How to Lose Weight with Healthy Tea Culture

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has made waves in the West. It’s been said to be the secret to many Chinese people’s longevity.

TCM remedies often include brewed exotic herbs that makes a nutritious tea drink and many people have been happy with the results they get while drinking it.

Even if you don’t believe in the success of TCM teas, at the very least it is much healthier for your body than sweet cafe tea. Here is why.

Clean brewed teas can promote mindfulness, hydration and healthy weight loss in a way that sugary drinks can’t. And real TCM tea offers flavor, variety and antioxidants that stimulate your brain, body and metabolism, rather than diabetes and obesity.

However, it can be difficult to find premade TCM mixtures online. Some of these ingredients can only be found in an herb shop. Thankfully, many acupuncture shops sell herbs or know an herb shop you can visit. An herb seller and potential buyer stand in a well stocked Chinese herb shop.

Sometimes herb shops have premade tea pills that you can drink with warm water. Some people prefer to not taste the flavor of whole tea. However, the most effective way to take TCM is in its original tea form.

Here are seven potent TCM teas to try recommended for weight loss. Each has their own specialty. You should ask a TCM practitioner which is most effective for you.

1 To Relieve Bloating & Digest Your Food Better: Chenpi Pu'er (陈皮普洱）

This tea reduces bloating and water weight. In TCM it goes through the spleen qi to relieve phlegm and cough as well. You can find it on Amazon. It only has two ingredients: tangerine peels and pu’er. Because it usually comes pre-packed in tangerine peels it’s easy to carry and prepare in a thermos on the go. The peel makes it take a little longer to steep than other teas.
2 For People Who Eat Lots of Greasy Food: Shixiaopiwan (实消痞丸）

There are many ingredients in this recipe. Luckily the herbs can be reused up to three times. The herbs include: 10 grams each of white mustard seeds, magnolia, licorice, atractylodes macrocephala, poria and Asian water plantain; 15 grams each of rhubarb, bitter orange, codonopsis (bellflower root) and skullcap; and 30 grams each of dried hawberry and Chinese knotweed.
General TCM instructions are to boil the herbs in 8 cups of water. Don’t use aluminum or iron pots or containers. In 1 hour it should have boiled down to less than 3 cups. Drink two to three cups of this tea a day. This recipe comes from TCM practitioner Song Aili’s 2019 book: “A Set of Methods of Anti-aging----Follow Traditional Chinese Medicine to Keep Healthy.” (Available only in Simplified Chinese).
3 For Beautiful Complexion: Liuyue Xuemeiyan Jianfei Cha（六月雪美颜减肥茶）

This tea is for detoxing the body. The ingredients for this are 5 grams each of snowrose, plum blossoms, licorice and chrysanthemum; and 10 grams of goji berries. The snowrose in this is especially good for swelling, red eyes and regulating women’s health. For one serving, first wash the herbs, then boil in 17 ounces (2.1 cups) of water for 20 minutes.
4 Flower Power That Increases Energy and Alertness: Gegen Molihua Cha（葛根茉莉花茶）

The jasmine in this helps boost your mood and keep you focused while the kudzu keeps headaches away. The full ingredients are 1 tablespoon each of jasmine and red bean paste; 5 grams of lotus leaf; 7.5 grams of astragalus root; 10 grams of kudzu root; and an optional pebble of rock sugar. For one serving, steep ingredients in 1 cup of boiling hot water for 10 minutes.
5 To Help Breakdown High Sugar, High Fat Foods: Xiaozhi Tang（消脂汤）

In this tea the cornsilk helps process sugar and drain dampness from the liver. The ingredients are 9 grams of cornsilk; 12 grams each of chrysanthemum and lotus leaf ; and 15 grams each of honeysuckle vine, job’s tear (coix seed), poria, and cassia seeds. You can follow general TCM guidelines for preparing herbs for this tea.
6 To Reduce Pain & Improve Blood Circulation: Xueu Zhuyu Tang（血府逐瘀汤)

This tea has many ingredients for improving blood flow and harmonizing the body’s qi. Saffron is one of the ingredients most helpful for weight loss. It suppresses hunger and releases serotonin to prevent overeating. You can find the full list of ingredients and directions in English here.
7 To Nourish the Blood: Gui Pi Tang（归脾汤)

This remedy’s superpower is revitalizing and detoxifying the blood. These ingredients are often used for women who have given birth. Usually a simplified version of this formula is given to people who’ve lost blood or went through surgery. The longan and jujube in this mix are especially known for nourishing the blood and balancing qi. Find the full list of ingredients here.

Woman drinking dark red drink

Cafes. Bubble Tea. TCM. There are many different forms of tea, but one thing stays the same. Tea is a natural way to achieve your health goals. If you want to drink more fluids, get more herbs into your diet, feel more full, and control your hunger, then get your cup ready. You’ve got some tea to drink.

Don’t drink alone. Share these remedy teas with a friend!

Disclaimer: TCM remedies are best used with consultation from a health practitioner and a Chinese medicine doctor. If you are pregnant or take medications, ask a doctor first. This article lists general tea formulations, not specialized plans.