Those who should not drink black tea
Blackthorn tea is good for health, but not everyone can drink it. Below are the people who should not drink blackthorn tea.
The health benefits of black sesame plant
According to Dr. Bui Dac Sang, a general practitioner from the Hanoi Traditional Medicine Association, the scientific name of the plant is Celastrus hindsii Benth, also known by other names such as Bach Van Hoa, Bach Giai, and Day Goi.
This is a woody vine that clings to large trees when growing wild, while when cultivated, its branches intertwine to form clumps. In Vietnam, the blackthorn plant grows wild in many mountainous forests in the North, such as Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh provinces.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, blackthorn has a bitter and astringent taste, a cooling nature, and effects such as promoting blood circulation, diuresis, treating boils and ulcers, reducing inflammation, cooling the liver and gallbladder, reducing secretions, and strengthening the body's resistance. Because of these amazing benefits, blackthorn is trusted and used by many people.
Here are the health benefits of the blackthorn plant:
- Supports the treatment of tumors
Blackthorn contains two compounds, flavonoids and quinones, which have the effect of liquefying atypical cells. These two medicinal substances help slow the growth of tumors when they first form. Some scientific studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in preventing and supporting the treatment of tumors. However, everything is still in the research stage.
- Supports the treatment of hypertension
Blackthorn (Xạ đen) helps regulate unstable blood pressure. Using blackthorn to support the treatment of hypertension is also very simple. Just boil blackthorn leaves with water and drink it daily, or brew it as tea and drink it every day.
- Supports treatment of high cholesterol and fatty liver disease.
The use of black sesame seeds is beneficial for people with high cholesterol, as evidenced by research from the Military Medical Academy. Drinking a decoction made from this medicinal herb daily significantly improves high cholesterol levels and fatty liver.
- Improves sleep, treats nervous exhaustion.
Blackthorn has a slightly astringent and bitter taste, and a cooling nature, making it beneficial for people suffering from chronic insomnia due to nervous exhaustion or anemia (according to traditional Chinese medicine, a type of yin deficiency with excessive heat). Additionally, blackthorn helps improve cerebral blood circulation and treat dizziness and vertigo.
Who should not drink black tea?
According to Dr. Hoang Sam from the Vietnam Institute of Traditional Medicine, blackthorn is a valuable medicinal plant that used to grow wild. Later, people began cultivating it in their gardens to use as a tea substitute. In some regions, people grow blackthorn to sell its leaves and stems as traditional medicine. The best time to harvest blackthorn leaves is from October.
Blackthorn is known for its medicinal effects on the liver. In Hoa Binh, the Muong ethnic people have long boiled blackthorn to make a decoction for people with jaundice and bloating.
Later, blackthorn was also used as a medicine to treat allergies, boils, stop bleeding from wounds, lower blood fat, increase blood pressure, treat emaciation, digestive disorders, improve appetite, cool the blood, and promote urination. It also treats irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, insomnia, jaundice, and infertility.
Black turmeric is benign and has few side effects, so it can be used by a wide range of people, including those with cancer, even in the late stages, hypertension, elevated liver enzymes, hepatitis B, and benign tumors such as uterine fibroids and breast fibroids.
People can boil fresh blackthorn leaves to make a drink or dry them and brew them like tea.
Because blackthorn has a blood pressure-lowering effect, people with low blood pressure should not use it. Blackthorn leaves have detoxifying properties, so the kidneys have to work harder; therefore, people with weak kidneys or kidney failure should limit their use of this herb. In addition, pregnant women and children under 5 years old should also avoid it.