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.

Method

1. Place the lotus leaf tea into a cup or teapot.
2. Pour in boiling water and steep for 5 minutes.
3. Drink while warm and fragrant. The leaves can be re-steeped two to three times.

Nourilo’s Tips

The pan-roasted lotus leaf tea has noticeably less cooling nature and a pleasant aroma that lingers even after multiple infusions. If your local herb shop only carries plain dried lotus leaf, you can dry-roast it yourself in an ungreased frying pan (no oil) for about five minutes — do a batch and store it. Beyond weight support, this tea may also help with blood pressure, detoxification, and general digestive comfort.