I am a big fan of flower teas. I like the taste of flower tea, the aroma of it, and the look of it. Nothing beats the fullness of a peaceful moment when I curl up on a couch holding a glass of flower tea, smell the aroma mixed with steam and watch the pink petals slowly sink to the bottom of the glass while listening to the raindrops pounding on the window panel. Hum—life is good.
Chinese medicine uses various flowers for nutritional or therapeutic uses. Each flower has its own healing power and each synergizes with different type of tea. The following are some flower teas I use regularly.
Osmanthus (sweet olive) tea
Material: equal amount of dry osmanthus (sweet olive) and green tea
Usage: Brew the tea boiling water for 5 minutes and serve.
Effect: Osmanthus tea is believed to be anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. The team is further believed to increase the blood circulation and moisturize the skin. Chinese herbalists use this tea to treat dry skin and dry throat. .
Saffron sandalwood tea
Material: saffron, sandalwood 5 grams, 2 grams of green tea, 30 grams of brown sugar.
Usage: brew the mixture in boiling water for 5 minutes and serve. Once a day.
Usage: brew the mixture in boiling water for 5 minutes and serve. Once a day.
Effect: saffron is sweet and is rich in vitamins and bio-active ingredients. The herb is believed to nourish the blood, increase blood circulation, lower blood pressure and blood lipids, inhibition of thrombosis, and strengthen cardiovascular system. Traditional Chinese medicine uses the herb to clarify the skin and beautify the hair.
Note: avoid this tea before bedtime.
Rose tea
Material: Rosebuds or rose petals 3 to 5 grams, 3 grams of oolong tea, sugar or a little honey as needed.
Use: Brew the mixture in hot water for 5 minutes, add honey or sugar, and serve.
Effect: Rose tea is believed to promote blood circulation, detoxify the liver, lower blood lipids, promote weight loss, moisturize the skin, and beautify the body. Sometimes, the tea is used to treat dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation in Chinese medicine.
Thanks for reading.
Connie
wonderful suggestions, can some of these teas be used as a spritzer for the face? cooled down and put in a spray bottle?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good thought. For short term use, you can use these flower teas as spritzers. Definitely cool the tea down before the use. For use as a spritzer, don't add sugar. I would personally leave the honey out to. But you can add honey, just make sure it's very diluted.
ReplyDeleteIn general, avoid using any tea overnight. Tea contains phenol-based anti-oxidants. However, the oxidation process can cause these anti-oxidants to oxidize and aggregate into tannin like compounds, which tend to be harmful.
I have provided some flower water based skin-toners in my early posts. I will provide more flower water receipts for skincare use.
Thanks for reading the blog!