Lotus Leaf Tea

Why people make this tea

After Lunar New Year celebrations — with all the rich food and festive feasting — this simple one-ingredient tea is a classic Chinese household remedy for feeling lighter and more comfortable. The active alkaloids in lotus leaf are traditionally credited with helping the body break down and process fats, and the leaf also encourages bowel movement and mild diuresis, which helps ease the bloated, heavy feeling that follows days of indulgent eating. Nourilo recommends seeking out a pan-roasted version of lotus leaf tea — stir-fried much like Dragon Well (Longjing) green tea — which significantly reduces its cooling properties and makes it far more aromatic and stomach-friendly. This style can be found at well-stocked Chinese herb shops and some specialty tea shops, or online. If you cannot find the roasted version, ordinary dried lotus leaf from a Chinese herb shop can be briefly dry-roasted at home in a frying pan for five minutes to achieve a similar effect.