🌿 Folk Prescriptions

September is the season when chrysanthemums bloom, with clear skies and refreshing air—the ideal time for tea enthusiasts to begin harvesting chrysanthemums to make chrysanthemum tea.
A small chrysanthemum has inspired countless famous poems throughout history. The Tang Dynasty poet-monk Jiao Ran, a descendant of Xie Lingyun of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, lived a life detached from politics, devoted instead to nature, rural landscapes, tea culture, and poetry. He was the closest friend of Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea. During one tea-tasting gathering, he composed a poem to enhance the mood: "On the ninth day at the mountain monk’s temple, the chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge are yellow. Common folk often drink wine, but who truly appreciates the fragrance of tea?" Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty served as an official for only ten days before resigning and returning to farming, deeply loving chrysanthemums and embracing a simple, carefree life. His line “Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, I calmly gaze upon the southern mountain” expresses deep emotional connection with nature. The chrysanthemum’s elegance, unadorned beauty, and rich medicinal properties symbolize the noble qualities of reclusive scholars—content with simplicity, tilling the land, yet never forgetting their concern for the nation—inspiring great respect.
Chrysanthemums not only please the eye but can also be processed into health-promoting tea. Around late October, when chrysanthemums flourish, Hangbai chrysanthemums from Tongxiang County and Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province, and Huangshan Tribute Chrysanthemums from the summit of Mount Huangshan are harvested. After steaming to deactivate enzymes and drying until moisture content is below 70%, they are ready for use when the petals crumble easily under finger pressure. Other varieties such as Haoju from Bozhou, Anhui; Chuju from Chuzhou; Chuanju from Zhongjiang, Sichuan; and Deju from Deqing, Zhejiang, also possess high medicinal value. According to *Compendium of Materia Medica*, chrysanthemum tea is sweet in taste and cold in nature, capable of dispersing wind-heat and calming the liver to improve eyesight. *The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica* states that white chrysanthemum tea can “treat all kinds of wind-induced dizziness, swelling and pain, the sensation of eyes about to fall out, dead skin and muscle, evil dampness and rheumatism, and long-term consumption promotes Qi flow, lightens the body, enhances endurance, and prolongs life.” Notably, Huangshan Tribute Chrysanthemum grows in mountain mists and fogs, absorbing the essence of Huangshan and the purity of southern Anhui’s waters. Its pollution-free quality holds especially high value for modern consumers.
To brew chrysanthemum tea, use transparent glass cups. Add four to five flowers per serving and pour boiling water over them. For multiple drinkers, use a transparent teapot, add a handful of flowers, steep in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, then pour into individual glasses. Adding a few pieces of rock sugar to the cup enhances sweetness. Chrysanthemum tea helps relieve dry mouth, internal heat, eye discomfort, or limb pain and numbness caused by wind, cold, or dampness. Healthy individuals may also drink it as regular hot water. Do not finish the entire cup at once—leave one-third behind, top up with fresh hot water, steep briefly, then drink again. Due to its beneficial effects, chrysanthemum tea is widely beloved. Modern science has extracted active components from chrysanthemums to produce products like chrysanthemum crystals and chrysanthemum soda, offering convenient options for those seeking quick, time-saving beverages. Chrysanthemum tea is suitable for people of all ages.