The Efficacy and Effects of Drinking Water Infused with Winter Mulberry Leaves
Jan 13, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Xiuhong
Introduction
Winter mulberry leaves are sweet and cold in nature, with a light texture that facilitates dispersion. When appropriately steeped in water, they can疏散肺经风热 (disperse wind-heat in the lung meridian) and help alleviate symptoms such as fever, headache, and cough. They are commonly used in the early stages of wind-heat感冒 (common cold). When combined with chrysanthemum flowers, their effect in dispelling wind-heat is enhanced, aiding the body in expelling external pathogens and relieving discomfort caused by wind-heat感冒. Winter mulberry leaves act on the lung meridian; when steeped in water and consumed, they can清泻肺热 (clear heat from the lungs) and同时润燥止咳 (moisturize dryness and relieve cough).
Winter mulberry leaves steeped in water generally have effects of dispersing wind-heat, clearing lung heat and dryness, improving liver function and vision, moistening the lungs to relieve cough, and promoting beauty and skin health.
1. Dispersing Wind-Heat
Winter mulberry leaves are sweet, cold in nature, and have a light texture, offering a gentle dispersing effect. Steeping them in water appropriately can help dispel wind-heat from the lungs, alleviating symptoms such as fever, headache, and cough. They are commonly used in the early stages of wind-heat type colds. When combined with chrysanthemum flowers, the effect of dispersing wind-heat is enhanced, helping the body expel external pathogens and relieve discomfort caused by wind-heat colds.
2. Clearing Lung Heat and Moistening Dryness
Winter mulberry leaves act on the lung meridian. Drinking the infused water can clear lung heat and also moisten dryness to relieve cough. For lung heat causing dry cough with little phlegm and dry throat, drinking winter mulberry leaf infusion can clear excess lung fire while simultaneously moistening lung dryness, alleviating cough symptoms, thus achieving the effect of clearing lung heat and moistening dryness, and helping restore the lung's normal function.
3. Clearing Liver Heat and Improving Vision
Winter mulberry leaves are bitter and cold in nature and act on the liver meridian. They have the effect of clearing liver fire and improving vision. They can be used to treat red, swollen, painful eyes and photophobia with excessive tearing caused by liver fire ascending upward. They also help relieve dizziness and blurred vision caused by insufficient liver yin and hyperactive liver yang. When combined with chrysanthemum flowers and Lycium berries, they nourish the liver and improve vision, alleviating symptoms such as eye fatigue and dryness caused by excessive eye strain.
4. Moistening the Lungs and Relieving Cough
The components in winter mulberry leaves have a certain moistening effect on the respiratory tract, helping to relieve symptoms such as dry cough and cough caused by dryness. Additionally, other active substances in winter mulberry leaves can soothe discomfort in the lungs. Drinking the infusion appropriately is particularly effective for cough caused by autumn dryness.
5. Promoting Beauty and Skin Health
Winter mulberry leaves are rich in antioxidants that can remove free radicals in the body, reduce oxidative damage, delay skin aging, and improve skin circulation. Drinking the infusion appropriately can promote skin metabolism, inhibit melanin production, help whiten the skin, fade pigmentation spots, and make the skin smoother and more delicate.
It is recommended to consume an appropriate amount of winter mulberry leaf infusion according to individual conditions, avoiding excessive intake. In daily diet, maintaining a balanced dietary structure and diverse food intake is advised to help maintain overall health.
