Chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea
Ever since I started my food blog one and half year ago, I have been starring at the computer more often and for longer duration too. As a consequence, both my short-sighted and astigmatism have deteriorated. Making thing worse is that I also suffered from long-sighted. Admittedly, these are also signs of aging, and hopefully wiser. ๐
Those blurry eyes of mine reminded me of a chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea recipe (่่ฑๆธๆ่ถ) that I had chanced upon quite sometime back. According to Chinese traditional medicine, both ingredients are said to be effective at improving eyesight and treating illness associated with the eyes like blurred vision and dizziness. I had actually made this tea a couple of times before for my family, but stopped doing so as my hubby did not really like it as much as I thought he would. The main reason being, he disliked seeing chrysanthemums floating in the tea. Another picky eater, agreed?
Recently, I made this tea again. This time, however, I carefully filtered all the Chrysanthemums away before adding the wolfberries. And, I added rock sugar to enhance the taste. Otherwise, it can taste quite bland, which is another reason for my hubbyโs initial dislike. To my surprise, he drank the whole cup and even asked me to make it more often in future. As for my son, he wonโt say no to anything that has wolfberries in it.
This non-caffeinated tea is so easy-to-prepare. The ingredients used are also cheap and can be found easily at any Chinese medical shops/ supermarket. It is highly recommended for those cybraian whoย stay along in front of a computer, just like me! Drink this tea once or twice a week to improve your visions and clear heatiness of the liver.
A word of caution! While this tea is suitable to all in general, you need to watch out for the following.ย As chrysanthemum is cool-natured, people who are asthenia (sensation of chill and easily have cold sweat) are not advisable to drink often. For wolfberry, it is not suitable for those having flu, fever, flame and diarrhea.
Note:
a) Wolfberries is used as a general Chinese tonic since ancient times to protect the liver,ย improve the vision, strenghten weak legs and promote a long life.
b) Chrysanthemum has powerful anti-oxidant. It is used to treat the eyes, blurring, spots in front of the eyes, diminished vision, dizziness and clear heatiness of the liver.
Other reading references :
– What is the benefit of chrysanthemum tea
– The Wolfberry’s health properties
– Chrysantemum tea (Wikipedia)
–Wolfberry (Wikipedia)
Updated on 10 Oct 2009 (Thanks to the kind sharing of Meg Kat from Imperrfections)
An excerpt from Gojiberry.com
โTibetan Goji berries are not Chinese wolfberries and it is not correct to call the Chinese wolfberry โGojiโ.
The ancient Tibetan Lycium berry has different energetic qualities than the Chinese wolfberry and is grown in a different country and soil conditions. The nutrient dense energy of the Goji berry has been recognized as having the highest in nutrient content of all the 80 plus varieties of Lycium berries on Earth.โ
>>> Click on page 2 below for Chrysanthemum and Wolfberry tea (่่ฑๆธๆ่ถ) recipe …………
If you like this article, please share:
This is easy to prepare. When I visit to a vegetarian cafe, they have one menu for hot tea that made of goji berries, tiny chrysanthemum tea and ginseng. If I remember correctly, no sugar is added, but the taste is good. Just that it is a bit expensive.I guess now is the time to make my own for cost saving, hehe. Good idea to add some rock sugar.
Little Inbox: You are right, make your own to save some cost. Homemade is always cheaper as compared to those restaurant foods. ๐
Ooh, my mom is a huge tea drinker. I will pass this on to her!
Amy: Tks for sharing this tea recipe with your mom. Hope she will like it!
I also love to make this but I just put everything together. Next time must follow your steps~ thanks for sharing.
Anncoo: Your method is great too but it will be very troublesome for me to segregate those chrysanthemums and wolfberries before serving. ๐
I’ll suggest you purchase a glass filter mug. It’s perfect for unbagged Chinese tea.
Ohhhh, this is too beautiful to drink!!!!
Never thought of adding wolfberry into Chrysanthemum tea…. Will make more to drink since I really need to strengthen my vision after all the eye straining work of my handicrafts.
THANKS!!!!!
