Lemon Verbena and Globe Amaranth Flower Tea

Why people make this tea

Nourilo tells the story directly: he once sat in a minibus on a congested day with freezing air conditioning blasting from behind his head the whole journey home. By the time he got back, his head felt heavy and a dull ache had set in. He brewed a handful of lemon verbena with a few globe amaranth flowers — and within a short time the headache lifted. That kind of headache — brought on by exposure to cold wind or air conditioning drafts — is what traditional Chinese practitioners call “wind headache” (tou feng tong). Lemon verbena is widely used in Europe as a calming, digestive herb with a clean lemon scent; globe amaranth has traditionally been used in Chinese medicine to clear the liver, settle cough and ease wind-related head pain.