Been sick for a week now with some daycare cold. Lots of congestion and coughing - no fever. One tea has been a great source of comfort: lincang bainian tea from daxuejiadao.
Tea when sick
Curious as to the special comforting qualities of this tea: sweet, earthy, Huigan, qi, Or just a sense that it is familiar and reliable and easy to brew even when you’re feeling a bit off?
I asked because sometimes I want teas with any of those properties when I’m feeling sick.
I asked because sometimes I want teas with any of those properties when I’m feeling sick.
The tea is not fussy. Its hard to overstep and yet a short steep yields a good infusion- and it goes for a long time. I tend to stop counting after 7, but today I decided to count - and I got 16 good infusions from 4g in 85 ml gaiwan.debunix wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:14 pmCurious as to the special comforting qualities of this tea: sweet, earthy, Huigan, qi, Or just a sense that it is familiar and reliable and easy to brew even when you’re feeling a bit off?
I asked because sometimes I want teas with any of those properties when I’m feeling sick.
This tea has great mouthfeel- smooth with the right amount of thickness. There is no discomfort whatsoever.
The aromas are not very complex- just simple and nice. With a stuffed nose, losing some of it is not a shame.
The flavors have strength but not uncomfortable. The strength is important to overcome the stuffed nose.
Hope you feel better soon LeoFox! I am sympathetic and sniffly; the viruses circulating this year feel relentless.
I crave good old fashioned chamomile with milk and honey, the problem is steeping is no comparison to boiling the flowers. I'm steeping a blend of chamomile, lemongrass, rose, hops, nettle etc. as a compromise to getting out of bed.
Little tea quote from 'Tales of Peter Rabbit' by Beatrix Potter:
I crave good old fashioned chamomile with milk and honey, the problem is steeping is no comparison to boiling the flowers. I'm steeping a blend of chamomile, lemongrass, rose, hops, nettle etc. as a compromise to getting out of bed.
Little tea quote from 'Tales of Peter Rabbit' by Beatrix Potter:
Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: "One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.
- Attachments
-
- PeterRabbit.png (226.94 KiB) Viewed 6841 times
Hope you get well soon, LeoFox.
I really like lemon balm when feeling sick and/or restless. It's a very common herbal here in Bulgaria, though more often consumed in blends. Several years ago, and to some surprise, I discovered that it deserves its reputation as a calming herb, even if you just make a quick 10min infusion. The taste is peculiar. Can be quite good & refreshing, but finding a source with consistent quality is hard b/c it's treated as a very cheap herb.
I really like lemon balm when feeling sick and/or restless. It's a very common herbal here in Bulgaria, though more often consumed in blends. Several years ago, and to some surprise, I discovered that it deserves its reputation as a calming herb, even if you just make a quick 10min infusion. The taste is peculiar. Can be quite good & refreshing, but finding a source with consistent quality is hard b/c it's treated as a very cheap herb.
Lemon balm does create a wonderful sense of well being, I imagine it perfect when you're feeling unwell.teatray wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:38 pmI really like lemon balm when feeling sick and/or restless. It's a very common herbal here in Bulgaria, though more often consumed in blends. Several years ago, and to some surprise, I discovered that it deserves its reputation as a calming herb, even if you just make a quick 10min infusion. The taste is peculiar. Can be quite good & refreshing, but finding a source with consistent quality is hard b/c it's treated as a very cheap herb.
Apart from cheap wet old puer or liubao, my choice of tea when I'm diseased has usually been some medium-roasted Dong Ding style of tea, thrown into a tall glass and refilled with boiling water every now and then.
Not a good example of a Dong Ding or hong shui which requires attention and a sense of smell, but rather just some simple and inoffensive ones that I might have tried a while ago and left lying around.
All of those types of tea tend to be calming, easy to brew, and with a mouthfeel that is rich enough to be enjoyable while you're unable to detect much smell or taste, yet perfectly inoffensive, but I think that there's also something about a mildly roasted tea that feels somehow 'appropriate' for when you're got a cold or flu, or the new bug.
