Six Proven Health-Preserving Tea Recipes for Spring

Spring is the beginning of the year, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine, and the spring scenery is charming. Auspicious and festive blessings fill every household, and banquets are often held. If one can appropriately choose and consume fragrant flower teas, it can invigorate the spirit, dispel the stagnant coldness accumulated in the body, and promote the generation and ascent of the body’s yang qi. Alternatively, one can choose black tea to counteract the greasiness of banquet food and aid digestion.

1. Sanxian Tea for Clearing Heat and Strengthening the Stomach

Efficacy: Clears stomach heat and promotes fluid production, helps with occasional stomach-heat-induced thirst and restlessness, aids digestion and strengthens the stomach. It is suitable for conditions such as post-banquet overindulgence, excessive consumption of greasy foods, and food stagnation due to stomach heat.

Prescription: Jiao San Xian (referring to Jiao Shan Zha (Crataegus Fructus Preparata), Jiao Shen Qu (Massa Medicata Fermentata Preparata), Jiao Mai Ya (Hordei Fructus Germinatus Preparata)) 4.5 grams each, Zhi Ke (Aurantii Fructus, stir-fried until charred) 4.5 grams, Guang Chen Pi (Citrus Reticulatae Pericarpium) 3 grams, Jiu Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma processed with wine) 2.5 grams, Xi Sheng Di (Rehmanniae Radix) 9 grams, Gan Ju (Chrysanthemi Flos) 9 grams, Xian Lu Gen (Phragmitis Rhizoma) 2 grams (minced), Zhu Ye (Lophatheri Herba) 2.5 grams.

Usage: Decoct in water and drink as tea.

Source: Selected Discussions on Medical Prescriptions for Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

2. Juhong Sanxian Tea

Efficacy: Disperses cold and regulates qi, promotes digestion and helps with occasional abdominal distension. It is applicable for food accumulation, alcohol-induced discomfort, and cough due to wind-cold.

Prescription: 18 grams each of Jiao San Xian (fried Hawthorn Fruit, Fried Malt, Fried Medicated Leaven), 2 slices of Exocarpium Citri Rubrum.

Usage: Decoct in water and drink as tea.

Source: Selected Discussions on Medical Prescriptions for Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

3.Almond Tea

Efficacy: Moistens the Lungs and generates body fluids, aids digestion and resolves food accumulation. It can be consumed in all seasons and is particularly suitable for spring.

Prescription: 400 grams of rice, 100 grams of glutinous rice, 15 grams of almonds, 500 grams of white sugar, 10 grams of sweet osmanthus sugar (the above ingredients can make 20 bowls)

Preparation method: Wash the rice and glutinous rice together, and soak them in cold water for 2 hours. Soak the almonds in warm water for 15 minutes, then remove, rub off the yellow skins, wash them, and grind them together with the rice and glutinous rice into a thin paste with 250 grams of cold water for later use.

Pour 4000 grams of cold water into a pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Pour the thin paste into the pot and stir well. After the water boils, cook for about 5 minutes to make almond tea. Then ladle it into an aluminum bucket and keep it warm over low heat. When serving, pour the almond tea into a bowl and add an appropriate amount of white sugar and sugar-infused osmanthus juice (dissolve sugar-infused osmanthus in 100 grams of warm water). Almond tea is white in color, delicate, sweet, and has an almond aroma. Nowadays, snack shops in Beijing often offer almond tea as one of the breakfast options.

Usage: Consume it while hot, 1 to 2 bowls each time.

Origin: Beijing folk-style snacks.

4.Sugarcane Black Tea

Efficacy: Clearing heat and promoting fluid production, sobering up and harmonizing the stomach. It is used to supports dry climate-induced signs of imbalance such as dry throat, thirst, itchy throat with cough, and overconsumption of rich and greasy foods. It is an ideal health beverage for spring.

Prescription: Sugar Cane 500 g, Black Tea 5 g.

Usage: Peel the sugarcane, chop it up, and boil it together with black tea. Drink it as tea.

Source: Folk single and empirical prescriptions from the Kaifeng region.

5. Chrysanthemum Green Tea Beverage

Efficacy: Clears heat and detoxifies, helps maintain colds, calms the mind and improves eyesight. Suitable for sudden temperature changes in spring, dry climate, Liver-fire-induced headaches with red eyes, and discomfort from drunkenness.

Prescription: 12 grams of Kaifeng Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium ‘Kaifeng’), 5 grams of green tea, 30 grams of white sugar.

Usage: Decoct in water and take as tea, 1 dose per day.

6. Dandelion Longjing Tea

Efficacy: Clears heat and reduces inflammation, strengthens the brain and improves eyesight, supports wind-heat cold, sore throat and swelling, insomnia and headache caused by excessive Heart fire.

Prescription: Taraxaci Herba (Dandelion) 20 g, Longjing tea 3 g.

Usage: Brew with boiling water and use as a tea substitute.

Source: An empirical formula from Zhao Shijie, a renowned flower cultivation expert in Kaifeng.