Beat the Heat
A tea designed for the heat and humidity of summer, made with herbs to cool you down and metabolize the extra “dampness” that’s in the air. Featuring freshly harvested perilla (aka shiso, zi su) from Recirculating Farms in New Orleans.
Ingredients: shiso, chrysanthemum, tangerine peel, hawthorn, pearl barley, phragmites rhizome
20g makes about 1 quart of tea.
“Summer heat” is a special category that combines regular heat with the dampness and humidity of summer. By itself, regular heat can leave us dehydrated and worn out, as it burns up all of our fluid and qi. In order for our bodies to stay hydrated, water needs to flow freely in and through all of our cells. But humidity is a form of water that doesn’t flow; it just sits like a fog and clogs up our body’s metabolism. Ironically, even though everything is damp around us, we tend to feel dehydrated and irritable, heavy, sluggish, sticky, and worn out. Beat the Heat tea is a combination of herbs to cool you off and keep the water flowing and fresh.
Perilla - shiso - zi su: an aromatic purple leaf, related to basil. The lightness and aroma opens the pores to vent heat and humidity from the surface of your skin.
Chrysanthemum - ju hua: a flower that comes to bloom in the fall when the weather is turning cold. Cools and vents the surface of our skin as well as quelling heat that is deeper in our organs.
Wetland reed grass - lu gen: growing in the water, these rhizomes are cold in nature and can help our bodies re-hydrate. They encourage fresh flowing water that can reach all of our cells, and can carry the sticky dampness with it on its way out.
Tangerine peel - chen pi: citrus peels are slightly bitter and aromatic, aiding in digestion. These help keep our metabolism moving so that we can process the humidity and keep it from becoming sticky and thick in our bodies.
Hawthorn - shan zha: a sweet and sour fruit to aid digestion, especially for fatty or rich foods. Also used to improve cardiovascular health.
Job’s tears - yi yi ren: a grain related to barley. Cooling and leaching out dampness, encourages urination so that the muck can find its way out. Also provides just a bit of food qi to keep our digestion moving and processing fluids.
Steeping insturctions: bring about 1 quart of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add 1 tea bag. When tea has reached the desired strength, strain out the herbs. The tea can be served warm, or as iced tea. Keep any remaining tea in the refrigerator.
Sun tea: alternatively, put 1 tea bag into a clear container (preferably glass) with about 1 quart of water. Let it rest in the sun for 4-8 hours, or until the flavor is to your liking. Keep the tea in the refrigerator, serve chilled.