🍵That cup of tea you’re sipping… might have once been in a doctor’s toolkit.

That cup of tea you’re sipping… might have once been considered a legit prescription!

Ginger tea for colds. Ginseng tea for energy. Rooibos for your skin.  

We say those things like it’s common sense. But where do those ideas actually come from? 🤔  

Surprisingly, tea hasn’t always just been a cozy beverage. In many traditional systems of medicine, it played a much more intentional role—part of both daily ritual and therapeutic care.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Korean Oriental Medicine, tea lived in a fascinating space between food and medicine. It wasn’t just about flavour or caffeine—it was about balance. Practitioners used teas to help with digestion, soothe internal "heat," or invigorate the body during fatigue.

So in today’s post, we’re taking a gentle journey through tea history:

• How tea was (accidentally?) discovered

• How ancient medical texts viewed its role

• Why tea vanished from some cultures and came back

• And how we, in our clinic, still use tea as part of everyday wellness

Brew yourself a warm cup—and let’s steep in some history 🍃📜

🍃 The legend of tea: An accident that healed?

One of the oldest stories about tea takes us back to ancient China,  

where a mythical herbalist named Shennong was testing plants to see which were helpful—or harmful.  

One day, as he boiled water under a tree, a few leaves drifted into his pot.  

He tasted the result… and something magical happened.  

He felt clear, calm, and energized.

Now, whether or not that moment actually happened (myth, metaphor, or mix of both), the message stuck:  

Tea, from the very beginning, was seen as more than a drink.

📖 Ancient medical texts weren’t just about ginseng

If you flip through classics like the Compendium of Materia Medica or Donguibogam,  

you’ll find tea listed right alongside herbs like ginger, cinnamon, or licorice root.  

But not just for flavor— tea was used to support digestion, calm internal “heat,” and gently help the body detoxify.

Eastern medicine has always looked at how food affects balance,  

and tea was often one of the first things to be “prescribed” before actual medicine.  

So when your grandmother offered you ginger tea for a cold?  

It wasn’t just comfort—it was part of a long-standing tradition of herbal care.😌

🏯 From Tang Dynasty tea houses to Zen rituals

In the Tang and Song Dynasties, tea culture in China blossomed like wild jasmine.  

Monks drank tea before meditation to focus their minds.  

Doctors steeped leaves with other herbs for specific effects to gently guide the body back into harmony.

Tea wasn’t recreational—it was ritual.  

And when this culture moved to Japan, it evolved into the Way of Tea, where every motion, every pour, held deep meditative value.  

Tea was medicine not just for the body, but also the mind.

🇰🇷 In Korea, tea’s golden era… and quiet disappearance

In Korea’s Goryeo and early Joseon dynasties, tea had its moment.  

Royal courts drank medicinal teas like citron tea (yujacha) and roasted barley tea (boricha)  

to:

• Soothe stress

• Cool the body

• Aid recovery from fatigue

But then Confucianism took over, and tea became associated with luxury,  

leading to its decline among the general population.  

For centuries, herbal decoctions and powders became the go-to forms of medicine—  

until recently, when modern interest in wellness brought tea back into the spotlight.

🧑‍⚕️ How we view tea at our clinic today

At our clinic, we still talk about tea—not as a miracle cure,  

but as a gentle, daily tool for self-care.  

We don’t give out strict prescriptions like “everyone must drink green tea.”  

Why? Because we see patients as individuals, not statistics.

We don’t hand out one-size-fits-all prescriptions. Instead, we ask: What does your body need?

• For sluggish digestion or a "cold" constitution, we might recommend ginger tea.

• For stress, tension, or internal "heat," something like chrysanthemum or barley tea might feel more soothing.

  
  

Tea isn’t a treatment in the Western clinical sense—but it can be a helpful, body-aligned support when chosen thoughtfully.

🌸 A cup of tea… as a check-in with yourself

In our fast-paced lives, brewing tea might feel like a luxury.  

But what if it’s not? What if it’s actually medicine in disguise?

That small moment of boiling water, inhaling steam, and tasting warmth—  

it’s a chance to ask, “How do I feel today?”  

Am I tired? Am I anxious? Am I cold or hot inside?

Choosing your tea based on that quiet scan isn’t just healthy—it’s mindful. And that, too, is a form of care. 🍵

❓ Can I drink tea every day?

Mostly yes! But—**listen to your body.**  

Caffeine-rich teas like green tea or black tea might not be ideal for everyone, especially on an empty stomach.  

In Traditional Medicine, "cold" teas can weaken digestion if your stomach tends to be sensitive or cold already.  

So it’s not about “Is tea good?”  

It’s about “Is this tea good for me, right now?”

❓ Is tea considered food or medicine?

In Eastern medicine, it lives in the middle.  

There’s a saying: “Food and medicine come from the same root.”  

That doesn’t mean tea is "medicine" in the pharmaceutical sense. But if it supports your system and helps you feel better, it can play a supportive role in wellness.

But if it worsens your symptoms, it can actually harm.  

That’s why we always look at the person first, not just the plant.

❓ Do you recommend teas to your patients?

We do—but thoughtfully.  

We don’t hand out generic “Top 5 teas for everyone” lists.  

Instead, we ask how you’re feeling—cold hands? bloating? irritability?  

Then we may suggest something simple like roasted barley tea or ginseng tea,  

matched to your current state.  

Tea isn't a cure-all, but it's often a gentle helper on the road to balance.

🌿 Your tea could be your self-check

What tea are you drinking lately?  

How does it make you feel—calm, warm, clear? Or maybe uneasy, jittery, or foggy?

That reaction is a signal.  

Your body is always talking to you—you just have to notice.  

So next time you brew a cup, don’t just drink it.  

Ask, “Is this what my body needs today?”

💬 Let’s talk tea

Do you have a favorite tea that always makes you feel better?  

Or maybe you’ve had a not-so-great reaction to something that was supposed to be “healthy”?  

Share your experience in the comments below—we’d love to hear your tea stories.  

Because when it comes to tea (and health), one size never fits all 🍵💬

📌 Tags

tea and health, traditional medicine, herbal tea tips, digestive teas, warming teas, Eastern wellness