Dried Lychee Xiao Yao Tea (Free & Easy Wanderer Tea)

Why people make this tea

Low mood, emotional flatness, and a persistent sense of joylessness are experiences many people — especially women navigating the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause — know well. In traditional Chinese medicine, this cluster of symptoms is often understood as “liver qi stagnation” (gan qi yu jie) — a state in which the liver’s natural tendency to keep energy and emotions flowing freely has become blocked, leaving a person feeling tight, suppressed, and unable to relax.

The classical formula for this is Xiao Yao San — literally “Free and Easy Wanderer” — a roughly 1,000-year-old prescription built around bupleurum and white peony root. Bro Niu’s adaptation takes those core herbs and wraps them in the gentleness of dried lychee (which nourishes the liver and calms the heart), lily bulb (which settles the mind), white atractylodes (which supports the digestive foundation that emotional wellbeing depends on), and chrysanthemum (which cools any heat that has built up from prolonged emotional tension).

The result is a tea with a mild, slightly earthy-sweet flavour that both men and women can drink. It is particularly well-suited to women in the lead-up to menopause, when hormonal fluctuations can amplify emotional sensitivity and make everyday stresses feel overwhelming.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Women experiencing low mood, irritability, or emotional sensitivity related to hormonal shifts (perimenopause, menopause)
• Anyone — men or women — dealing with sustained stress, suppressed emotions, or a general sense of being unable to “flow” or relax
• Those with insomnia or restlessness related to emotional tension
• Pregnant women must NOT drink this tea — several of the herbs in this formula are contraindicated during pregnancy

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Dried lychee (li zhi gan): Warm and sweet; in food therapy associated with moving qi, nourishing the liver, supporting the spleen, and calming the heart and mind; a gentler version of the lychee’s warming properties once the fruit is dried
• Bupleurum root (chai hu / Bupleurum chinense): One of the primary herbs in Xiao Yao San; associated with moving stagnant liver qi, lifting depression, and harmonising the liver-spleen relationship; the key “unblocking” herb in the formula
• White peony root (bai shao / Paeonia lactiflora): The partner to bupleurum in Xiao Yao San; associated with nourishing blood, softening the liver’s tendency to over-tighten, and moderating pain from tension
• White atractylodes (bai zhu / Atractylodes macrocephala): Supports the spleen and stomach — the digestive centre that, in Chinese medicine, suffers first when emotions run high; adds the grounding middle to the formula
• Dried lily bulb (bai he / Lilium brownii): Calming and moist; associated with clearing emotional heat and settling the mind; specific for the kind of insomnia that comes from anxious, unsettled feelings
• Chrysanthemum (ju hua / Chrysanthemum morifolium): Cools and clears; added at the end because prolonged boiling diminishes its delicate properties; specifically associated with clearing liver heat and brightening the eyes

Ingredients (~3 cups)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Dried lychee	~37 g (1 liang)	Shells removed
Bupleurum root	~11 g (3 qian)	Soaked and rinsed
White peony root	~11 g (3 qian)	Soaked and rinsed
White atractylodes	~15 g (4 qian)	Soaked and rinsed
Dried lily bulb	~19 g (5 qian)	Soaked and rinsed
Chrysanthemum flowers	~11 g (3 qian)	Added in the last 10 minutes only
Water	6 bowls (~1.2 L)

Method

1. Remove the shells from the dried lychee.
2. Soak and rinse all herbs except the chrysanthemum.
3. Combine all ingredients except chrysanthemum in a pot with 6 bowls of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add the chrysanthemum flowers and cook for a further 10 minutes.
6. Strain and drink warm. The tea has a mild, slightly earthy-sweet taste with a gentle floral note from the chrysanthemum.

Bro Niu’s tips

Dried lychee is available at Chinese specialty grocery stores and herbal medicine shops. This tea has a mild herbal taste that most people find quite pleasant. Both men and women can drink it. However, pregnant women must not use this formula. For those who want to start taking care of their emotional wellbeing before reaching menopause, this is an excellent regular tea — not waiting until symptoms become disruptive, but building resilience earlier. Bro Niu also encourages finding enjoyable activities, nurturing social connections, and staying curious — food therapy works best when paired with a life that has things to look forward to.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Hou / reader): I have mild thalassemia. Is this tea suitable for me? How would you adjust it if serving as a soup? Bro Niu: This tea is fine to drink with mild thalassemia. Spirulina is particularly beneficial for people with thalassemia — spirulina supplements are worth taking as a regular health support. You might also try a lotus root, black bean, and jujube pork soup, or Japanese tofu with seaweed — all are very suitable.

• Q (Cindy / reader): I am 47 and have been experiencing perimenopausal symptoms. My period stopped for a month, came back, and has now stopped again for two months. I also have lots of thin, watery discharge, bloating, and shortness of breath. What can I take to support my body? Bro Niu: For the excessive discharge, try a soup with 15 ginkgo nuts (bai guo, core removed), 1 liang each of Gordon euryale seeds (qian shi) and raw coix seeds (sheng yi mi), and 5 southern jujube dates (nan zao), simmered with lean pork. Eat the soup and the ingredients. Take 3–4 batches. Keep the area clean. For the bloating and gas, add 2 pieces of dried tangerine peel (chen pi) and 2 qian of cardamom (sha ren) to the soup when cooking.

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Published January 19, 2022 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 5 min read.