Globe Amaranth and Verbena Flower Tea

Why people make this tea

Globe amaranth (qian ri hong) is one of those flowers that refuses to fade — it holds its vivid color for a remarkably long time after cutting, which is how it earned the name “thousand-day red.” In traditional Chinese food therapy, it is associated with clearing liver heat, calming coughs, and dispersing nodules. Paired with verbena (ma bian cao), which in European herbal traditions has long been used for nervous tension and fatigue, the two together make a pleasantly floral tea that many people reach for when they feel a headache coming on alongside a sense of heat or tension — the kind that feels like pressure behind the eyes rather than a dull, cold ache.

Method

1. Place the globe amaranth and verbena in a teapot or steeping vessel.
2. First rinse the herbs briefly with boiling water (pour over and discard immediately) to clean them.
3. Pour fresh boiling water over the herbs and steep for about 7 minutes.
4. Strain and drink. Add honey to taste if desired.
5. The herbs can be re-steeped 1–2 more times.

Nourilo’s Tips

• This tea is particularly well suited for those who often experience a “heavy head” feeling, or a recurring sensation of pressure or heat around the temples and eyes.
• Both globe amaranth flowers and dried verbena are available at herbal flower tea shops (hua cao cha dian).
• This tea addresses wind-heat headaches. For cold-type headaches (located at the back of the head, with sensitivity to cold), the approach is different: try Sichuan lovage root (chuan xiong) 11 g, ginger 3 slices, and a fish-head broth, which is warmer and more appropriate.