Gynura bicolor Tea (Purple-Backed Velvet Plant Tea)

Why people make this tea

Summer heat is a real thing in Chinese medicine — not just “it’s hot outside,” but a specific pattern where too much heat and sun exposure begin to interfere with how the body regulates fluid, energy, and mood. Gynura bicolor (zi bei tian kui) is a plant with a distinctive purple underside to its leaves, sold dried at Chinese herbal shops. It has a naturally pleasant sweet-tart taste, which makes it easier to drink than many medicinal teas. Traditional Cantonese practitioners reach for it in summer as a general heat-clearing tonic, and it has an additional well-known use for supporting women with period pain or irregular bleeding — something that sets it apart from most other summer teas.