Tea Remedies for Cold Treatment
With winter approaching, the season prone to colds arrives. In China, medicinal tea therapy has a long history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty with the saying “medicinal tea treats a hundred illnesses.” Here are several tea remedies for treating colds.
Stone Powder Tea: 60 grams raw gypsum, 3 grams purple bamboo shoot tea powder. Crush gypsum into fine powder, decoct with water, then brew the tea powder in the decoction. Treats influenza, effective for clearing heat and reducing fire.
Five Spirit Tea: 6 grams tea leaves, 10 grams schizonepeta, 10 grams perilla leaf, 10 grams fresh ginger. Simmer gently in water for 15 minutes, then add 30 grams brown sugar and drink. Take twice daily, adjust dosage as needed. Helps dispel wind-cold, relieve pain. Suitable for wind-cold type colds with chills, body aches, no sweating.
Eight Flavor Tea: 120 grams ligusticum, 120 grams schizonepeta, 60 grams angelica root, 60 grams nodding rhizome, 60 grams licorice, 30 grams fine cinnamon, 30 grams fangfeng, 240 grams mint. Grind all herbs into powder. Take 6 grams each time, wash down with clear tea. Three times daily. Used for headaches caused by external wind invasion.
Silk Chrysanthemum Tea: 10 grams mulberry leaf, 10 grams chrysanthemum flower, 2 grams licorice, 6 grams Longjing tea. Brew daily as tea. Clears wind and heat, promotes surface release and soothes sore throat. Suitable for wind-heat colds with sore throat, headache, red eyes.
Three Flowers Tea: 15 grams honeysuckle, 10 grams chrysanthemum, 3 grams jasmine flowers. Place all three flowers in a teacup, pour boiling water over them, steep and drink as tea. Clears heat and detoxifies. Suitable for wind-heat colds with mild fever, slight aversion to wind, sweating, nasal congestion without discharge, sore throat.
Onion Bean Tea: 3 stalks scallions, 15 grams light soybean paste, 60 grams gypsum, 5 jujube seeds, 30 grams mint, 5 grams schizonepeta, 10 grams tea powder. Decoct and drink frequently as tea, preferably warm. This formula disperses exterior cold. Suitable for external wind-cold invasion with fever and headache.
Dandelion Tea: 20 grams dandelion, 3 grams licorice, 20 grams honey, 20 grams green tea. Boil dandelion and licorice for 15 minutes, strain, then mix in honey and green tea. Divide into three doses. Clears heat and detoxifies. Treats wind-heat colds.
Artemisia Tea: 12 grams artemisia fruit, 15 grams magnolia flower, 30 grams white芷, 2 grams mint, 2 grams tea leaves. Grind into fine powder. Take 2–3 times daily, brew as tea. This formula warms and opens orifices, dispels wind and removes dampness. Suitable for wind-cold colds with nasal obstruction, headache, persistent runny nose.
Lo Han Fruit Tea: 20 grams lo han fruit, 2 grams green tea. Add 300 ml water to lo han fruit, boil for 5 minutes, then add green tea. Drink in 3–5 portions daily, one dose per day. This formula stops cough and dissolves phlegm. Suitable for whooping cough and persistent wind-heat cough.
Scrophularia Platycodon Tea: 9 grams scrophularia, 9 grams ophiopogon, 9 grams platycodon, 3 grams licorice. Add appropriate amount of water, decoct for 10 minutes, then add brown sugar. Drink as tea. Clears heat, moistens lungs, stops cough. Suitable for yin-deficient colds with dry cough, little phlegm, shortness of breath, dry mouth and throat, red tongue with little coating.
Dictamnus Isatis Tea: 30 grams dictamnus, 30 grams isatis root, 5 grams green tea. Pour boiling water over the mixture, let steep for 10 minutes before drinking. Function: clears heat and detoxifies. Suitable for preventing epidemic influenza.
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