Biota Seed and Toasted Ziziphus Tea

Why people make this tea

When stress and overwork pile up — too many things on the mind, too little real rest — the body can start showing signs of what Chinese food-therapy calls heart-yin deficiency: restless sleep, waking in the night drenched in sweat, heart palpitations, and a low-level anxiety that never quite switches off. Nourilo came across this tea while thinking about hair loss linked to chronic stress and sleep deprivation in a friend’s daughter. He noticed that the seeds of the biota cypress tree (bai zi ren) — cousins of the ornamental cedar common in Hong Kong parks — have a long tradition of calming the mind and nourishing the heart. Paired with toasted sour jujube seeds, a classic pairing in Chinese herbalism, the two together are thought to work synergistically to quieten nervous tension and help the body retain its fluids overnight.