Kunlun Snow Chrysanthemum Tea

Why people make this tea

Snow chrysanthemum (xue ju) is harvested from the high-altitude cliffs of the Kunlun Mountains in China’s Xinjiang region, at elevations where few plants survive and human habitation is minimal. The flowers must be picked at first light, when they are fully intact, making harvesting particularly labor-intensive. The resulting tea is striking — it brews into a deep amber liquid that looks almost like aged pu-erh tea, but has a smooth, slightly sweet, almost honeyed flavor without any bitterness. In traditional food therapy, snow chrysanthemum is associated with a remarkable range of benefits: supporting healthy blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, and even sleep quality. For anyone dealing with or concerned about the “three highs” (hypertension, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar), this is a tea worth knowing about.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Well-suited to adults concerned about blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, or cardiovascular health
• Also associated in traditional food therapy with supporting healthy sleep and aiding digestion
• Contraindicated for people with low blood pressure — this tea has a traditionally pressure-lowering association
• Not recommended during pregnancy
• Store the dried flowers in a cool, dry, dark place — or in the refrigerator — as snow chrysanthemum is prone to developing insect infestation in warm or humid conditions
• Can be paired with tea leaves; however, note that strong tea may reduce the effect of qi-tonifying herbs (such as ginseng, codonopsis, and astragalus) if taken together

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Kunlun snow chrysanthemum (xue ju, Coreopsis tinctoria): Despite being called a chrysanthemum in Chinese, this flower is botanically a species of Coreopsis from the Asteraceae family. It grows at high altitudes in Xinjiang where the air is clean and the soil mineral-rich. Traditionally, it is considered to have strong antioxidant properties (it is high in vitamin E and flavonoids), and is associated in folk medicine with supporting cardiovascular health, managing blood glucose, improving circulation, and calming the mind to promote sleep. Its striking amber brew color comes from its high flavonoid content.

Ingredients (1 cup)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Kunlun snow chrysanthemum (xue ju)	1 teaspoon of dried flowers	Available at Chinese herb shops; look for intact, dry flowers with a clean fragrance

Method

1. Place 1 teaspoon of snow chrysanthemum flowers into a teapot or glass tea vessel.
2. Pour a small amount of near-boiling water (~95°C / 200°F) over the flowers, swirl briefly, and discard — this rinse cleans the flowers.
3. Pour in fresh water heated to approximately 80°C / 175°F (just below boiling — this preserves the delicate flavor compounds better than fully boiling water).
4. Cover and steep for 3 minutes.
5. Pour and drink. The flowers can be re-steeped up to 3 times; add hot water each time until the tea becomes very pale.

Bro Niu’s tips

• Traditional guidance suggests that drinking snow chrysanthemum tea consistently for about a month is when benefits for blood pressure and metabolic health begin to be felt most clearly.
• The tea color is beautiful — a rich amber reminiscent of aged pu-erh — but unlike pu-erh, drinking this tea in the evening is said to support rather than interfere with sleep.
• If you find insects in the tea: place the flowers on a heat-proof dish in a steamer, steam on high heat for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely in fresh air until fully dry before returning to a glass jar for storage.
• Snow chrysanthemum can be combined with tea leaves for a more complex flavor. However, if you are also drinking qi-tonifying herbal teas (ginseng, codonopsis, astragalus), avoid pairing them directly with tea leaves as this may reduce their effect.
• Prices vary considerably depending on the source and vendor — it is worth shopping around, as quality at lower price points is often comparable to more expensive options.

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Published July 30, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.