Hawthorn and Cassia Seed Tea
Ingredients
- Hawthorn 10–15g
- Cassia seed (juemingzi) 10–15g
Principle
Hawthorn is slightly warm—promotes digestion, moves stagnation, disperses stasis, relieves pain, and transforms turbid lipids; cassia seed is slightly cold—clears heat, brightens eyes, moistens intestines, and assists blood pressure. Hawthorn’s warmth can moderate cassia’s coldness and reduce stomach irritation; together they clear liver, brighten eyes, strengthen spleen, open appetite, moisten intestines, and support lipid and blood pressure regulation.
Effects & uses
Suitable for hypertension; also for dry eyes, poor appetite, and dry stools—adjunct care when lipids are high with constipation (syndrome differentiation required).
Method
- Wash hawthorn and cassia seed; place in a thermos.
- Pour freshly boiled water; cover and steep 1–2 hours.
- After drinking, add more hot water; may steep up to 3 times.
How to use
- Drink in place of tea.
Caution
Not suitable for gastric ulcer, gastritis, and other GI disorders. Use with caution in pregnancy and threatened miscarriage. Not suitable for hypotension or qi deficiency with loose stools. Avoid long continuous use to prevent spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. For daily brewing, stir-fried cassia seed is preferred; raw cassia has stronger laxative effect. Daily dietary food care is not a substitute for antihypertensive drugs.
Source
China Medical Information Query Platform (National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine review), from Chinese Medicated Diet Dictionary; pairing effects reference content reviewed by Chief Pharmacist Wang Lixia. To be manually verified.