Wild Medicine

Tea is a mighty tree growing in the south. Tea trees range from one or two feet to tens of feet tall. In Bashan and the river gorges of Sichuan there are tea trees growing to such a size that it would take two people hand in hand to embrace their circumference. Because these trees are so very tall the branches were once cut down to harvest the leaves.

The shape of tea trees resembles those of other camellia. The leaves look like those of a gardenia and the little white flowers are a delicate rosette. Tea seeds are like those of palms with stems like clover, while the root system is similar to walnut trees. The branches twist and crawl like applewood and the bark is often mottled and covered with mosses. The tea tree grows slowly, only reaching a truly robust size after passing one thousand years in age.

Tea grows best in eroded, rocky ground and the mountains bearing the strongest thriving communities of trees are often scattered with coarse boulders and quite steep. If one is not familiar with the horticultural skills needed to tend tea trees and the trees are not thriving, then one should cultivate them like melons. Three years later the leaves can be harvested.

Wild tea leaves are superior to those cultivated in plantations because they grow slowly. Wild trees endure the hardship of a competitive environment and the enrichment of a diverse cooperative ecosystem. The deep roots of these trees draw up nourishing qi from the earth and their thick branches receive the qi from heaven. For the tea trees grown on a sunlit wooded slope the newly budded burgundy leaves are better than the green ones. Curly leaves are considered higher in quality than open and flat ones.

The Properties of Tea

茶⃣ Green Tea > The fresh tea leaf is bitter, astringent and sweet, it cools and nourishes the heart. Green Tea clears heat from the heart, stomach, and liver. Its bitterness causes the stomach and lung qi to descend, clearing the heat from the head and assisting in digestion. It sinks the qi, strengthening the bones and calming the mind. It resolves toxicity, drains stagnant water, and it calms the movement of wind which has arisen due to liver heat. The astringent nature of fresh tea secures the exterior and is contraindicated for those with acute external wind disorders or any external condition which ought to be resolved by venting. This astringency furthermore tonifies the spleen yin, improving the integrity and form of the body tissues and making the sinews supple and buoyant. Green tea is not to be used by those with a deficiency of spleen yang or by anyone with a cold interior and should be used sparingly if at all in disorders characterized by a sinking of the qi. Due to its cold nature tea is an effective purgative and may be used to resolve clumping heat in the large intestine.

Heavily shaded greens will be sweeter and more well suited to nourishing heart qi and calming the mind. This property is further preserved by steaming rather than pan frying during the kill green phase of processing. First flush sencha varieties such as gyokuro robustly settle the heart qi and made be relied upon as a single herb to treat anxiety, insomnia, fright, giddiness, and other issues which may arise from suspended heart qi. These types of greens are furthermore well suited to balance a dry, thin, wood predominant constitution, especially those with liver and lung yin deficiency leading to a nervous, hypertensive disposition.

The calming sedative effect of green tea may be accentuated by brewing with bamboo sap - tian zhu huang. For this purpose use a half teaspoon of the powdered herb in with your tea.

The ability of green tea to resolve heat type headaches is improved by brewing with Sichuan Lovage - chuan xiong. For this purpose boil a few grams of the herb until the water is fragrant and then use this water to brew your tea. Chuan xiong is quite drying so it is best to pair it with a sweet, full bodied green tea and adjust the dosage according to individual presentation.

If you are primarily using green tea to clear heat it should be brewed in a silver pot. Brewing in an iron rich clay vessel improves the sedative quality of the tea since iron anchors the shen and hun.

茶⃣ Oolong Tea > The more active rolling and frying process undergone by wulong tea causes the flavor to become less bitter and slightly acrid; this type of tea is neutral to warming in temperature and retains various amounts of bitterness and sweetness.

More aggressive roasting, smoking, or frying produces a warm-natured tea with a bitter and acrid flavor; this type of tea is helpful to resolve food stagnation, improve water metabolism, and transform phlegm. It gently resolves stagnation and disinhibits the stomach qi, helping to dry dampness associated with the ingestion of yin-natured foods; oolong tea is less astringent and more drying than green tea. Because of its ability to transform phlegm oolong tea is helpful in the resolution of acne and other types of pustules, especially when this presents on the yangming region of the body. Because of the warming nature of roasted oolongs they should be avoided by those with liver heat.

Oolongs which have not been roasted or smoked retain more of the properties of green tea yet with a more neutral temperature profile. Something like unroasted Tie Guan Yin is a prime example of a oolong which maintains all of the benefits of green tea without being overtly cold. It will be more stimulating and less draining than green tea while gently clearing heat from the heart, liver, and stomach. Unroasted wulongs gently resolve phlegm and are especially helpful in resolving insubstantial phlegm as in the case with plum pit qi or globulus histericus.

茶⃣ Red Tea > The thorough oxidation of red tea mellows the bitter flavor while maintaining the sweetness of the leaves. Red tea is the best choice for anyone with kidney deficiency as this tea does not have the draining, diuretic properties of greener tea and so will not damage the yang.

茶⃣ Fermented Tea > Black teas including pu er tea are useful for strengthening the spleen qi, drying dampness, and stimulating the enzymatic and metabolic functions of the body. The temperature of these types of teas depends on the level of oxidation and ageing.