Major Heat · Tea break · Qi Stagnation
Jasmine & lotus leaf tea
Lotus leaf and jasmine flowers steeped into a delicately fragrant tea that lifts a heavy, irritable mood in the muggy heat.
- 20 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
NeutralSoothes the liverClears summer heat
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings low mood, a tight chest and frequent sighing, and the sticky heat of Major Heat adds irritability. Fragrant jasmine and tangerine peel move qi and ease the mood, while lotus leaf clears summer heat and lifts a foggy head.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min- 1Snip the lotus leaf into small pieces and rinse it with the tangerine peel; scrape the white pith off the peel.
- 2Put the lotus leaf and peel in a vacuum flask, pour in 800 ml boiling water, close and steep for 10 minutes.
- 3Add the jasmine and steep for 3–5 minutes more; pour out as soon as it smells floral — left too long, jasmine turns bitter.
- 4For a little sweetness, stir in 1 tsp honey once the tea has cooled to warm. Sip it in two or three rounds over the afternoon.
Cautions
- Lotus leaf is slimming and diuretic — don't drink it daily for long if you are underweight, have low blood pressure or are pregnant.
Chef's tips
- Buy dried lotus leaf and pure jasmine buds — no tea leaves, so caffeine-free — from herbal or tea shops.
The TCM view
Jasmine is pungent, sweet and warm; it moves qi, lifts stagnation and settles the stomach. Lotus leaf is bitter and neutral; it clears summer heat, resolves damp and raises clear yang. Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm and moves qi. Fragrant flowers soothe the liver and lotus leaf clears heat — neutral overall, neither cold nor drying.
