Chinese herbal teas are technically referred to as Tisanes (also, “ptisan”). Chinese herbal teas are actually not made from the tea bush and because they’re not they do not contain caffeine which some people might believe.
Chinese herbal teas are traditionally used for their medicinal and healing properties. However, there are many varieties that are also enjoyed simply for their taste. Herbal teas are generally made from fresh or dried plant components such as flowers, leaves, crushed seeds, roots, hips, fruit, or stems. The plants and herbs used in herbal teas may be selected for either their flavor or homeopathic properties, or a combination of both. Herbs you might expect in foods such as rosemary, mint, sage, and thyme are also frequent components.
The Benefits of Chinese Herbal Tea
One of the well-known benefits of Chinese herbal tea is that it is a caffeine free alternative to real tea. Many of them are considered to be very soothing and comforting. Chamomile, Rosebud and Chrysanthemum herbal teas are just three that are very popular. The Chinese herbal teas are great beverages to have at night because of their soothing abilities and again because they contain zero caffeine.
The Rosebud and Chrysanthemum teas are known in China as a woman’s herb. However, it is also useful for aiding digestion. The Chrysanthemum in particular has a unique flavor. It has long been used to cool the body and reduce fever.
Entire books have been written on the positive properties of the herbs used in herbal teas so I won’t go into it here. If you do want to learn more about the healing properties of herbal teas then please give a look at the sidebar or resource section for books you can easily get at Amazon.com. If you’re a person who likes to research like me you’ll want to pick up one or more of these books.
Here are the most popular flower teas:
- Carnation Flower Tea – This is an attractive red flower tea which is said to help restore the energy of the body. It is also considered great for relaxing.
- Chrysanthemum Herbal Tea – This is but a top grade of the famous cooling tea infusion. It has a subtle sweetness and is highly refreshing.
- Gongju Herbal Tea – Another caffeine-free tea, which is smooth tasting. The whole flower is known for its soothing as well as relaxing attributes.
- Jasmine Bud Flower Tea – According to some experts, this Chinese herbal tea consists solely of the small and beautiful Jasmine flowers that have yet to open. This produces a caffeine-free and sweet brew.
- Forget Me Not Flower Tea – This is also caffeine-free and is said to aid the lungs. It brews a mild and grassy flavored tisane. And, it is known for its beautiful purple flowers.
- Yunnan Flower Bud Tea – As the name implies, this Chinese herbal tea grows in the old forests of Yunnan. This is considered a rare flower and is a local Yunnan drink.
- Wild New York Ginseng – Another well-known Chinese herbal tea intended for those who appreciate the wild growing conditions in which the roots live. It is said that because of the growing conditions, each root has a unique appearance and personality. Some of these wild roots can be very small but also very old. There are also some larger roots that can be younger. These herbal roots lives for at least seven years and onward.
- Kuding Pearl Tea – This is a bitter tea. This variety is rolled into large pearls which are also called “one leaf tea” because of the size of the leaves. Others call it “one leaf” because one needs only one leaf of this tea to heal a number of things. This is an ancient leaf and is deemed by many as an interesting herbal tea.
What Herbal Tea Can Aid In
Preparation
Chinese herbal teas are prepared in much the same way as regular teas are. Near-boiling water is poured over the plant material in a teapot or mug and left to steep until the desired concentration is achieved, usually about five minutes or so.
Varieties of herbal infusions include:
- Anise tea, made from either the seeds or the leaves.
- Artichoke tea, with purported health benefits.
- Roasted barley, known in Japanese as mugicha and Korean as bori cha. The roasted flavor can be reminiscent of coffee (without coffee’s bitterness and caffeine). It is often drunk cold in the summer.
- Bee Balm
- Bissap, consumed in the Sahel.
- Boldo, used in South America to calm upset stomachs.
- Cannabis, used in the preparation of Bhang.
- Che Dang, very bitter tea made from Ilex causue leaves.
- Cinnamon
- Catnip tea is used as a relaxant, sedative, and to calm.
- Cerasse, a bitter Jamaican herb
- Chamomile tea is used as a sedative. In Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter’s mother gives him chamomile tea.
