Herbal & Flower Teas
Dandelion Tea
traditionally taken to clear heat and support the body during flu season
Why people make this tea
Hong Kong’s flu seasons fall in summer and winter, and flu hits harder than a common cold — fever, cough, runny nose, aching muscles, fatigue, sometimes even vomiting and a long-lingering cough. Children and older people, whose defenses are weaker, need to take extra care at the peak. Bro Niu offers this simple dandelion tea, traditionally used to clear heat and toxin, to help the body through the season.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suits those who run “hot” — fragrant and not bitter, traditionally used to clear liver heat and ease dry mouth and red, sore eyes.
- Not for those with yang deficiency, cold conditions or a weak, cold spleen and stomach — dandelion is cooling.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Dandelion (pu gong ying): The whole plant is usable — dried root, leaf and young leaf all brew into tea. Traditionally associated with clearing heat and toxin, easing dryness of the mouth, and benefiting red, swollen, sore eyes.
Ingredients (1 pot)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dried dandelion root or leaf | 1 tablespoon | Chopped/crushed |
Method
- Put the dandelion into a pot and rinse once with boiling water.
- Pour in fresh boiling water and steep, covered, for about 10 minutes. Drink.
Bro Niu’s tips
This tea is fragrant and not bitter, traditionally used to clear liver heat and resolve heat-toxin, and it is also associated with inhibiting H. pylori. But dandelion is cooling, so those with yang deficiency, cold conditions or a weak spleen and stomach should not drink it.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Cola): If I eat a mixed or cold/raw diet I get loose stools or mild diarrhea — is that a weak spleen and stomach? Can I add anything to this tea? Bro Niu: Your spleen and stomach are cold-deficient, so dandelion tea is not for you. Instead, simmer Chinese yam, fox nut (qian shi), stir-fried hyacinth bean, red dates and fresh ginger in a lean pork soup to strengthen the spleen and firm the stool.
- Q (reader): My spleen and stomach are cold-deficient so I can’t drink dandelion tea. What soup can my 7- and 12-year-olds drink to prevent or fight flu? Bro Niu: Fresh wampee leaf (huang pi ye) resists flu but is seasonal and may not be in stock until near New Year — it isn’t cooling, and is easy to drink simmered with rock sugar. For now, passion fruit with fresh lemon and honey, brewed as a tea, helps support flu resistance.
- Q (LAN): It’s day 5 after an 8-week miscarriage — what soups can I drink to recover? Bro Niu: Simmer a daylily, wood-ear and red-date lean pork soup to nourish blood and clear stasis. A hawthorn, brown-sugar and ginger tea moves blood, clears stasis and warms the stomach, helping the uterus recover. From the second week you can take some gentle tonics.
Published September 24, 2023 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