Craft Passion: This tea is definitely a great choice for you now! ๐
oh i love chrysanthemum tea! i actually like the flowers floating in the tea..very pretty hoh? ๐
but i have not tried it with wolfberry before… and since my astigmatism has increased somewhat, this recipe is just perfect for me! ๐
Lingzie: Perfect for me too! ๐
Hey! I made this couple of times too… it is simply delicious and my family loves it. The floating Chrysanthemum flowers are so beautiful, it makes the drink looks to artistic! ๐
Alice: Oh! That’s great! Remember to make it more often for your family from now on. It is also recommended for Sean too! ๐
today I learn something new again!! thanks for sharing this wonderful info! I have both of this ingredients at home,better make some tomorrow!
Beachlover: Yeah, do hurry! Speaking about it, I need to make some for my family now….;)
Your photos are just stunning. Really really beautiful. I NEED this tea. I think all food bloggers need this tea!! LOL!
The Little Teochew: Tks a lot for your compliment! I think most of the ppl who live in this cyber world need this tea now….;)
Elevated healthy tea to an art form. Did you arrange the flowers and berries for shooting!? Yes, wolfberries are good even for just popping into the mouth.
Chin: Yes, bingo! I heard that all the ladies in China treat it like snack. ๐
Wow, I think I need to drink this as well. As I also have been sitting in front of the computer a lot, not just for blogging but also for watching dramas. ๐
Ching: Oh yeah! A great enjoyment to sip a cup during drama time, agreed?
Your photo is so pretty! And I love the floating Chrysanthemum flowers.
Kirbie: Tks for dropping by and your kind words. ๐
You have put the best of both! Rock sugar is definitely good to be added to enhance the flavours as you said. ๐
Lee Mei (MCH): At least my another picky eater has no complaint now…… ๐
Hi, thanks for the hari raya greetings, had agreat raya. Have seen cans of crysanthamum tea, have always been reluctant to try them hehe
Peanutts: Oh that’s great! I hardly try those chrysanthemum tea canned drink sold outside bcos they are too sweet and contain perservative. I suggest that you brew your own and adjust the sweetness according to your taste bud. Do give it a try! ๐
Looks almost too pretty to drink! Though I recently found out that Goji’s and Wolfberries are not the same thing. Here’s an excerpt from the website gojiberry.com
“Tibetan Goji berries are not Chinese wolfberries and it is not correct to call the Chinese wolfberry ‘Goji’.
The ancient Tibetan Lycium berry has different energetic qualities than the Chinese wolfberry and is grown in a different country and soil conditions. The nutrient dense energy of the Goji berry has been recognized as having the highest in nutrient content of all the 80 plus varieties of Lycium berries on Earth.”
The more you know! ๐
Meg Kat: Thanks for sharing such a helpful info with me! I had updated my post accordingly. ๐
No problem. Glad to be of help ๐
Meg Kat: Btw, you have such an excellent website! I’m so impressed with your stunning shots. ๐
Thanks so much, I appreciate the kind words ๐
Oh my goodness, thank you for this post! I have bad eyes to begin with and recently began the ol’ desk job – my eyes are craving some TLC! I will give this a try right away:)
Giovanina: You are definitely right! This is the perfect drink for you. Hope it can help to improve your eyesights. ๐
ๆๅฌ่ฏดๅฎๅค็ๆธๆๆฏๆไธ็ญ็๏ผๅไบ่ฟๆฏๆธๆ่่ฑ่ถ๏ผ้ฆๅณ็ฎ็ดๆฒๅ ฅๅฟ่พ๏ผ้พไปฅๅฟๅดใ ๅ ๆฒน๏ผๅจๆญคๅธๆไฝ ็็ผ็็ฒๅณ็็ถๅตๅฅฝ่ฝฌใ~
Ladyhomechef: ่ฐข่ฐขไฝ ็ๅ ณๅฟ! ็ฐๅจ็ถๅต่ฟๅฅฝ๏ผ่ฏฅๆฏๆถๅ้ ๅฏ่่ฑ็ผ้ไบ…..ๅปๅป๏ผ;)
haha I’ve been eating lots of wolfberries for the same reason too. Lovely presentation.
Pigpigscorner: Oh! That’s great! Besides teas, I also add them in my Chinese soup or dishes. ๐
Hi!How do we different high quality chrysanthemum and wolfberries? Sometimes I don’t trust the recommendations from the chinese medical halls eventhough we are regular customers. Lately has been rather cautious with products imported from china.
thanks.
fb: Sorry, I have very limited knowledge in choosing chrysanthemum and wolfberries. Usually, I will opt for the most expensive category from those well-established Chinese medical halls to give me some levels of comfort. Like you, I also have the same concern with products from China. However, as a layman, there is no way for me to detect the problems if any. The best solution is to eat everything in moderation. Agreed? ๐
My sight is also failing day by day!!
