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Five Flower Tea

I bought a packet of Five Flower Tea (comprising 2 sachets) from Eu Yan Sang for my mom-in-law not too long ago but she only kept 1 sachet and gave the other sachet back to me. I think older people do not dare to drink too much of these cooling teas...something I should have remembered when I bought this tea!

But one learns!

I've become a fan of Eu Yan Sang of late, possibly because I visit Jusco in Queensbay Mall so often. I am the mad sort, the type who loves the smell and fragrance of herbs in a TCM shop and that's what Eu Yan Sang/EYS is. And perhaps the great thing is, I can ask for the herb in English and the staff knows what I am talking about.

But EYS is also a modern shop which means a lot of the herbs are packed hygenically. Of course the prices at EYS is much higher than my regular TCM stall inside the Lip Sin market BUT the herbs really do look better - they don't look too dried up!

One of those things I would spend on is food and herbs are food and I stand to gain if I buy better herbs, so sometimes I do splurge a bit at EYS. (I still buy from the TCM stall at the wet market sometimes!)

I've been going to EYS mostly to get the Gold Label Bak Foong Pills which at RM88 for 6 bottles of tiny black pills aren't exactly cheap but after all this quality issues with China and what-not (tainted milk powder from the Sanlu brand which has now extended to other dairy products), I'd rather pay a bit more and rest easy that I am NOT ingesting some poison. And like I always say, EYS is a reputable brand and they are surely more careful of its products.

Anyway, I do go on a chinese herb buying spree whenever I step into EYS. Bad for my credit card though Jusco Card holders do get a 5% discount OFF EYS products.

OK, so back to my Five Flower Tea or Wu Hua Cha (RM8.90 per packet of 2 sachets). According to the packet, 1 sachet is to be boiled with 3 liters of water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the honeycomb sugar (it's included in the packet) and that's it - serve warm or cold. Apparently this 3 liters can serve 4-5 people.

It's a delightfully light tea that's good both warm and cold. The flavours did remind me of spring - delicate, fragrant with flower aromas and not-too-sweet.

So what's inside this sachet? The Five Flower Tea has more than just five flowers; it contains:

chrysanthemum
pearl barley
licorice root
stir fried white bean
honeysuckle
pagoda tree flower
frangipani
cotton flower
peuraria flower

Update: A kind reader, Joe, wrote and told me this: 

Five Flower Tea helps to rid the body of uric acid build-up. The flowers contain saponins and the efficacy is evident from the bubbly urine output. Adding licorice reduces acidity in the stomach.

Thanks Joe for the helpful info. ;-) 

Comments

Anonymous said…
not tried this before, sounds interesting, though..
Krista Goon said…
Hi there,
It's a bit like lo han gua beverage but less sweet and much lighter. I guess it's the flowers that make the tea so fragrant and beautiful!
Wu hua cha is normally considered to benefit Damp-Heat in Chinese Medicine terms, so it's good for urinary infections and things like that.

Not good to drink too much if you are more on the dry and cold side... (though a little won't do you any harm!)
Krista Goon said…
Hi Neil: Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, that is why my mom-in-law isn't too keen on drinking this tea much. She is probably worried it will be too cooling for her. Many elderly Chinese believe that drinking too much cooling teas will make their limbs weak (especially their legs). The same goes for eating brinjals or eggplant. As with everything (soups and desserts) moderation is key. I didn't know it is good for urinary tract infections. For UTI, I always raid my fridge for dried cranberries. Eating a handful makes me feel cured ;-) immediately. I shall keep this in mind.

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