Rose & mulberry tea
A ruby-purple brew of fragrant rose buds and tangy mulberries — an afternoon cup to ease tension and lift the mood.
- 20 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings low moods, a tight chest and frequent sighing, and Qingming — a time of grave-sweeping and remembrance under grey, damp skies — can weigh on the mind. Rose soothes the liver and lifts the mood, while mulberries nourish liver blood so liver qi flows more freely.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min- 1Give the mulberries, rose buds and tangerine peel a quick rinse; pit and halve the red dates.
- 2Warm a flask with boiling water and pour it out. Add the mulberries, dates and peel, pour in 600 ml boiling water, cover and steep for 10 minutes.
- 3Add the rose buds and steep for 5 minutes more, until the tea turns ruby-purple and smells of roses.
- 4Sip it through the afternoon, and eat the mulberries and dates at the end.
Cautions
- Avoid rose bud tea during pregnancy.
- Mulberries are cold and loosen the bowels — halve them if your stools are loose.
Chef's tips
- Choose dry, deep purple-black mulberries; once opened, keep the bag in the fridge to stop damp and bugs.
The TCM view
Rose buds are sweet, slightly bitter and warm, moving qi and easing low moods; mulberries are sweet, sour and cold, nourishing yin, blood, the liver and kidneys; tangerine peel moves qi; red dates nourish blood and calm the mind. Warm and cool together — soothing while nourishing, ideal for caring for the liver at Qingming.