Will need this kind of natural drink to improve my vision! Thanks ๐
Buzzingbee: Oh yeah, definitely a perfect drink for you….. ๐
Just nice to quench thirst on a hot day!
Dora: Yeah, you are absolutely right. Under this hot and humid weather, we need lots of fluids to prevent our body from dehydration. ๐
I really love to drink chrysanthemum tea and wolfberry tea, but never put them both together. Thanks for sharing.
Everyday I drink some organic Goji juice that really help my eyesight. Excellent!
Christine: Haven’t tried organic Goji juice before. Sounds interesting to me. ๐
Love your take on chrysanthemum tea with the touch of wolfberries. I usually add american ginseng to mine =)
Noobcook: Tks for sharing. I will try your combination next time. ๐
I’m not sure where I can find wolfberry in Jakarta…. and I usually drink the sachet chrysanthemum tea which I bet the benefit is not as much as the fresh one.
Selba: Maybe you can check out the wolfberries from the Chinese medical hall. Homemade is always the best. Do give it a try if you can these 2 ingredients. ๐
Yes, i was almost becoming long sighted when i chanced upon this drink. I have been consuming it on a daily basis for the past 6 months. I bring 1L of the tea to work. Since then, i have no problems with near vision, and my eyes are no longer tired nor teary when staring at the computer!
Carebear: Tks for sharing your personal experience with me. I must strongly “promote” this healthy drink to my family and friends. ๐
Hi,
I used this recipe to make agar-agar ๐ Added fresh longans in it too. Loved it. Thanks!
Ling: Thanks for your kind feedback. May I know which brand of agar-agar did you use? ๐
I used the Swallow Globe brand.
Their recommended ratio of agar-agar powder to water on the packet is 10g (whole packet): 1 L. I find that the agar-agar turns out to be too hard for me. I prefer 10g: 1.1 L.
Ling: Thanks for sharing. I used Rose brand to make jelly recently and also found it harder as compared to konnyanku jelly. ๐
Hi hi,
Oops, I was comparing between a harder agar-agar and not-so-hard agar agar. Konnyaku jelly is definitely softer (and chewy!) as it is made from a different source. No offence intended ๐
Ling: Don’t worry. I welcome all your comments be it positive or negative. Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing! ๐
Hey, I do blog about using your recipes you know. But my photos are eh, so-so. ๐ So far, I’ve mentioned the fried udon (URL:http://www.chekyang.com/musings/2011/06/12/yummy-toddler-foods-stir-fry-udon-with-prawns/) and the creamy butter prawns (URL: http://www.chekyang.com/musings/2011/08/16/re-entering-the-kitchen-prawns-in-creamy-butter-sauce/). ๐
Ling: Thanks for the links and the mentioning. Really appreciate that. Hey, your little gal is very cute! ๐
Hi Lai Kuan,
*Thank you for the compliment, auntie* ๐
Ling: ๐
Hi there,
I remb watching a health programme dat chrysanthemum should not be boiled. It will “kill” the benefit of it. It says only to steep in boiling water. Have you heard of dat?
Pris: Thanks for your kind sharing! I’m glad I learned something new today. I know there are 2 methods in making this chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea based on this link – http://baike.baidu.com/view/530364.html. Did the show mention that chrysanthemum cannot be simmered as well? ๐
[…] Image via food4tots […]
[…] Adding dried goji-berries (also known as wolfberries) will even increase the health benefits, as it is packed with antioxidants, helps with a balanced blood sugar level and supports your liver (and hands down, who does not need that?).ย The tea is cooling and should not be consumed by people who are cold-blooded. Also, Goji should not be consumed when you’re having a flu, feverย orย diarrhea. […]
[…] 1) in the morning, brew some chrysanthemum with a small slice of ginger and rock sugar for 15 minutes. ย Function : clear the heatiness and the irritation to the lungs. How to cook: Recipe by Food For Tots […]
Can I replace rock sugar with honey instead? Honey is better right ?
Candy: Sure you can. It depends on personal preference. If you don’t consume a lot of sugar, the effect is very minimum. ๐