Buddha's hand & chrysanthemum tea with fresh orange
In-season chrysanthemum and liver-soothing Buddha's hand in one fragrant tea, with a few orange wedges — refreshing and mood-lifting.
- 15 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings low mood and sighing, and work stress can add headaches and tired eyes. Chrysanthemum is in season at Cold Dew and calms the liver, Buddha's hand soothes it and gets qi moving, and the scent and colour of orange help you unwind.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min- 1Rinse the chrysanthemum, Buddha's hand and red date slices and put them in a flask.
- 2Pour in 600 ml boiling water, cover and steep for 8–10 minutes; top up with hot water once when you are halfway through.
- 3Cut the oranges into wedges and pack them for the office. Sip the tea with the orange, step away from your desk, walk a little and breathe deeply before getting back to work.
Cautions
- Chrysanthemum is cooling; if your digestion runs cold or you get loose stools, halve it.
Chef's tips
- Dried Buddha's hand slices come from herbal shops — it is the fingered citron, not the chayote sold in wet markets under the same Chinese name.
The TCM view
Buddha's hand is pungent, bitter, sour and warm; it soothes the liver, moves qi and settles the stomach. Chrysanthemum is sweet, bitter and slightly cold; it calms the liver and brightens the eyes. Orange is sweet, sour and cool and eases the chest; red dates are sweet and warm and calm the spirit. Warm and cool balance out — fragrant, qi-moving and never draining.
