Recently, there have been many people with colds, so several pharmacies and community health service stations have started brewing "cold tea" for residents to drink. This not only effectively prevents and treats the flu, but also provides convenience for the public, which is a great community traditional Chinese medicine service. However, it should be reminded that there are many types of colds, and people's age and constitution are different. When drinking "cold tea", one should choose the one that suits oneself. "Cold tea" does not equal "one-size-fits-all tea".
We know that winter and spring are the seasons when colds and flu are most prevalent. Some people drink "cold tea" such as herbal tea, chrysanthemum tea, and ginger tea for health maintenance, prevention of colds, and treatment of early symptoms of colds. It does have a certain effect. However, if everyone drinks the same "cold tea", it is not appropriate. "Cold tea" is actually a medicinal soup, which does not contain tea leaves. The ingredients vary, including honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, dahingye, mulberry leaf, danzhuye, scutellaria baicalensis, and coptis chinensis, among others. According to relevant Chinese medicine experts, "cold tea" is generally brewed after a large-scale, explosive, and severe epidemic influenza occurs. There is no fixed formula for it. For example, most people in the southern region are suitable for taking "cold tea" that clears heat, detoxifies, and dispels dampness. However, those with weak spleen and stomach function and the elderly are better off not drinking it. The "cold tea" sold or provided for free on the market is mostly bitter and cold in nature, which is more suitable for people with warm and dry constitutions. If people with cold and dry constitutions drink too much of it, they may not be able to tolerate it and experience diarrhea. As for the children's cold tea sold in pharmacies, its function is to expel wind, clear heat, and detoxify. In other words, this tea is effective for wind-heat colds in children (fever, headache, cough with sticky phlegm, sore throat), as well as flu, but it is ineffective or may even worsen the symptoms for wind-cold colds in children (fever, aversion to cold and wind, even chills, no sweating; nasal congestion, clear runny nose; cough, thin and white phlegm; headache, body aches, etc.) Therefore, it can be seen that "cold tea" is not equal to "one-size-fits-all tea" and should not be consumed by everyone.
