Chrysanthemum (Dried)
Ingredient Name: Chrysanthemums, Mums, Chrysanths, Florist’s daisy
Traditional Chinese Name: 菊花 (jú huā)
Nature: Cooling in nature (especially for cooling the Liver or Kidney heat due to yin deficiency)
Taste: Slightly sweet with bitter after tones
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I’m a huge fan of this dried herb! You can find it commonly used in Chinese restaurants as a tea which you can order, at supermarkets as bulk, at Asian herbal shops, and even in some western herbal tea blends. When seeped, it turns the liquid into a bright clear yellow. You can actually eat the flowers if you’d like, but they do disintegrate quite a bit and can be difficult to drink with all that stuff floating around :)
The chrysanthemum flower is widely known as a cooling ingredient in both Chinese food and Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you’ve got lots of “hot air” (yeet hay) or feeling very heaty, this is the go to herbal drink. It’s actually very common in Hong Kong to find chrysanthemum bottled or boxed drinks.
This is a perennial flower plant that has many variations (different colours such as white, pinks, yellows) in various shapes and sizes. It was first cultivated in China for herbal properties and is used in teas, drinks, desserts and various other Chinese dishes. It is often purchased dried for consumption and has a very distinct taste and scent.
How do I prepare it?
- You can rinse in warm water first as sometimes there are bugs floating around, but not too long as not to seep out the flavours.No other preparation needed.
What is the cost?
The price will range from a few dollars to tens of dollars depending on the size, make, and brand of the dried flowers
- There are smaller full buds, which tend to be more expensive, or the shredded bloomed ones, which are cheaper
- In general, one tub of 60 g of dried loose flowers can cost around $8 CAD
Any benefits?
- This ingredient is considered cooling and great to remove and eliminate excess heat and heat from the body
- It targets the liver (eyes) and lungs
- It’s often used to help with fever, colds, and headaches
- It tends to have a cleansing effect by clearing heat and drying dampness in the body
- This goes will with honey (added in after you’ve boiled or steeped the tea)
Any precautions?
It is cooling, so be careful if you’re cold, feeling cold, or have excess yin
- Not suggested as part of postpartum or confinement consumption as it’s cooling
- Not recommend for those with Qi deficiencies
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