Loquat Flower Honey Tea

Why people make this tea

Loquat flower honey tea is one of Bro Niu’s gentle go-to brews for a dry, scratchy throat and a nagging cough. The flower is traditionally associated with moistening the throat and calming a cough, and a spoonful of honey makes it pleasant to sip. Loquat flower is not the most common ingredient — look for it at Chinese or Asian grocers, or online.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Adults with a dry throat or a lingering cough
• Pregnant women should not drink this, nor any flower-and-herb tea (including magnolia flower tea); a safer choice in pregnancy is snow pear stewed with chuanbei and honey
• This is a less common ingredient and is not suited to very young children — for little ones Bro Niu prefers a plain imperatae-cane-water-chestnut-carrot brew
• Because it is cooling, those with a cold-type cough should add the warming options below

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Loquat flower (pi pa hua): traditionally associated with moistening the lungs and easing a cough; it is fairly neutral in nature
• Honey (feng mi): soothes and moistens the throat, and softens the brew
• Magnolia flower (xin yi hua): added for a wind-cold blocked nose
• Loquat leaf (pi pa ye): added when the cough is a wind-heat type

Ingredients (about 2 bowls, 1 day)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Loquat flower	~38 g (1 tael)	1 tael is enough
Honey	to taste	Stir in after it cools slightly
Magnolia flower	6 flowers	Optional, for a blocked nose
Loquat leaf	a little	Optional, for a heat-type cough

Method

1. Rinse the loquat flower. Simmer it gently in water to draw out a light, fragrant brew.
2. If you have a wind-cold blocked nose, add 6 magnolia flowers to simmer together. If the cough is a wind-heat type, simmer with a little loquat leaf instead.
3. Let it cool slightly, then stir in honey to taste before drinking.

Bro Niu’s tips

Use just about 1 tael of loquat flower — that is plenty. The brew leans cooling, so it suits a dry, hot-type throat best; for a cold-type cough, add the warming options above. Loquat flower is not commonly stocked everywhere — check Chinese or Asian grocers, or order online.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Angel): Is loquat flower warming or cooling? My pregnant wife (5 months) has a sensitive airway with phlegm — can she drink this tea? Bro Niu: Loquat flower is fairly neutral in nature, but a pregnant woman should not drink any flower-and-herb tea, including magnolia flower tea. Stewed snow pear with chuanbei and honey is the safer choice.

• Q (dudu): The shopkeeper said to brew loquat flower with luo han guo and north-and-south almonds to soothe a cough and moisten the lungs — what do you think? And how do I tell a cold cough from a heat cough? Bro Niu: One tael of loquat flower brewed with luo han guo does soothe a cough and moisten the lungs. A cold cough has thin, clear, white phlegm with chills and a runny nose; a heat cough has a hoarse voice, sore throat, and thick or yellow phlegm.

• Q (anita): When I add magnolia flower, do I need to wrap it in a tea bag, like I do with loquat leaf so the fuzz doesn’t come off? Bro Niu: No need to wrap magnolia flower in a tea bag — unlike the fuzz on the back of loquat leaves, the fuzz on magnolia flower does not come loose.

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Published May 16, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.