Rosebud Tea 玫瑰花
Feeling stressed, anxious, or a little bit down? A really simple, tasty, warming way to lower your stress and anxiety levels is to drink a cup of tea. Rosebud tea is perfect for this. Its gentle, aromatic flavor will uplift and relax you. In East Asian Medicine, rosebuds (méi guï huä) are used to help release constrained liver qi, which is caused by stress. The liver is the organ responsible for the orderly movement of qi. When we experience stress, it strongly affects the liver. The liver becomes constrained and fails to order the qi to move smoothly. Picture a general ordering his or her troops around a battlefield—that’s your liver ordering your qi around your body as you battle stress. The more stressed you become, the more difficult it is for your liver to do its job. Herbs like méi guï huä help open up the flow of qi by calming the liver, enabling it to once more take up its job of moving qi in an orderly fashion. Just like us, our livers enjoy a bit of r&r. So help yours out today by taking 8-10 rosebuds and steeping them in a cup of hot water for about 5 minutes, covered if possible so it stays warm. You can keep the same cup of rosebuds on your desk all day, adding hot water as desired. The first cup will be the strongest. Méi guï huä tea is also good for abdominal distention and bloating, a sensation of stifling in the chest, poor appetite, irregular menstruation and premenstrual breast tenderness.
Look for large, unopened, unbroken purplish flowers. Add honey if you like a little sweetener and enjoy the side benefit of lubricating your intestines. Being a bit stuck can add even more stress and discomfort to your day, so if you have a tendency to this, try a bit of honey. This works best if you take a tablespoon in your tea or warm water first thing in the morning, before eating.
For a customized herbal formula that addresses your individual needs or some acupuncture to accompany your rosebud tea and aid you in your campaign against stress, schedule an appointment today.