Herbal Tea Recipes From China To Energize You

There comes a time in everyone’s every day living or training when you want a little more energy and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on supplements that work short term and you hit the wall like a crash dummy. So why not get it from a cup of Chinese herbal tea. The herbal tea recipes below have had a long successful relationship in martial arts and do not have any harmful side effects or contraindications.

You will need to measure your herbs in grams with a scale and use equal parts of each herb. 10 grams of each herb is a good amount for each cup. You can either use your coffee maker or boil the herbs in a glass or clay vessel. If you use your coffee maker place your herbs in a filter where you normally put your coffee grounds and start your machine. After the machine has finished add the herbs from the filter in the tea and let it sit for 5-10minutes and either strain and drink or just drink. I have found some machines make a strong cup of tea and others do not.
If you use a glass vessel add about 12 ounces of water, bring to a boil, add your herbs and lower the heat to a simmer and let the herbs simmer for about 5 minutes and you are all set. Go light on the sweetener or none at all. Actually some of the herbs will give the tea a slightly sweet taste and no sweetener is needed. If you like Honey or Stevia use those to taste to sweeten up your herbal tea. So there is no confusion we are talking about making  teas not a decoction which is totally different in preparation.
Energizing HerbalTea Recipe #1

Chinese names are Pinyin

Chinese Name      Latin Name
Dang Shen               Codonopsis
Bai Zhu                  Atractylodes Rhizoma
Fu Ling                   Poria Cocos
Gan Cao                 Glycyrrhizae Glabra

Energizing HerbalTea Recipe #2

Ren Shen                Panax Ginseng
Huang Qi                Astragalus
Bai Zhu                   Atractylodes Rhizoma
Chai Hu                  Bupleurum
Chen Pi                  Citrus Aurantium
Sheng Jiang             Zingiber Officinale
Gan Cao                 Glycyrrhizae Glabra
Da Zao                   Zizyphi Fructus

Energizing HerbalTea Recipe #3
Ren Shen                Panax Ginseng
Sheng Jiang             Zingiber Officinale
Gui Pi                     Cinnamomi Cortex
Chen Pi                  Citrus Aurantium

Energizing Herbal Tea Recipe #4

Ren Shen               Panax Ginseng
Gui Pi                    Cinnamomi Cortex
Gan Cao                Glycyrrhizae Glabra
Shi Hu                    Dendobrium Hancockii
An optional ingredient that according to legend was used by Genghis Khan’s soldiers was Ma Huang. Ma Huang is a potent stimulant that must be used with caution and only in small amounts. It has been used for over a thousand years in Chinese herbal medicine to clear phlegm and mucous from the lungs and if used you might notice some coughing up of mucous. With its long history in Chinese herbal medicine it was used with no problems until it was abused in the 21st century and pretty much banned as a herbal supplement, but the raw herb is available for Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you use it, more is not better, use judiciously, better yet consult with your herbalist prior to taking since it is not good if you suffer from certain lung heat conditions.

When cooking Panax Ginseng depending on how it is purchased, sliced, whole, crosscut, the brewing times will be vary. It is suggested if you have purchased a very expensive root, to cook it separately from the other herbs first.

Herbal Tea Recipe From The Native American Indian

When preparing teas with Gui Pi(Cinnamomi Cortex) it is recommended you cook the Gui Pi for 15 minutes prior to adding the other herbs. Gan Cao in some people will increase your blood pressure so if you suffer from high blood pressure you might want to omit it from your tea.
The following herbal tea recipe is not Chinese but from the Native American Indians. They used this to replenish the body in Spring from a hard nutrient poor Winter.
American Ginseng
Sarsaparilla
Licorce root
Burdock Root
Birch bark
Cherry bark
Motherwort
Dandelion
Boneset
Sassafras root
Sweetflag
The preparation of this tea requires more water approx 32 ounces is a good starting point using 10 grams each of the herb, boiling the water first adding the herbs and simmering down for 30 minutes or longer. You will end up with a few cups of tea. Strain the herbs for your first cup and leave the herbs in the pot and refrigerate. For your next cup, heat just the liquid you want to drink and refrigerate the remaining until you are finished. If you cook Sassafra and Sweetflag to long the tea will have a very strong taste and make the tea somewhat gummy. So adjust if necessary when you add those herbs and the length of time brewing your tea.

The recipes listed are not to treat, cure any diseases, always consult with a health care professional prior to taking herbal teas, this is article is for information use only.

 Ren Shen (Panax Ginseng) and Dang Shen (Codonopsis)

There are some important differences on both of these herbs that you should be aware of. Ren Shen is the most important herb for tonifying the Qi. It can tonify the Original Qi, therefore it is able to rescue collapsed Yang. It can also strongly tonify the Spleen-Qi, which is considered as the foundation of life and the source of Qi and Blood. However, although Ren Shen is an excellent herb for tonifying the Qi and promoting the functions of all the internal organs, it is very expensive if good quality products are required, therefore it is only used in severe cases. In most cases of Qi deficiency, and especially in chronic disorders, a large dosage of Dang Shen is often used as an effective substitution for Ren Shen. This is important when making your herbal tea recipe and Ren Shen is not available.
Dang Shen is sweet and neutral, and enters the Spleen and Lung meridians. However, since it does not enter the Kidney meridian, it has no function in
tonifying the Original Qi and so cannot be used in critical conditions. In acute Yang collapse condition, therefore, Ren Shen must be used. However, Dang Shen is effective for tonifying the Spleen-Qi and the Lung-Qi, and its action is much gentler than that of Ren Shen. The strong point of this herb is that it is not heavy and sticky, and does not generate Heat and Dryness in the body, so is more suitable for many chronic diseases with Spleen-Qi and Lung-Qi
deficiency. It can also generate the Yin and Body Fluids, so is also used for deficiency of both Qi and Yin. In addition, a large dosage of Dang Shen (i.e.
at least six times the dosage of Ren Shen) can be used as a substitute for Ren Shen in treating severe deficiency of the Spleen-Qi and Lung-Qi.