Lily, Loquat, and Lotus Root Tea
[Source] "Tea for Treating Hundred Diseases"
[Composition]
Lily (fresh and high-quality), loquat (pit removed), fresh lotus root (washed, sliced) — each 30 grams.
[Efficacy] Clears heat, moistens lungs, stops cough.
[Indications]
① Wind-heat cough, persistent dry cough without phlegm or with little phlegm, sticky phlegm hard to expectorate, hoarse voice.
② Dry cough, blood-tinged sputum, dry mouth and tongue, thin dry coating on the tongue.
[Preparation Method]
Chop the herbs into thin slices or crush into coarse powder. Use 40–50 grams per serving, place in a thermos, pour boiling water to fill half, cover and steep for about 10 minutes. Begin drinking immediately. Consume all within the day, discard residue. Lily and lotus root slices can also be chewed thoroughly.
[Dietary Precautions] Avoid use in cases of wind-cold cough with abundant white phlegm.
[Commentary]
Lily is slightly sweet and mildly cold, able to clear lung heat and moisten the lungs, thus stopping cough. *Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement*: “Clears phlegm-fire, nourishes deficiency.” Fresh lotus root clears heat and generates body fluids. Loquat clears heat, transforms phlegm, descends counterflow, and stops cough. Together, they synergistically clear heat, moisten dryness, and stop cough. Pharmacological studies show that loquat seeds contain amygdalin and fatty oil, along with small amounts of ceryl alcohol and ceryl palmitate. Amygdalin can release hydrogen cyanide, providing cough-suppressant and analgesic effects. Hydrolysis of amygdalin produces benzoic acid, which inhibits yeast in the digestive tract and prevents fermentation.