Fresh Mulberry and Goji Berry Tea

Why people make this tea

The entire mulberry tree is valued in traditional Chinese practice — the leaves, young shoots, root bark, branches, and fruit all have recognised uses. But it is the ripe, deep-purple berries that arrive in spring for a brief, beautiful season that Nourilo particularly loves to make use of. They are naturally sweet, deeply coloured, and packed with anthocyanins and antioxidants that modern nutrition research associates with healthy ageing and eye protection. Fresh mulberries are also notably high in zinc, which is associated with children’s cognitive development and the prevention of age-related cognitive decline.

Combined with goji berries — themselves prized for their zeaxanthin content and liver-kidney nourishing properties — this becomes one of the simplest and most elegant seasonal teas you can make. Two ingredients. Twenty minutes. And a tea that looks and tastes like something far more complicated.

Method

1. Rinse the fresh mulberries gently; rinse the goji berries briefly.
2. Place both ingredients in a pot with 1.5–1.8 L of water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the liquid reduces to roughly 900 ml.
4. Drink the tea and eat the cooked berries.

Nourilo’s Tips

Fresh mulberries are in season from around April to June — enjoy them while they last. You can also preserve them as mulberry wine: steam fresh mulberries, let them cool completely, then submerge in rice wine (mi jiu) for one month. A small glass each day may support dark, lustrous hair and smooth, hydrated skin over time. Fresh mulberries are available at Asian grocers and some farmers’ markets during the season; dried mulberries can be used outside the season — about 19 g (19 g) per serving works well.