Kudzu Flower Tea

Why people make this tea

Plenty of people find themselves in work situations where drinking is hard to decline entirely. A small amount of alcohol now and then is generally harmless, but frequent or heavy drinking puts real stress on the liver and stomach lining. Kudzu flower tea is one of the simplest and most time-honoured remedies in Chinese herbal food therapy for helping the body after alcohol exposure.

Kudzu (ge, Pueraria lobata) is a climbing vine whose root (ge gen) has become internationally recognised through research into its effects on alcohol metabolism. The flower of the same plant — ge hua — has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries specifically to help “resolve alcohol toxins.” After a night out, if you wake up with a headache, dizziness, dry mouth or a sour, unsettled stomach, a warm cup of kudzu flower tea is the traditional first response. It is quick to brew, easy to source from Chinese herbal shops, and gentle enough to drink the morning after as well.