Every year, the dog days are the hottest and most humid times. Since this year, the dog days officially began on July 15th, lasting a full 40 days!
The scorching heat of summer sees lotus flowers in full bloom. Strolling by the lake, you’ll see the picturesque hues of lotus flowers and the varying shades of green lotus leaves, all bringing the essence of summer. Beyond being a sight to behold, lotus leaves are a rare treasure in summer that can be used both as an ingredient and for medicinal purposes to cool down. Today in our evening chat under the starry sky, let’s talk about the “summer treasure” – lotus leaves.
Clever individuals will include lotus leaves in their summer diet.
1. Lower Blood Pressure
Lotus leaves have a cooling nature, a bitter taste, and a slight astringency, possessing the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, which can relieve most people’s concerns about swelling and also serve as a natural antihypertensive medicine. Modern nutritional studies have proven that the alkaloid extracted from lotus leaves can dilate blood vessels and help lower blood pressure. The rich flavonoids in lotus leaves act as scavengers for most oxygen free radicals, increasing coronary flow and providing protection against acute myocardial ischemia.
2. Clearing Up and Down
Lotus’s ability to grow in muddy water without being tainted symbolizes a natural rising force. This ability signifies both the ascension and promotion of digestion and metabolism, making it effective in clearing up and down in the body. This function is crucial for human health. According to the “Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon – Plain Questions,” it states, “When clear Qi is downward, diarrhea occurs; when turbid Qi is upward, distention occurs.” In the human body, if the clear Yang Qi does not rise upward, the head will not receive proper nutrition, causing dizziness, dullness, and a yellowish complexion. If the turbid Yin does not move downward, water and waste cannot be expelled, leading to poor digestion, bloating, and symptoms such as hiccups and vomiting. Lotus leaves can help the body ascend clearly and descend turbidity, alleviating abdominal discomfort commonly seen in summer, such as abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
3. Strengthen the Spleen and Remove Dampness
By relieving digestive troubles, lotus leaves naturally improve the function of the spleen and stomach. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Central Zone, comprising the spleen and stomach, is a crucial organ for metabolizing the body’s water and dampness. When the spleen and stomach function well, the body can expel excess moisture more effectively. Additionally, Traditional Chinese Medicine states, “Plump individuals are often damp, while lean individuals are often heaty.” Since lotus leaves have the ability to remove moisture, they are commonly used during weight loss efforts. The “Key Points in Treatment” states, “Taking lotus leaves leads to thinness in people. When pretending to be sick, and wishing to appear thin, take a dose of lotus leaf ash.”
4. Alleviate Skin Allergies
Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that the main cause of allergies is excessive damp heat and poor circulation of Qi in the body, leading to symptoms such as redness, exudation, scabbing, excess sebum on the skin, and itching. Lotus leaves have the effect of clearing heat and humidity. Moreover, bathing with fresh lotus leaves boiled in water can prevent and treat prickly heat, moisturize the skin, and enhance beauty.
Drinking four cups of lotus leaf tea for a healthy summer:
1. Clear Lotus Leaf Tea – Light Body, Preserving Youth
Ingredients: Dried lotus leaves as needed.
Method: Cut lotus leaves into fine strips, boil in water until it boils, then simmer and steep for 5 minutes. Can also be paired with jasmine flowers, jujube dates, wolfberry, rock sugar, etc. for consumption.
Effect: Clearing heat, eliminating dampness, with the ability to stop bleeding, lower blood pressure, and reduce blood lipids.
2. Hawthorn, Cassia Seed, and Lotus Leaf Tea – Relieving Indigestion
Ingredients: 15g hawthorn, 15g cassia seeds, half a lotus leaf.
Method: Slice hawthorn, shred lotus leaf, and decoct together with cassia seeds, then drink the extract as tea.
Effect: Helps invigorate the stomach, aid digestion, moisten the intestines for smooth bowel movements, promote digestion, and dilate blood vessels.
3. Agastache and Lotus Leaf Tea – Moisture Removal
Ingredients: 20g agastache, 20g lotus leaf.
Method: After brewing in boiling water for half an hour, it is ready to drink.
Effect: Lotus leaf clears heat and removes humidity while agastache eliminates dampness and regulates the spleen and stomach. Suitable for all seasons.
4. Double Flower Lotus Leaf Tea – Lowering Blood Lipids
Ingredients: 3g dried lotus leaves, 6g honeysuckle, 6g chrysanthemum.
Method: Steep the above ingredients in boiling water, cover, and steep for 5 minutes.
Effect: Lotus leaves can clear heat and reduce lipids; chrysanthemum clears the liver; honeysuckle clears heat and detoxifies. It is also suitable for individuals with high blood lipids who experience throat discomfort.
Precautions when drinking lotus leaf infused water:
1. Individuals with weak spleen and stomach or cold constitution should avoid drinking lotus leaf tea.
2. People with low blood pressure or who are thin and weak should not drink it every day.
3. Women should refrain from consuming it during menstruation.
4. Pregnant and lactating women are not suitable for drinking lotus leaf tea.
5. Although lotus leaf tea is beneficial, it should not be consumed excessively.
6. Try not to drink it with green tea, Pu’er tea, etc.
7. The best time to drink lotus leaf tea is between meals to avoid affecting digestion. If you drink it after a meal, wait an hour before doing so.
