Strolling through the coffee and tea aisle at your local grocery store gives you many options. While you know the chamomile, black, green, and cinnamon teas are all great for your body, one you may not see on that shelf is chrysanthemum tea. Perhaps, it’s the one tea that you need most.
Chrysanthemum tea is often used in Eastern medicine, and the Chinese hold this beverage in high regard. Many love the delicate, floral aroma that is both sweet to the taste and refreshing. However, the impressive health benefits cannot be denied.
The Asian medical community touts this tea can protect your heart from disease, enhance your vision, ease your rattled nerves, boost your immune system, heal respiratory issues, and strengthen your bones. The antioxidant-rich contents are what make this beverage so potent.
What is Chrysanthemum Tea?
Chrysanthemum tea is made from the flowers of the chrysanthemum plant. When you’re looking for a refreshing glass of iced or brewed varieties, it’s probably not the first one you choose, but it should be. History shows that people indulged in this tea clear back to the Song Dynasty days in China, so it’s been around for thousands of years.
The flavor and aroma can be quite different depending on which of the chrysanthemum flowers you use for your brew. There are many varieties of Chrysanthemum Indicum plants, and they all have substantial health benefits.
Most herbal teas use the leaves to brew tea. However, this tea variety is different. The flower petals are used by infusing hot water with them to form this delicious drink. The full flower is used as the organic compounds of this plant proved to be entirely beneficial for your health.
As the flowers soak in the hot water, the plant releases vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and other organic compounds you need to thrive. So by steeping the flowers of the chrysanthemum plant, you are getting a delicious and nutritious drink that is different than anything else on the market.
Initially, China was the only country to produce this elixir. However, word of its fantastic health benefits spread, and now it’s created around the world. The intense floral scent is well known among those who choose holistic medicine and Eastern practices.
Today, you can find four varieties on the market, which each have a unique taste and health benefits. These teas are made from various types of chrysanthemum plants. To make the drink even more healthy, wolfberries, or other herbs, are often added with the flowers as they steep.
Not only is the tea delicious but it has a beautiful yellow color too. The longer you steep the flowers, the more glorious the hue will become. Natural healers seek this tea because of its vast history and medicinal purposes.
The Vast Health Benefits of Chrysanthemum Tea
Other than the delicious taste of this tea, the health benefits cannot be ignored. You will be surprised by all the things this brew can do for you. Here are the top nine things that drinking this tea will do to your body.
1. Heals Your Skin
You’re probably wondering how tea can help with your skin. This elixir is loaded with beta-carotene. Inside your body, this mineral turns into Vitamin A. This vitamin has antioxidant properties that tremendously help your body.
Vitamin A removes oxidative stress and any damaged cells that are in or around your organs. Think of it as a cleanse that flushes toxic damage from the body. Did you know that you can even use this tea as a topic ointment?
While it may sound bizarre to rub tea on your skin, there is proof that using it for painful conditions like psoriasis and eczema can improve these irritations. Not only will it take out the redness, but it can send the disease into remission.
Others say that using the tea on the skin helps with the dreaded signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. Some teenagers can benefit from their properties because it destroys bacteria and banishes acne. Can you believe one flower can do all this?
2. Relaxes Your Nerves
After a long day of work, there’s nothing better than a cup of tea. It helps to relax and unwind the stressors of the day. When looking for something to relax you, why not try chrysanthemum tea? It’s known to help lower blood pressure, which will ultimately make you feel calmer.
It also has a long history of reducing inflammatory conditions in the body and cooling you off. Some say that the powerful antioxidants and minerals in this drink help your hormones to regulate. When your hormones are in order, it helps with stress and anxiety.
3. Boosts Your Immune System
Chrysanthemum tea has high levels of both Vitamin C and A, which are imperative for your immunity. The C vitamin helps to stimulate the production of your white blood cells, which helps your body protect itself against free radicals.
The mineral properties of this tea cannot be denied. With high levels of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, they can help kick your immune system into overdrive.
4. Keeps Bone Conditions Like Osteoporosis at Bay
When drinking a cup of tea, you probably don’t think about it being good for your bones. However, the high mineral content of this drink does impressive things for your bone health. Chrysanthemum flower extract is known to improve the density of your bones.
If you start drinking a cup of this tea when you are younger, then your bones will still be healthy and allow you to be active when you are older.
5. Enhances Your Vision
Vitamin A or beta-carotene have always been linked with good eye health. Have you ever heard that you should eat carrots each day? As you begin to age, things like macular degeneration and retinal neuropathy become concerns.
Blurry vision is a scary thing that no one wants to deal with, even those of advanced age. Thankfully, drinking this tea will increase your eye health and keep terrifying sight-related problems at bay.
6. Speeds Up Your Metabolism
Vitamin B is another vital nutrient you need in your life, and it’s found within the chrysanthemum plant. Your body needs riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and choline to function effectively.
Many functions in your body, like hormones, blood circulation, developmental progress, and brain chemical activity, depend on these vitamins, which this tea can deliver.
7. It’s a Powerful Anti-inflammatory Agent
The antioxidant-rich chrysanthemum Tea reduces swelling and inflammation in the body. If you have a sore throat or lung irritation, drinking this tea can combat the common cold or other viruses. Congestion and respiratory conditions don’t stand a chance with this tea. Some say it even gets rid of headaches.
8. Keeps Chronic Illness Away
Oxidative stress within your body can cause a multitude of illnesses. Thankfully, this yellow elixir can help to sharpen your mind and increase your focus. Another benefit of this tea is that it doesn’t contain caffeine, which so many others do.
When you have high levels of antioxidants in your body, it can keep all those dangerous free radicals in check. It can also help to stop any cellular mutations that would prohibit the body from functioning naturally. When your free radicals are in check, your body can easily fight off foreign invaders that cause illness.
9. Enhances Heart Health
Without a healthy heart, your body cannot function and thrive. Coronary artery disease is caused by untreated high blood pressure. If you want to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, then this tea can be an easy way to do it.
What is it about this tea that can do so many good things for your heat? The potassium content is high, and since potassium is a vasodilator, it helps keep the blood vessels open, and the blood flows freely. Life is in the blood, and you need adequate flow to your heart to keep it healthy.
Chrysanthemum Tea Recipe
Start by warming a pot of water to about 100 degrees for proper steeping. Next, select the teacup of your choice and add 4-5 flowers to the cup. You want to allow the flowers to steep for about 3-4 minutes as it will allow enough time for the health properties to transfer.
The longer you leave the buds in the water, the more robust the flavor and color will be. If you want a bit of sweetness without using sugar, you can use honey or Goji berries to give you the desired sugary flavor. You can serve this tea either hot or cold, as it’s delicious both ways.
Final Thoughts on Enjoying Chrysanthemum Tea Each Day
Many herbal teas have a variety of health benefits. The chrysanthemum variety has a robust flavor and beautiful color. However, if you have an allergy to daisies or ragweed, you may want to avoid this brew.
Drinking this tea each day can help your skin, heart, and immunity and keep inflammation at bay. It’s better than taking medications with horrible side effects as Mother Nature provides impressive relief for what ails you.