Dendrobium Flower Tea

Why people make this tea

Dendrobium (shi hu) is one of the more celebrated herbs in Chinese tonic medicine — the stem is used in soups and congees for nourishing stomach yin and body fluids, while the dried flowers are a rarer, more delicate product that has become more widely available in specialist herb-and-flower tea shops. What makes dendrobium flower tea special is that it carries the full nourishing profile of the stem — stomach support, liver clarifying, eye brightening — with an additional layer of mood-lifting and fatigue-easing qualities. Though the dried flowers are not always stocked at mainstream Chinese medicine shops, they can be found at specialist herb-and-flower tea retailers, and 38 g goes a long way. For anyone whose days are filled with meetings, screens, and social obligations, this is a beautifully restorative little cup of tea.