Mulberry Tea

Why people make this tea

Life in a busy city rarely slows down, and the toll it takes on sleep is real. When you find yourself lying awake with a restless mind, Traditional Chinese food therapy has a gentle suggestion before reaching for sleeping pills: try adjusting your diet first. Mulberry tea is one of the simplest herbal teas in the repertoire — just a handful of dried mulberries, hot water, and a little patience. Nourilo recommends it as an everyday brew for anyone whose sleep has been light, patchy, or slow to come.

The darker the dried mulberries, the better their potency — if your local herbal shop carries both lighter and darker varieties, choose the deeply coloured ones.

Method

1. Place the dried mulberries in a cup or small teapot.
2. Pour boiling water over them and steep for 5 minutes, or simmer gently for 5 minutes in a small pot.
3. Drink warm. The berries can be eaten as well.

Nourilo’s Tips

Mulberry tea is one of the most fuss-free sleep-support teas around. You can brew it fresh each evening and sip it an hour or so before bed. Other teas in the same family include longan-and-jujube-seed tea (yuan rou zao ren cha) and arbor-vitae seed tea (bai zi ren cha) — all gentle options worth rotating through. Pair the tea with a regular wind-down routine and keep screens away from the bedroom for best results.