Honeysuckle, Chrysanthemum and Dried-Pear Tea

Why people make this tea

After too much screen time and a few fried meals out, Bro Niu woke with red, dry eyes and a parched throat. Luckily he had some honeysuckle and chrysanthemum on hand, which he cooked with dried pear as a tea — and the dryness and discomfort noticeably eased. This blend is traditionally enjoyed to clear heatiness, support dry tired eyes, and soothe a dry mouth and throat.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• People with dry, red, tired eyes or blurry vision from heatiness, plus a dry mouth and throat.
• The core of the dried pear is mildly toxic — always remove it before cooking.
• Pregnant women should generally avoid flower teas; chrysanthemum is gentle, so a chrysanthemum-and-dried-pear tea (without honeysuckle) can be used instead.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Honeysuckle (jin yin hua): Traditionally used to clear heat and support the eyes.
• Chrysanthemum (ju hua): Associated with easing wind-heat and supporting eyes troubled by liver-heat (dryness, blurriness).
• Dried pear (xue li gan): Drying mellows its cooling nature; traditionally used to clear heat, ease phlegm and moisten the lungs.

Ingredients (1 pot / 2 cups)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Honeysuckle flower	1 tbsp	Rinse
Chrysanthemum flower	1 tbsp	Rinse
Dried pear	6–7 slices	Soak soft, remove core

Method

1. Rinse the ingredients; soak the dried pear soft and remove the core.
2. Cook the dried pear in 4 bowls of water for 15 minutes.
3. Add the honeysuckle and chrysanthemum, boil a further 5 minutes, then drink.

Bro Niu’s tips

This tea generates fluids and quenches thirst, suitable for young and old. Drying lessens the pear’s cooling nature, but its core is mildly toxic — remove it first. Pregnant women should avoid flower teas, but chrysanthemum is gentle, so a chrysanthemum-and-dried-pear tea can be enjoyed instead.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Su Su): Is chrysanthemum and dried-pear tea (without honeysuckle) suitable for adding fu ling pieces (dried)? Bro Niu: Fu ling pieces are quite hard — add at least one more bowl of water and cook for half an hour to draw out the flavour.
• Q (Cheung): My child has had a low fever for a few days and broke out in a rash; afterwards there’s a daytime feeling of something stuck in the throat with a cough they can’t bring up. Is this tea suitable? Bro Niu: You can cook su zi and lai fu zi 3 qian each with one dried tangerine peel in 4 bowls of water for 20 minutes, strain and drink — this helps clear phlegm. Su zi is perilla seed and lai fu zi is radish seed; both help children’s phlegmy cough. Take 2–3 doses.

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Published March 30, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.