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INGREDIENT DICTIONARY cool Nature

Chrysanthemum

菊花 / 杭菊花 (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
TCM Category Cool acrid release herbs
Thermal Property cool
Flavors sweet, bitter
Target Meridians lung, liver

Chrysanthemum flowers are the premier cooling herb in Chinese daily wellness. Used as a gentle home remedy for hot summer days and dry, screen-weary eyes, this floral tea is a staple of office desks and study rooms.

Traditional TCM Logic

Chrysanthemum flowers have a cool thermal nature and a flavor that is both sweet and bitter. They enter the Lung and Liver meridians.

In TCM, dry, bloodshot, or itchy eyes are often caused by Liver Heat rising upward to the head. This heat can be triggered by stress, spicy food, or prolonged eye strain. Chrysanthemum’s cool, bitter nature works to drain this rising heat and clear the eyes.

Additionally, because it enters the Lung meridian, it helps clear wind-heat pathogens, serving as a remedy for early-stage sore throats and dry coughs.

Daily Wellness Application

Always choose food-grade dried chrysanthemum buds, such as Hángjú (杭菊) or Tàijú (胎菊).

  1. Screen-Time Tea: Steep 4 to 5 dried chrysanthemum buds with a tablespoon of goji berries in boiling water. The goji berry moistens Liver Blood while the flower clears Liver heat, creating the balanced loop of the Chrysanthemum & Goji Protocol.
  2. Summer Cooler: Brew chrysanthemum with a touch of rock sugar, then let it cool to room temperature. Drink it on hot summer days to clear summer heat and reduce irritability.
  3. Steam Inhalation: Steep chrysanthemum flowers in a bowl of hot water, then lean over and let the steam bathe your eyes to instantly relieve dryness and fatigue.