Chrysanthemum tea

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Chrysanthemum tea

Chrysanthemum tea (Chinese: 菊花茶; pinyin: júhuā chá) is a flower-based tisane made from chrysanthemum flowers of the species Chrysanthemum morifolium or Chrysanthemum indicum, which are most popular in East Asia. To prepare the tea, chrysanthemum flowers (usually dried) are steeped in boiling water in either a teapot, cup, or glass; often rock sugar is also added, and occasionally also wolfberries.^photo The resulting drink is transparent and ranges from pale to bright yellow in color, with a floral aroma. In Chinese tradition, once a pot of chrysanthemum tea has been drunk, boiling water is typically added again to the flowers in the pot (producing a tea that is slightly less strong); this process is often repeated several times.

1 Varieties
2 Medicinal use
3 Commercially available chrysanthemum tea
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Varieties

Several varieties of chrysanthemum, ranging from white to pale or bright yellow in color, are used for tea. These include:

Huángshān Gòngjú (黄山贡菊, literally "Yellow Mountain tribute chrysanthemum"; also called simply Gòngjú (贡菊)
Hángbáijú (杭白菊), originating from Tongxiang, near Hangzhou; also called simply Hángjú (杭菊)
Chújú (滁菊), originating from the Chuzhou district of Anhui
Bójú (亳菊), originating in the Bozhou district of Anhui

Of these, the first two are most popular. Some varieties feature a prominent yellow flower head^photo while others do not.^photo

[edit] Medicinal use

Chrysanthemum tea has many purported medicinal uses, including an aid in recovery from influenza and as a "cooling" herb. According to traditional Chinese medicine the tisane can aid in the prevention of sore throat and promote the reduction of fever. In western herbal medicine, Chrysanthemum tea is drunk and used as a compress to treat circulatory disorders such as varicose veins and atherosclerosis.

[edit] Commercially available chrysanthemum tea

Although typically prepared at home, chrysanthemum tea is also available as a beverage in many Asian restaurants (particularly Chinese ones), and is also available in Asian grocery stores in canned form.