Ume Plum, Licorice and Chrysanthemum Tea

Why people make this tea

There is a type of cough that does not come from a proper cold — it flares up when you walk past a frying kitchen, step into a dusty room, or smell something that disagrees with you. This “wind cough” or “allergic cough” is distinctly frustrating: ticklish, persistent, almost impossible to stop once it starts, and unresponsive to many standard cold remedies. Nourilo recommends this three-ingredient tea specifically for this pattern. Ume plum is one of the oldest documented astringent lung herbs in Chinese medicine — it is thought to gently gather and hold the lung’s energy so that the constant outward-expelling reflex of coughing can slow down. Licorice root both moistens and steadies, and chrysanthemum adds a wind-clearing, slightly cooling quality. Steeped together, the tea can be refilled multiple times and drunk throughout the day.

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a teapot or heatproof jug.
2. First, pour a small amount of boiling water over the ingredients and immediately discard — this is a quick rinse to clean the herbs.
3. Add fresh boiling water, enough to fill the teapot.
4. Steep for 15 minutes, then drink.
5. Refill with boiling water as needed; the tea can be enjoyed multiple times until the flavour fades.

Nourilo’s Tips

The ume plum in this recipe should be the prepared medicinal type (wu mei) from a Chinese herbal medicine shop — dark, wrinkled, and concentrated. It is not the sweetened, flavoured snack version found in candy shops. The medicinal ume plum is what gives this tea its cough-astringent quality. Short-cut licorice slices work well; there is no need to measure the weight precisely — just 4 or 5 small slices per pot is enough. For those with yellow or thick phlegm alongside their cough, this tea can still be used but it should be combined with other approaches for phlegm clearance. This tea is also specifically noted by Nourilo to be beneficial for people with mild fatty liver conditions.