How to Choose the Right Tea for Yourself?
How to Choose the Right Tea for Yourself?
Tea culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are treasures of Chinese civilization, each bearing thousands of years of history. Tea culture originated in ancient times, promoting a philosophy of harmony, respect, clarity, and tranquility. Meanwhile, TCM, rooted in classics like The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, emphasizes balance between yin and yang and unity between humans and nature. Together, these traditions have shaped the unique Chinese way of life and perspective on health.
From a TCM perspective, tea is also considered a medicinal substance. In Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen described tea as "bitter, slightly sweet, cooling, and non-toxic." TCM theory states that bitterness helps eliminate heat and toxins, while sweetness nourishes and replenishes. Good teas often start with a bitter taste that transitions to sweetness, offering a wide range of benefits such as clearing heat, detoxifying, relieving fatigue, and promoting digestion.
TCM on Tea: Different Types, Different Properties
The tea varieties commonly consumed in daily life all help with digestion, enhancing appetite, and refreshing the mind. However, their specific properties and effects vary depending on their processing:
Raw Tea (unfermented) tends to be cooling, with heat-clearing properties.
Ripe Tea (fully or partially fermented) tends to be warming, beneficial for the stomach and spleen.
Below are common types of tea, their properties, and benefits:
1. Green Tea (Unfermented)
Nature: Cooling
Benefits: Clears heat, removes dampness, reduces fat, and refreshes the mind.
Recommended For: People with damp-heat conditions, excessive heart or liver heat, symptoms like bitter mouth, sore throat, constipation, irritability, and indigestion.
2. Black Tea (Fully Fermented)
Nature: Warming
Benefits: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, beautifies skin, reduces fat, and refreshes.
Recommended For: Those with cold-related deficiencies; helps with dry mouth, fatigue, bloating, and indigestion.
3. Dark Tea (Post-Fermented, e.g., Pu'er)
Nature: Warming
Benefits: Similar to black tea, beneficial for digestion and body warming.
4. Yellow Tea (Lightly Fermented)
Nature: Warming
Benefits: Similar to black tea, helps strengthen the spleen and stomach.
5. White Tea (Minimally Fermented)
Nature: Cooling
Benefits: Similar to green tea, clears heat and promotes hydration.
6. Oolong Tea (Semi-Fermented)
Nature: Neutral
Benefits: Combines properties of green and black teas; also known as "beauty tea" or "fitness tea."
7. Flower Tea (Blended Tea)
Typically uses green, black, or oolong tea as the base, infused with fragrant flowers such as jasmine, magnolia, osmanthus, or orchid.
TCM Tips: Selecting the Right Tea for Your Health
Since individual constitutions and health conditions vary, it is important to choose tea that suits your specific needs. Here are some examples:
For bloating or cough: Pair oolong tea with dried tangerine peel.
For cold sensitivity or abdominal discomfort: Combine black tea, yellow tea, or dark tea with brown sugar and ginger.
For irritability, dry eyes, or bitter taste in the mouth: Choose white tea or green tea with chrysanthemum.
For dry mouth and constipation: Mix oolong tea, white tea, or green tea with dendrobium or adenophora root.
For fatigue, dizziness, or diarrhea: Avoid green and white teas.
For sore throat or constipation: Limit intake of black, red, or yellow teas.
Seasonal and Environmental Considerations
In cold and damp weather, individuals who are weak, cold, or deficient in blood and qi should avoid green and white teas. Opt for warming teas like black or dark tea instead.
In dry weather, oolong tea is a good choice.
During hot summers, cooling teas like green and white tea are ideal.
By understanding your constitution and environmental factors, you can enjoy tea in a way that complements your health and well-being.