Mulberry & Toasted Sour Jujube Seed Tea

Why people make this tea

The combination behind this tea is simple: toasted sour jujube seeds, long prized for calming the mind and anchoring restless sleep, paired with dried mulberries for their blood-nourishing, kidney-supporting reputation. The result is a tea that is tangy, lightly sweet, and genuinely pleasant to drink — nothing like a bitter herbal remedy. Nourilo has brewed it for audiences at food-therapy talks to consistently warm reception. It suits anyone who finds their mind racing at bedtime, wakes easily in the night, or notices they sweat more than expected for no particular reason.

Method

1. Place the toasted sour jujube seeds and dried mulberries in a small teapot or heatproof cup.
2. Pour boiling water over the ingredients to rinse once; discard this first rinse.
3. Pour in fresh boiling water and add the sugar.
4. Steep for 10 minutes.
5. Drink the tea warm. You can also eat the softened mulberries.

Nourilo’s Tips

• This tea has a lively, appetising sour-sweet flavour — it genuinely tastes good, not medicinal.
• Pregnant women: replace the sour jujube seeds with 4 southern jujubes (nan zao) for a gentler alternative.
• To enhance blood-nourishing effects: combine dried mulberries with longan flesh (gui yuan rou). The longan is warming and the mulberries are cooling — the two balance each other beautifully, and the combination is excellent for those who are blood-deficient and feel cold easily.
• Regular drinking is associated with supporting eye clarity and nourishing the complexion.