Hawthorn, Chrysanthemum, Poria & Roasted Barley Tea

Why people make this tea

In summer, people who carry extra weight often struggle more than others — they sweat heavily, feel tired easily, and find the heat particularly draining. In Chinese food therapy, these are classic signs of qi deficiency combined with dampness. Bro Niu’s approach is characteristically practical: rather than prescribing a complicated decoction, he packs four simple, widely available ingredients into a small tea bag that anyone can prepare in minutes and carry to work. Hawthorn is the star — long prized for its traditional association with fat digestion and cardiovascular support. Poria adds a gentle spleen-strengthening and water-metabolizing function. Roasted barley warms the stomach and reduces sweating. Chrysanthemum keeps the head clear and supports blood pressure. Together they make a pleasant, slightly earthy tea that is easy to drink daily and well-suited to the long, humid summer months.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suited to adults managing weight, those who sweat heavily in summer, people with elevated blood pressure or blood sugar
• Also helpful for anyone who tends to retain fluid and feels heavy or bloated in humid weather
• Not recommended during pregnancy
• People with stomach ulcers or acid reflux: drink between meals, not on an empty stomach; the sourness of hawthorn can aggravate gastric acid
• Significant qi deficiency: hawthorn in excess can further deplete qi — use conservatively and pair with a stomach-friendly ingredient like prepared licorice (zhi gan cao) if needed
• Children: this tea is generally considered safe in modest amounts; a Chinese doctor colleague notes it can be beneficial for digestive health in children

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Hawthorn (shan zha): Traditionally associated with supporting fat metabolism, blood circulation, and healthy blood lipids and blood pressure. The sour flavor in Chinese medicine is associated with the liver — hawthorn is said to gently support liver function and clear accumulated fats.
• Chrysanthemum (ju hua): Used to clear the liver, calm upward-rising heat, and support clear vision. Also traditionally associated with supporting healthy blood pressure.
• Poria (fu ling): A mild, slightly sweet medicinal fungus with a long history of use for supporting the spleen and stomach, calming the mind, and helping the body metabolize and release excess fluid. One of the most versatile and safe herbs in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.
• Roasted barley (chao da mai): Lightly roasting barley transforms it from a neutral grain into something warmer and more aromatic. Roasted barley is traditionally associated with warming the stomach, reducing excessive sweating, and aiding digestion. It gives the tea a mild, toasty flavor.

Ingredients (1–2 cups)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Hawthorn slices (shan zha)	5–6 slices	Dried slices; widely available
Chrysanthemum flowers (ju hua)	5–7 flowers	White or yellow; white is milder, yellow is stronger
Poria pieces (fu ling)	4 small pieces	Crush slightly before putting in the tea bag for better extraction
Roasted barley (chao da mai)	1 tablespoon	Buy pre-roasted barley for tea, or lightly dry-roast raw barley in a clean pan for 7 minutes; small-wheat (xiao mai mi) can substitute

Method

1. Place all four ingredients into a disposable tea bag (available at large supermarkets and Japanese-style grocery stores).
2. Put the tea bag into a teapot or large mug.
3. Pour in a small amount of freshly boiled water, swirl, and discard — this rinse cleans the ingredients.
4. Pour in freshly boiled water.
5. Cover and steep for about 7 minutes.
6. Drink warm. Re-steep as needed until the flavor becomes very faint.

Bro Niu’s tips

• The tea bag approach is Bro Niu’s favorite practical tip here: prepare a week’s worth of individual bags in advance and grab one each morning to brew at home or at work.
• If buying barley from a health shop or supermarket, look for roasted barley tea grains (da mai cha). If only raw barley is available, toast it yourself in a dry pan over medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden.
• Poria pieces should be crushed before sealing in the bag — whole pieces do not release their flavor as readily.
• Brew as many refills as you like until the flavor runs out. There is no need to refrigerate leftover tea bags; keep them in an airtight container.
• This tea has a pleasant, mild flavor — slightly sweet from the poria and barley, slightly tart from the hawthorn, gently floral from the chrysanthemum.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (reader): Can I brew a large batch and refrigerate it for the next day? Bro Niu: For an infused tea like this, it is best to brew fresh and drink what you need. Because the ingredients are simple and take little time to prepare, brewing daily is easy. For longer-cooked medicinal soups and teas, you can prepare more and refrigerate — strain out the solids first, as leaving herbs in liquid for extended time can cause chemical changes (particularly for ingredients like tremella/snow fungus).

• Q (reader): Can I replace poria rolls with ordinary poria pieces? Bro Niu: Yes, ordinary poria pieces work fine. Crush them slightly before using.

• Q (reader): Can this tea be drunk in winter? Can black beans be added? Bro Niu: This tea can be drunk in winter. Adding black beans is also fine — both barley and black beans are food ingredients and are stomach-friendly.

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Published August 1, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.