On our second Here’s The Tea post––exploring herbal medicine and its many holistic and clinical alleviations––we will be brewing a self-help book in a cup. Yes, the herb xià kū cǎo 夏枯草 directly translates to “self-heal”, or otherwise known as Prunella Vulgaris. Doesn’t this sound like some Disney princess movie villain, one with water and seaweed and involving an oppressed mermaid? Well, that movie is the Little Mermaid, and the villain’s name was none other than Ursulla. The self-heal herb actually looks like Ursulla’s garden of seaweed in the film. But you will sure be feeling under the sea with this tea.
Prunella Vulagaris falls under the fire-purging classification of Chinese herbal medicine because of its ability to treat redness and inflammation of the eyes or infections of the skin. It is also known for regulating the circulation of qi––or the Chinese holistic belief in your body’s inner vital energy––to reduce accumulations and masses; being of light nature, it is especially used for accumulations such as thyroids in the upper body (chest, throat, and head).
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups of dried Self-heal herb
- 6 Cups of water
- ½ cup Rock candy
- Rinse Self-heal herb clean, soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain.
- In a big pot, combine self-heal herb and 6 cups of cold water, bringing to a boil. Then, turn to low flame, cook for 30 minutes.
- Throw in the rock candy, turn off the flame, keep it covered for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the self-heal herb from pot. Cool the pot of liquid in cold water bath. Pour it into jug when cools. Refrigerate.
Holidays All Year Round 