- Chrysanthemum tea, made from dried flowers, is popular with Chinese Dim sum.
- Citrus peel, including bergamot, lemon and orange peel.
- Roasted corn, known in Korea as oksusu cha.
- Dandelion coffee.
- Dill tea, often consumed to ease upset stomach.
- Echinacea tea, often consumed to prevent or alleviate the cold or flu symptoms.
- Essiac tea, a blended herbal tea.
- Fennel Traditional weightloss herb, good to ease visionary problems.
- Gentian
- Ginger root
- Ginseng
- Hibiscus (often blended with rose hip), a popular tea alternative in the Middle East which is drunk hot or cold. Hibiscus tea is also consumed in Okinawa, where the natives associate Hibiscus tea with longevity.
- Honeybush is related to rooibos and grows in a similar area of South Africa, but tastes slightly sweeter.
- Horehound
- Jiaogulan
- Kapor tea, dried leaves of fireweed.
- Kava root, from the South Pacific, is popular for its effects in promoting talkativeness and relaxation.
- Kuding, a bitter tisane found in Chinese herbal medicine and used to thin blood and reduce blood pressure
- Labrador tea, made from the shrub by the same name, found in the northern part of North America.
- Lapacho (also known as Taheebo) is the inner-lining of the bark (or cambium) of the Red or Purple Lapacho Tree which grows in the Brazilian jungles. It is boiled to make an infusion with many and varied health benefits.
- Lemon Balm
- Lemon grass
- Licorice root
- Lime blossom, dried flowers of lime tree (Tilia in Latin).
- Lotus flower, from the stamens of Nelumbo nucifera (as in Vietnamese trà sen).
- Mate (or yerba mate) is a shrub grown mainly Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil from which a caffeinated, tea-like brew is prepared.
- Mate de coca (sometimes called “coca tea”), made from coca leaves. Authentic mate de coca contains very small amounts of cocaine and similar alkaloids. In some countries where coca is illegal, products marketed as “coca tea” are supposed to be decocainized, i.e., the pharmacologically active components have been removed.
- Mint, especially peppermint (also mixed with green tea to make mint tea)
- European mistletoe (Viscum Album), (steep in cold water for 2-6 hours)
- Mountain Tea, a very popular tea in the Balkans and other areas of the Mediterranean region. Made from a variety of the Sideritis syriaca plant which grows in warm climates above 3000 feet. The tea (or more properly tisane) has a reputation as a cure-all, but is specifically used against colds. Records of its use date back 2000 years.
- Neem leaf
- Nettle leaf
- Pennywort leaf, in Southeast Asia
- Red raspberry leaf
- Scorched rice, known as hyeonmi cha in Korea
- Rooibos (Red Bush) is a reddish plant used to make an infusion and grown in South Africa. In the US it is sometimes called red tea. It has many of the antioxidant benefits of green tea, but because it does not come from tea leaves, it has no caffeine.
- Rose hip (often blended with hibiscus)
- Rosemary Memory herb.
- Sage
- Sassafras
- Skullcap
- Sobacha
- Staghorn Sumac
- Stevia can be used to make herbal tea, or as a sweetener in other tisanes.
- Sugarcane drink, in Asia
- Thyme Antiseptic, used in lysterine.
- Tulsi
- Uncaria tomentosa, commonly known as Cats Claw
- Valerian Sedative.
- Verbena (Vervains)
- Vetiver
- Roasted wheat is used in Postum, a coffee substitute.
- Wong Logat a medicinal tea with several herbs
- Wax gourd in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
- Woodruff
- Yarrow
- Yerba Mate Popular in South America. Scientific name Ilex paraguariensis.
- Yuen Kut Lam Kam Wo Tea Composed of thirty Chinese herbs, made in Hong Kong.
- Tan Ngan Lo Medicated Tea a herbal concoction formulated by a Chinese immigrant from mainland China in the early 20th century, made in Malaysia.
Source of What Herbal Tea Can Aid in: Wisegeek.com
Source of Herbal Tea Infusions: Wikipedia.org
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