The ancients said: “All medicines are remedies for a hundred illnesses, tea is the remedy for ten thousand.” This saying has long established the position of tea leaves in China's 5,000-year culture. The consumption of different types of tea can cure various ailments—a notion that modern science has also confirmed.
Drink green tea in the morning,
The yang of teas, it boosts yang qi and invigorates both mind and spirit.
“The morning sets the plan for the day,” after being nourished throughout the night, yang qi reinvigorates by morning, which is the right time to enjoy a cup of green tea.
Green tea, as an unfermented tea, retains more of the natural substances found in fresh leaves, with fewer vitamin losses. It helps the spleen and stomach digest and transport the essence of food throughout the body, ensuring the heart and brain, the seat of consciousness and abode of primordial spirit, receive adequate nourishment. This keeps one energetic throughout the morning.
Drink Oolong tea in the afternoon,
It aids digestion and maintains digestive function.
In the afternoon, yang qi begins to weaken while yin qi rises, and the functions of the spleen and stomach tend to diminish from their peak in the morning. Chinese dining culture suggests “eat well in the morning, eat full at noon, eat less at night,” meaning lunch often includes many fatty foods that can burden the stomach and weaken digestive function.
Drinking Oolong tea in the afternoon can help the spleen and stomach digest food, maintaining efficient digestive processes. Those looking to lose weight can achieve their goals, and a healthy digestive system is essential for disease prevention, health preservation, and longevity.
Drink Pu'er tea in the evening,
To calm the mind and facilitate nighttime restoration.
In the evening, yang qi retreats into yin. After a day of work, the body's energy levels decline, requiring nourishment of the spleen and stomach and rest for the mind to ensure a good night's sleep, allowing the body to repair itself overnight.
Pu'er tea promotes sound sleep: the caffeine in aged Pu'er diminishes over years of fermentation, so drinking it will not cause excitement but rather promote peaceful sleep. Drinking it warm is comfortable for the stomach and can even treat frequent urination.
In summary, during spring, one should drink plenty of tea. If unsure about when to drink it, once spring tea becomes available, opt for lightly fermented teas such as new white tea or lightly fermented Tieguanyin. Drink tea in the morning to clear your mind and alleviate liver heat, and have some Oolong tea in the afternoon, such as Tieguanyin, rock tea, or Dahongpao. For those who enjoy dark tea or black tea, consider drinking them in the evening. Raw Pu'er is best consumed in the morning.