The more herbal "cooling" tea, the better?

Traditional cooling teas use cold-natured herbs and suit an occasional "heaty" day. If you feel the cold or have loose stools, drinking them daily may upset your stomach.

Herbal tea in Hong Kong

Cooling herbal tea is part of everyday life in Hong Kong. At the herbal tea shop, people order a bowl of "twenty-four flavours" or a cup of prunella tea when they feel "heaty", have a sore throat or breakouts. At home, families brew chrysanthemum tea, mung bean sweet soup and corn silk water to cool down.

The idea behind cooling tea is to balance the body's "heat" with cooling ingredients. That makes sense in itself; the trouble starts when people treat it as an everyday drink and assume more is better.

What is "heatiness"?

"Heaty" is the Hong Kong word for what TCM loosely calls "rising fire". Common descriptions are a sore throat, dry mouth, mouth ulcers, breakouts, constipation and poor sleep. Typical triggers are fried and spicy food, late nights, hot weather and stress.

But these signs are not always "heat". A sore throat can be the start of a cold, and a dry mouth can simply mean you are not drinking enough. So when you feel off, look at your recent eating and sleep first, before reaching for a cooling tea.

Not all cooling teas are equal

Cooling teas vary a lot. Corn silk is neutral and among the gentlest; traditionally used for puffiness, it is less of a problem for cold-sensitive people. Chrysanthemum is slightly cooling, suited to the odd cup after a long day at the screen when your eyes are tired and you feel a little "heaty". Mung beans are cold, with a clear cooling effect; mung bean sweet soup is a summer favourite, but not one for every day. The herbal tea shop's "twenty-four flavours" and bitter teas usually combine many cold-natured herbs: bitter in taste and colder in nature.

The rule of thumb is simple: the more bitter and cold the tea, the less often you should drink it. For more on each one, see the Related ingredients section below.

How to drink it sensibly

Treat cooling tea as an occasional tool. Have it once or twice when you feel "heaty", and stop when you feel better; there is no need to drink it for a week straight. Drink it warm or at room temperature, not iced. Cold-natured tea on an empty stomach can upset a sensitive stomach, so after a meal is better.

Deal with the cause of the "heat" too: less fried and spicy food, earlier nights and more plain water. Without changing those habits, the heatiness soon comes back.

Take extra care

If pregnant, for children and older adults, or if you take medication, ask a practitioner or doctor first.

If you feel the cold, have loose stools or a cold stomach, go easy on chrysanthemum and mung beans. Corn silk is a mild diuretic, so with kidney disease or diuretic medication, ask your doctor first. If a sore throat comes with fever, or mouth ulcers or a sore throat last more than two weeks, see a doctor rather than relying on herbal tea.

A common misunderstanding: herbal tea is natural, so it has no side effects?

"Natural" does not mean gentle, and it does not mean right for everyone. Cooling teas are made from herbs with their own natures and effects. Too much can bring diarrhoea, stomach ache and cold hands and feet, and some herbs may interact with medicines you take.

Treat cooling tea as a tool rather than an everyday drink, and drink it in moderation to suit how you feel.