Andrew
Not a good example of a Dong Ding or hong shui which requires attention and a sense of smell, but rather just some simple and inoffensive ones that I might have tried a while ago and left lying around.
All of those types of tea tend to be calming, easy to brew, and with a mouthfeel that is rich enough to be enjoyable while you're unable to detect much smell or taste, yet perfectly inoffensive, but I think that there's also something about a mildly roasted tea that feels somehow 'appropriate' for when you're got a cold or flu, or the new bug.
Andrew
-
swordofmytriumph
- Posts: 429
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:19 am
- Location: Seattle, USA
I also like chamomile when sick, and if I have any ginger or lemon, I'll add a small squeeze of lemon and a piece of ginger chopped into matchsticks in as well, with a bit of honey to coat my throat.
Like Balthazar mentioned, the honey loquat bottled syrup if I have any on hand, but aside from that, also chenpi teas and those with the medicated leaven like taste (certain mid aged sheng seem to have it) are for whatever bizarre reason what I gravitate towards. When I was sick as a child, the odd concoctions with all sorts of things from the medicinal stash were what my parents would make. I absolutely despised having to drink those, but as an adult, teas with that general profile are the only ones I'll reach for when feeling under the weather. Seems to work, but maybe it's nostalgia as much as it is relief
Deep into the coughing phase of a nasty cold....alternating various oolongs with lemon, ginger, & honey plus a bit of whatever is appealing at that moment. 2 negative COVID tests, and sense of smell and taste are quite reassuringly intact, but the cough makes my congested head ache. And it's time for another pot of not-oolong. However did I manage to run out of chamomile just now?
@debunix hope you feel better soon. Love ginger, lemon, honey mix and adding herbs from the garden. Another mix is apple cider vinegar, honey, cayenne pepper and lemon to blow out the sinuses. I’ve been using your Korean hydrangea leaf idea as a sugar alternative with peppermint tisane at night. Just 2-3 leaves are amazingly sweet.
I do a couple things now when sick.
The first is to take an ordinary Indian black tea and add ginger to it. I either slice fresh ginger on a mandolin or use sugar-preserved ginger. I find that the astringency of the ordinary Indian black tea seems to help my throat. The ginger helps with throat, sinuses, and digestion.
The second thing I do is steep ground turkey tails fungus (Trametes versicolor) in hot water overnight and use that water to make stronger than normal sencha. The turkey tails have an umami flavor that works well with sencha. Turkey tails tea is a folk treatment for various illnesses and the strong sencha helps with inflammation. Together, they are nice on the throat and help with the achy part of viral illnesses.
The first is to take an ordinary Indian black tea and add ginger to it. I either slice fresh ginger on a mandolin or use sugar-preserved ginger. I find that the astringency of the ordinary Indian black tea seems to help my throat. The ginger helps with throat, sinuses, and digestion.
The second thing I do is steep ground turkey tails fungus (Trametes versicolor) in hot water overnight and use that water to make stronger than normal sencha. The turkey tails have an umami flavor that works well with sencha. Turkey tails tea is a folk treatment for various illnesses and the strong sencha helps with inflammation. Together, they are nice on the throat and help with the achy part of viral illnesses.
Nose stuffed up after 2 weeks of illness in my household. I'm the last person to get sick. On a whim, Decided to make chai -
16 oz water, 8 oz whole milk
Bring to simmer with Ceylon cinnamon
Throw in spoonful of assam, ginger, cardamom, clove, black pepper blend
Simmer for 8 min
16 oz water, 8 oz whole milk
Bring to simmer with Ceylon cinnamon
Throw in spoonful of assam, ginger, cardamom, clove, black pepper blend
Simmer for 8 min
- 20230320_222448.jpg (189.97 KiB) Viewed 5084 times
- 20230320_222500.jpg (229.93 KiB) Viewed 5084 times
- 20230320_222702.jpg (230.17 KiB) Viewed 5084 times
- 20230320_223248.jpg (162.62 KiB) Viewed 5084 times