Spa Therapies Of China – Silvia Rose Tea
Herbal Medicine:
In ancient China, large prosperous households often retained their own herbalists. These herbalists were paid when the household was healthy, and not when there was illness. Herbalists were thus concerned just as much with preventing as with curing illnesses. This dual function of Chinese herbal medicine still holds firm today. Chinese herbal medicine is thought to have developed from the Daoist alchemists’ search for the elixir of life. It is one of the four main branches of TCM, its sister therapies being acupuncture, tui na and qi gong. Herbs are essential in maintaining health in Chinese philosophy as they help reorganize the body’s vital substances and counter external elements such as heat, cold, dampness or wind. Herbal medicine remains the prime orthodox medicine in China where hundreds of ingredients contribute to common cures. Chinese dispensaries stock herbs in their raw form, extracts and tinctures, oils and potions, and preparations ground to create ointments or poultices. The term ‘Chinese herbs’ is not limited to plants, animal and mineral elements, for instance dried geckos and pearls, are also important sources.
Herbs are classified according to their nature (hot, warm, cool or cold), taste (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent or salty), effectiveness and preparation. Each property influences the root cause of illness, thus effecting change in a person’s condition. Some spas may include herbal tonics in their menus to complement physical treatments prescribed to reinforce the yin-yang equilibrium. The following are herbal remedies from Yin Yang Spa, a member of the Eu Yan Sang group. Try this herbal tea to ease stress, relieve indigestion or chase menstrual pains, and premenstrual tension fullness away.
Salvia Rose Tea:
Ingredients: 1/2 oz / 10g American ginseng; 1 oz / 30g Coix seeds; 1/2 oz / 15g Hawthorn berries; 1/4 oz / 5g Salvia root; 1/2 oz / 10g Rose buds; 1 oz / 35g Rock Sugar; 3 1/2 cups water.
Put all the ingredients except the rose buds into a pot and simmer until the water reduces to about half its original amount. Turn off the fire. Add the rosebuds and let them steep for at least 12 sec with the pot covered, then serve hot.
Prepare this next tea and consume it throughout the day. It is the perfect solution for a sore throat.
Olive And Reed Tea:
Ingredients: 4 preserved black olives; 1 oz / 30g dried reed; 3 oz / 80g fresh reed; 6 1/2 cups water.
Add the ingredients to the water and bring to the boil. Allow to cool before drinking.
