Clear Heat / Drain Fire

Lu Cha = Green Tea

I suggested to my parents that they should start drinking green tea. My mom, the shopper, ran out and bought a bunch. A few months later I asked if they were drinking it. She got quiet and then said, "I think it was bad tea. It gave us both diarrhea." Now she won't go near the stuff and has returned to her Folger's and Cokes. I feel remiss. Even though Green Tea can relieve diarrhea, it can also cause diarrhea if you have a stomach deficiency / cold in the spleen and stomach. My parents are getting older. Their diets leave a little to be desired. I shouldn't be surprised that the bitter, cold green tea did not suit them. And they probably bought some crappy brand because they live in Cleveland. If I have another chance, I will tell them to add some ginger.

COOL OFF: Lu Cha is used in many places to cool people down in the summertime. It is a cold herb, and also is bitter. If you have steeped green tea too long, you are familiar with the bitter quality. I kind of like it that way, though.


SETTLE YOUR STOMACH: It clears heat and directs the rebellious stomach qi downward. The only channel it goes to is the stomach. A concoction of fresh ginger, gan cao (licorice), da zao (dates), and ge gen (arrowroot) will help to relieve diarrhea (but obviously not of the cold sp/st or deficient sort).


LOSE WEIGHT/EXPEL DAMPNESS: Maybe it's just me, but when I drink a lot of green tea, my lips and mouth get really dry. That's because it dispels damp and has been used as of late for obesity and high cholesterol.


OPEN YOUR MIND! It can help with headaches and to bring clear yang to the head to open your mind.


PREVENT CANCER: Green tea is also reported to stop mutations and protect cells.


A "MIRACLE DRUG": (Found this on the Internet):
"New research is showing that green tea simultaneously prevents cancer, defends against heart disease, lowers blood levels of bad cholesterol, and even helps people lose weight. It's astounding: there's no prescription drug that comes even close to having such an impact, and yet green tea is far cheaper than prescription drugs to begin with."

I don't want to overload this entry with all of the western scientific research that's out there, explaining why / how green tea does all this. But it's out there, and it's interesting. Green tea has been in use for more than 4,000 years, and has so many reported health benefits, yet I couldn't find it in the Bensky book. Weird.