Safety of Chrysanthemum Tea

Chrysanthemum tea has been used in Asia as an herbal medicine since the time of Confucius in 500 B.C. In present day China, modern medical doctors still use chrysanthemum in teas but the Chinese medical approach is aimed at restoring balance to the body, rather than demonstrating defeat of a given disease. Western-style scientific experimentation on the components of Chinese herbal medicine is just beginning.

History

• Chrysanthemum flowers and leaves have been used in China for thousands of years, combined with tea leaves as a daily drink, and compounded in many traditional remedies including a popular cough medicine sold on the shelves in most Chinese herbal stores. In classical Chinese medicine they were used for a wide variety of illnesses from dizziness to skin boils.

Expert Insight

• Chrysanthemum flowers may have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal effects. As Albert Y. Leung points out, in the Toxicologic Pathology Journal, Chinese medicines have been documented since 1100 B.C.,"The recorded traditional information includes toxicities, incompatibilities, cautions, precautions and contraindications." However, Leung also explains that in the Chinese medical texts, "toxicities have traditionally been documented through clinical experience as opposed to most modern toxicity data that are based on animal experimentation."

Warning

• Chrysanthemum tea is safe for most people, except for those who are allergic to the flowers in the compositae family, which includes chrysanthemums and also daisies, marigolds, asters and sunflowers. The allergens in chrysanthemums rest on the surface of the flowers and leaves and also in the plant hairs or trichomes, so they can become airborne. The allergens could also get into the dried leaves or flowers used to make the tea.

Considerations

• People with respiratory problems may already know to stay away from ragweed and similar allergens, and chrysanthemums are related to ragweed, so the tea should not be drunk by those with asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases) like chronic bronchitis or emphysema.

Function

• The traditional use of chrysanthemum tea as a longevity elixir may involve many of the tea's components including choline, a nutrient that ongoing research suggests increases circulation in the capillaries, brain and limbs. Canadian researchers at the University of Guelph and the Ontario Cancer Institute, found that loss of choline contributes to Alzheimer's disease and "choline transport is an attractive target for drug development to treat the disease."