ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Tea For Really Tired Eyes: Chrysanthemum

Updated on February 18, 2013
Use dried flowers for best results.
Use dried flowers for best results.

The Tea For Tired Eyes and More

The great thing about chrysanthemum* flowers made into a tea to relieve tired eyes - is that it works! Sometimes my eyes get so groggy sitting here writing all day, that it becomes hard to function. Then I remember the chrysanthemum tea. A couple of flowers steeped in 8 ounces of water is all it takes.** I've received immediate results.

This is not new, however. Chrysanthemum has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years in the East - for eye care and for many other health benefits. In fact, the excellent loose tea I have was a gift from friends when I lived and worked in S. Korea. The tea is made up of dried yellow flowers.

History:

It is believed that the chrysanthemum originated in China (known as Ju Hua), as far back as the 15th century BC. It was then introduced to Japan around the 8th century and is commonly regarded as the national flower. The flower also grows in the wild in other East Asian countries.

Description:

The wild chrysanthemum is a leafy perennial, herbal plant that has clusters of daisy-like flowers on its crown.

As a tea it is light yellow in color (see photo) with a floral aroma and taste.

Eye care:

The chrysanthemum has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for eye care. The flower is beneficial for correcting imbalances in kidney and liver function that is a cause of dry eyes, blurred vision, dizziness, spots in front of the eyes and excessive tearing. One of my favorite TCM doctors, Dr. Maoshing Ni, writes in his book "Secrets of Longevity" about how chrysanthemum flowers reduce pressure buildup in the eyes.

Other Benefits:

Chrysanthemum also has antibiotic properties making it effective against streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria and is therefor, a helpful remedy against infection in the body. The compounds also help fight staph skin infections and other skin problems such as boils, sores and acne.

Additional benefits:

Helps lower blood pressure

Is used to treat headaches

May help in the treatment of tinnitus

Is beneficial for treating colds and flu

Is believed to help improve alertness

Treats vertigo

Note: The wild variety is believed to be more beneficial than the cultivated varieties, especially for treating abscesses and sores of the back and head. Cultivated varieties are generally used for decorative purposes.

In addition to using chrysanthemum as a tea, it is also added to a variety of preparations. This includes tinctures, lotions, creams and in supplement form as a capsule.

*Using herbs to make a tea is referred to as infusions. All real tea actually comes from the camellia sinensis plant and includes green tea, white tea, oolong and black tea. All four are harvested from the same plant but are processed differently.

**To try chrysanthemum tea for the first time, you may want to start with just 1 to 2 dried flowers per 8 ounces of water. Pour hot water over the flowers. I then cover my cup and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Any more time and it can get a bit bitter. The dried flowers will open. You can reuse the flowers for tea at least once again.

For more information about the health benefits of infusions, how to select both Chinese and Japanese teas, and how to use lettuce tea for insomnia, see links below:

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)