Tea and Body Constitution in Traditional Chinese Thought

Tea and Body Constitution in Traditional Chinese Thought

Ancient texts often connect tea with health. For example, the Bencao Yanyi records a story: “Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs daily and encountered 72 poisons, which he neutralized with tea.” In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), tea is considered both a drink and a medicinal herb. Because each person’s body is different, and each tea has its own nature and flavor, choosing the right tea for your constitution is seen as a way to support balance more effectively.

The Bencao Yanyi 本草衍義, also known as Bencao Guangyi 本草廣義 (“Extension of the Pharmacopoeia”), is a Song dynasty (960–1279) work on medicinal substances. It was written by Kou Zongshi 寇宗奭, a minor official in Lizhou 澧州 during the early 12th century, and completed in 1116. The book is composed of 20 juan (scrolls/chapters).

The Nature of Different Teas

Teas vary in their effects because of how they’re processed, their variety, origin, and season.

  • Green tea: unoxidized, rich in chlorophyll and vitamin C, slightly cooling.

  • White tea: lightly oxidized mild and warming. Aged white tea is especially valued.

  • Yellow tea: partially oxidized, cooling.

  • Oolong tea: semi-oxidized, considered neutral (depends on a level of oxidation)

  • Black (red) tea: fully oxidized, warming.

  • Dark tea (e.g., Pu’er): semi or fully oxidized, post-fermented, mellow, mild, and not overly stimulating


Tea Recommendations by Constitution

Balanced constitution

  • Traits: good energy, rosy complexion, overall harmony.

  • Tea choices: almost any type, adjusted by season.

    • Spring: scented teas to lift the mood.

    • Summer: green tea to cool and refresh.

    • Autumn: oolong tea to ease dryness.

    • Winter: black tea to warm the body.

Qi deficiency

  • Traits: fatigue, low energy, dizziness, sallow complexion.

  • Teas: Pu’er (ripe/cooked) or oolong, paired with snacks like soybeans, corn, or peas.

Yang deficiency

  • Traits: sensitivity to cold, dislike of cold foods.

  • Teas: black tea, dark tea, or heavily oxidized oolong (rock tea). Dried ginger can be added.

  • Avoid: green tea, yellow tea, bitter melon tea.

Yin deficiency

  • Traits: heat sensations, hot hands and feet, dry mouth and eyes, constipation.

  • Teas: green, yellow, white, kuding, or lightly oxidized oolong. Can be infused with goji berries, yam, or dendrobium.

  • Avoid: black, dark, or heavy oolong.

Blood stasis

  • Traits: dull complexion, dark tongue, tingling, rough or scaly skin.

  • Tea choice depends:

    • Pale tongue and cold body → black tea.

    • Red tongue and heat → green tea.

Phlegm-damp

  • Traits: overweight, oily skin, sweating, thick tongue coating.

  • Teas: orange Pu’er or black tea with dried ginger.

Damp-heat

  • Traits: oily face, acne, itchy skin, bad breath.

  • Teas: green, yellow, white, or kuding.

  • Avoid: black, dark, and heavily oxidized oolong.

Qi stagnation

  • Traits: thin, emotional, prone to chest or rib pain.

  • Teas: gentle herbal teas such as hawthorn, rose, chrysanthemum, bergamot, or tangerine peel. Avoid strong caffeinated teas.

Special constitution

  • Traits: easily allergic to pollen, medicines, or seasonal changes.

  • Recommendation: avoid strong tea altogether.


Finding Balance

Lü Peiwan reminds us of a saying from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine: “When yin and yang are balanced, one is called a human being.” In other words, health comes from harmony.

  • People with cold tendencies (yin-cold) may prefer warming teas.

  • People with heat tendencies (yang) may prefer cooling teas.

  • People with a balanced constitution can choose teas seasonally.

Most importantly, tea is just one part of the bigger picture. Maintaining a peaceful mind, living simply, and respecting natural balance is the true path to well-being, good health and a long life.


What is the Bencao Yanyi?

The Bencao Yanyi 本草衍義, also known as Bencao Guangyi 本草廣義 (“Extension of the Pharmacopoeia”), is a Song dynasty (960–1279) work on medicinal substances. It was written by Kou Zongshi 寇宗奭, a minor official in Lizhou 澧州 during the early 12th century, and completed in 1116. The book is composed of 20 juan (scrolls/chapters).

Kou believed that effective treatment was only possible through careful personal diagnosis and a clear understanding of how medicines worked. To this end, he studied the major writings on materia medica and compiled his own manual.

The first three juan, titled Xuli 序例, serve as a broad and systematic introduction. In them, Kou cautions practitioners against errors in diagnosis and therapy. The remaining seventeen juan form the core of the text, offering commentary on 460 medicinal substances. His notes draw mainly on two sources: the Jiayou Buzhu Shennong Bencao 嘉祐補注神農本草 (often shortened to Jiayou Bencao 嘉祐本草), a mid-11th-century commentary on the classic Shennong Bencao 神農本草, and the illustrated Bencao Tujing 本草圖經 from the 7th century, which itself was part of the Xinxiu Bencao 新修本草.