drink frequently and finish the entire amount within the same day.

Commentary

Taking honeysuckle (Jin-yin-hua) as the chief herb, the formula draws on its sweet flavor and cold property: it enters the Lung, Heart, Stomach meridians and works to clear heat and remove toxins, disperse wind-heat. Mulberry leaves act as the deputy ingredient. Sweet, bitter-cold in property, it enters the Lung, Liver meridians and works to disperse wind-heat, clear lung heat and moisten dryness. Apricot kernels (Xing-ren) add further support, working to descend counter-flow lung qi and dissolve phlegm-stagnation to stop cough, moisten the intestines. Without a separate harmonizing herb, the herbal tea formula balance is achieved through the mutual tempering of its active ingredients. Collectively, the combination dispel wind, clear the lungs, relieve cough, resolve phlegm, addressing the wind-heat and heat pattern.

Honeysuckle, Mulberry Leaf, and Apricot Kernel Tea,From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Dispels wind, clears the lungs, relieves cough, and resolves phlegm. Suitable for acute bronchitis of the wind-heat type.