Green Calyx Flower Tea (Lu Luo Hua Tea)

Why people make this tea

Green calyx flowers (lu luo hua) are an unusual dried flower available at Chinese herb shops. This plant grows only in the frigid high-altitude zones of the Tibetan Himalayas, with a growing season of just over one month. Because it is genuinely rare, it was once quite expensive; wider cultivation has since brought the price down. When brewed, the tea has a clean, pleasantly fragrant aroma. In Chinese food therapy, it is mildly cool in nature and has a long history of traditional use for people with high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, high blood sugar and various vascular inflammations. It also has a traditional reputation for soothing a sore, swollen throat.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Traditionally considered helpful for those with elevated blood pressure, blood lipids or blood sugar, and those who are overweight
• Also traditionally used to help soothe an inflamed or swollen throat
• Those with a cold or deficient constitution (xu han ti zhi) should avoid it or use very sparingly
• Pregnant women should not use this tea
• Those with a weak or cold digestive system (pi xu xu han) should not drink it in excess

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Green calyx flower (lu luo hua): Classified as mildly cool in Chinese food therapy. Grown in the extreme cold of the Tibetan plateau, the plant has adapted with potent phytochemicals. Traditional usage associates it with clearing heat, calming vascular inflammation, and supporting balanced blood pressure, lipids and sugar levels.

Ingredients (1 cup)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Dried green calyx flowers (lu luo hua)	5 blooms	Available at Chinese herb shops
Boiling water	1 cup (approx. 250 ml)

Method

1. Place the green calyx flowers in a glass cup or teapot.
2. Pour a small amount of boiling water over the flowers, swirl briefly and discard this rinse water.
3. Pour fresh boiling water over the rinsed flowers.
4. Steep for 10 minutes before drinking.
5. The flowers can be re-steeped 2–3 times until the flavour fades.

Bro Niu’s tips

This tea is well suited to those with high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar or a tendency to carry excess weight. It can also help ease throat soreness and swelling. However, those with a cold or deficient constitution and pregnant women should not use it. Traditionally, drinking this tea 3–4 times per week is considered appropriate; there is no need to drink it every day.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (GG): My father is 78, has the three highs and has had a stomach ulcer and hyperthyroidism. His blood pressure has recently been very high, sometimes reaching 18x. What is the simplest thing he can try daily? Bro Niu: You could combine hawthorn berries (shan zha), chrysanthemum flowers (ju hua) and roasted cassia seeds (chao jue ming zi) — one small pinch of each — in a tea bag and steep it fresh daily. Your father can re-steep until the flavour is gone. Buy a small amount of each and dry-roast the cassia seeds in a dry wok for about 5 minutes first to help release their flavour. This combination has a traditional reputation for supporting healthy blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar. For a faster short-term drop in blood pressure, fresh bitter melon or celery juiced with apple can drop readings by 10–20 points within a day, though the effect does not last.

• Q (GG): For this green calyx flower tea, how many times per week is appropriate? Can someone with a stomach complaint use hawthorn berries? Bro Niu: This tea is fine 3–4 times per week. If there is a stomach issue, take hawthorn berries after meals rather than on an empty stomach.

• Q (kk): Is it true that drinking celery frequently causes kidney deficiency (shen xu)? Bro Niu: Some research suggests celery may reduce sperm count and could have a mild contraceptive effect, but it does not cause kidney deficiency.

---

Published November 14, 2017 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.