Grain Buds · Tea break · Blood Stasis
Hawthorn & roasted barley tea
Home-roasted barley steeped with hawthorn and aged tangerine peel — toasty, gently tart and served warm, never iced.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
WarmingMoves qi & bloodAids digestion
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis means sluggish circulation, period pain or a dull complexion, and iced drinks make it worse. Hawthorn moves qi and blood and helps digestion, roasted barley settles the stomach, and a little brown sugar warms — a better choice than iced lemon tea.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min- 1Dry-roast the barley in a wok over low heat for 8–10 minutes until golden and toasty. Skip this if using ready-made barley tea.
- 2Rinse the hawthorn slices and tangerine peel; scrape the pith off the peel.
- 3Put the barley, hawthorn, tangerine peel and brown sugar in a flask, pour in the boiling water, cover and steep for 15 minutes.
- 4Strain and drink warm, in two or three cups over the afternoon. The barley can be steeped once more.
Cautions
- Avoid hawthorn during pregnancy.
- If you have excess stomach acid or a stomach ulcer, don't drink it on an empty stomach.
Chef's tips
- Roast a big batch of barley at once; it keeps for two to three weeks in an airtight jar.
- For extra warmth, add 2 slices of ginger to the flask.
The TCM view
Hawthorn is sour, sweet and slightly warm, aids digestion and disperses stasis; barley is sweet and salty, and roasting mellows it so it strengthens the spleen and eases bloating; tangerine peel moves qi; brown sugar is sweet and warm and gently moves blood. Warm and slightly tart, it moves qi and blood without any chill.
