Good afternoon to all here, 
Other than my usual caffeinated teas, I also have a few types of flower teas that I like to drink for health purposes. My favourite one is the Chrysanthemum Tea and most people here in Malaysia just like to boil the flowers for a few minutes and then add sugar to make it into a drink. It is available at most coffee shops and herbal tea stalls.
The calories are almost zero if you don’t add any sugar or honey into the chrysanthemum tea, and best is, it does not contain any caffeine.
This tea is especially good for those symptoms that we have like sore and throbbing gums, slight toothaches, tension headaches, gummy eyes, because according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these signs point to heatiness in our body, and the Chrysanthemum Tea is good for the internal “cooling” of our body. This is recommended whenever we have had too much fried, baked and barbequed foods. Children are often encouraged to drink this once in a while for maintenance of good health.
For me, I like to savour and enjoy this flower tea at home just as I would my usual black and green teas. This “recipe” was taught to me by a TCM expert, and for maintenance of health, you can have this Chrysanthemum Tea once or twice a week. The ingredients are not expensive at all (hehe, my Earl Grey and Chinese Green Teas cost much more) and this tea is so easy to prepare.The ingredients can be found in any Chinese Medical/Herbal Shops in SE Asia or in Chinatowns in the West. Or you can purchase them over the Internet. Later on, I intend to have my own online store and by then, the ingredients for all my recipes here will be readily available. 
Make a pot of this flower tea during those cold rainy or cold wintry days, curl up in your favourite sofa and read your favourite book…..ah, this is just “hygge” (wonderfully relaxing joy) as my Danish sister has taught me!
Healthy Detoxifying Chrysanthemum Tea Recipe
* 3 tbsps of dried chrysanthemum flowers (Kook Fah in Cantonese)
* 1 tbsp of Chinese Wolfberries (Gei Ji in Cantonese)
* 3 slices of Chinese Licorice Slices (Kam Choe in Cantonese)
Method - Add the ingredients above into a tea pot and pour 500 ml hot water. Let stand for 5 minutes and then slowly sip and enjoy this wonderful, golden, and slightly sweet taste of chrysanthemum tea. When the tea pot is empty, you can pour more hot water to brew it a second round, but the flavour will be lesser.
I have put some information below on the respective ingredients so that you know better how this Chrysanthemum Tea works :-
Dried Chrysanthemum Flowers
With its sweet, light and refreshing flavour, chrysanthemum flowers are highly regarded as a detoxification herb in Chinese medicine. It helps to clear heat and toxic materials which have accumulated within the body. This tea is a must for office workers in closed environments, as well as seasonal allergy sufferers. Regular consumption aids in the removal of toxins trapped in the lungs as well as breakdown of mucous formation. Chrysanthemum flowers also make a great rinse for red, swollen and irritated eyes.
The wolfberry is actually a member of the family solanacea, and it grows wild on bushes found in the northwest part of China. The Chinese people have been growing the wolfberry for thousands of years, both for its pleasant taste and its strong nutritional value and role in traditional medicine. Other health benefits of the wolfberry included the ability to strengthen the liver, the kidneys and the eyes, as well as the ability to nourish the blood.
The most frequently used herb, the second most prescribed herb in China. Chinese licorice, moderates and harmonizes the characteristics of other herbs. It tonifies the Spleen and benefits Qi, moistens the Lungs and stops coughing, and therefore it is good in treating upper respiratory ailments. It has an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect. It reduces the toxicity of many substances including nicotine, and caffeine. However, a word of caution…people with high blood pressure should avoid taking these.
Hope you like this healthy, delicious tea!
