The Health Benefits of Tea for Elderly Individuals: A Guide to Choosing the Right Type

Drinking tea is extremely beneficial for the health and longevity of elderly individuals. This is because elderly people often have a yin deficiency and internal heat in their bodies, so it is important for them to nourish yin and clear heat. Common ailments in elderly people such as hypertension, stroke, and insomnia are often caused by yin deficiency and internal heat. Even chronic bronchitis and coronary heart disease are often associated with yin deficiency and internal heat. Tea, being a cooling beverage, can be helpful in these cases.

However, it is important to note that different types of tea have different effects. Among them, pre-rain teas (such as Longjing tea) are most suitable for elderly people because they are mild, non-toxic, and have a rich aroma. "Being the first breath of spring, it is cold but not intense, and it dissipates without being harsh." Therefore, if consumed regularly and in moderate amounts, many symptoms of yin deficiency and internal heat can disappear while enjoying a cup of tea, which can have a certain effect in promoting health and longevity.

In addition, tea has many other benefits, such as treating diarrhea, improving vision, reducing internal heat, detoxifying the body, improving digestion, promoting diuresis, strengthening the heart, and reducing sleep. In clinical practice, tea has been found to have miraculous effects in preventing and treating conditions such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, altitude sickness, poisoning, intestinal diseases, skin problems, oral ulcers, cystitis, urinary tract infections, improving mental alertness, aiding digestion, treating tuberculosis, and preventing cancer. Not only elderly people, but everyone can choose the appropriate type of tea based on their own physical condition.

Here are a few traditional tea therapy health recipes that were commonly used by ancient people. Different individuals can choose according to their own needs.

1. Vinegar tea

5 grams of tea leaves, steeped in water for 5 minutes, and add 1 milliliter of aged vinegar. It can help with stomachache, promote blood circulation, and treat toothache and biliary ascariasis.

2. Sugar tea

2 grams of tea leaves and 10 grams of brown sugar, steeped in boiling water for 5 minutes and consumed after meals. It has the effect of tonifying the middle burner, invigorating qi, promoting digestion, and treating constipation, cold and painful lower abdomen, and dysmenorrhea.

3. Salt tea

3 grams of tea leaves, 1 gram of table salt, steeped in boiling water for 7 minutes and consumed. It has the effects of improving eyesight, reducing inflammation, resolving phlegm, and soothing the throat, and can treat symptoms such as mild cough, sore throat, inflamed gums, and red and swollen eyes.

4. Honey tea

3 grams of tea leaves, steeped in water for 5 minutes, and mix with 5 milliliters of warm honey, consumed after meals. It has the effects of relieving thirst, nourishing blood, moistening the lungs, and benefiting the kidneys. It can also treat weakness, poor mental state, poor spleen and stomach function, and constipation.

5. Milk tea

Add a little sugar to boiling milk and consume in a ratio of 1 spoon of milk to 2 spoons of tea juice. It can invigorate the spleen and stomach, improve eyesight, and is suitable for weak individuals, those with poor digestion, serious illness, and long-term illness.

6. Chrysanthemum tea

2 grams of tea leaves, 2 grams of Hangju (chrysanthemum), steeped in boiling water. It has the effects of clearing the liver, improving vision, clearing heat, and detoxifying. Long-term consumption can improve hearing and vision and has anti-aging effects. It can also treat dry cough and sore throat.

7. Jujube tea

5 grams of tea leaves, steeped in boiling water for 7 minutes, then add mashed red dates. It has the function of invigorating the spleen and replenishing deficiency, especially suitable for children with nocturnal enuresis and loss of appetite.

8. Silver tea

2 grams of tea leaves, 1 gram of honeysuckle, steeped in boiling water and consumed. It can clear heat, detoxify, prevent heatstroke, and quench thirst. It is effective for fever, abscesses, and enteritis in hot weather.

9. Orange-red tea

3-6 grams of orange-red, 5 grams of green tea, steeped in boiling water and simmered for 20 minutes. Consume once a day as needed. It has the effects of moistening the lungs, resolving phlegm, promoting qi circulation, and stopping cough. It is suitable for autumn cough with excessive phlegm and discomfort caused by sticky phlegm.