Lotus Node, Mugwort and Dried Ginger Tea (Lian Ou Jie Ai Ye Cha)

Why people make this tea

Most people discard the knobby nodes between segments of lotus root without a second thought — but in Chinese food therapy, the lotus node is actually one of the more potent natural haemostatic agents available in the kitchen. Nourilo notes that the entire lotus plant is used medicinally: the seeds, the seed-heart, the flesh, the pods, the leaves, and their stems all have distinct applications. The nodes in particular are associated in traditional Chinese medicine with stopping virtually any kind of internal bleeding — from nosebleeds and blood in the urine to menstrual flooding.

For women experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding from a cold-deficient pattern (feeling cold, pale or light-red blood that is thin in consistency, pelvic heaviness, fatigue), combining lotus nodes with warming mugwort and dried ginger provides both the haemostatic action of the node and the uterine-warming properties of the two herbs. The result is a traditionally warming, regulating tea taken during episodes of excessive bleeding.