These days, the temperature difference between morning and night is getting bigger, and we often look for a warm drink. While a cup of coffee is nice with the cool breeze, it’s also a great time to enjoy Korean traditional tea. Today, I will introduce some traditional teas that are perfect for fall, focusing on their benefits.

1. Green Tea

Green tea is usually divided into green tea, oolong tea, black tea, and pu-erh tea depending on how it’s processed and fermented. Green tea is made with unfermented tea leaves. It contains many nutrients like vitamins, polyphenols, tocopherols, flavonoids, and catechins. Let’s look at the benefits of green tea.

Skin Care

Green tea is rich in vitamins, tocopherols, and flavonoids, which help reduce acne and prevent skin spots like freckles or sunspots. It also makes the skin firm and shiny.

Anti-Cancer Effects

Green tea has strong antioxidant and anti-cancer effects. It helps block harmful free radicals. There is research showing that drinking green tea every day can lower the chance of getting prostate cancer by two-thirds.

Prevents High Blood Pressure

Green tea is full of catechins, which help prevent high blood pressure. Potassium in green tea also helps remove excess sodium from the body, which helps manage blood pressure.

Prevents Diabetes and Heart Diseases

The tannins and catechins in green tea help block harmful free radicals, which keeps your blood vessels clean and strong. This improves blood circulation and helps prevent diabetes and heart diseases.

Prevents and Treats Arthritis

The antioxidant effects of green tea help block free radicals, and drinking four cups a day can prevent arthritis and cartilage damage, according to research.

Prevents Food Poisoning

Green tea contains substances that help stop the growth of bacteria like Salmonella, which causes food poisoning. This can help prevent and treat food poisoning.

2. Chrysanthemum Tea

Among the many types of chrysanthemums, the tea made from dried Gamguk flowers is called "Chrysanthemum Tea." In traditional Korean medicine, Gamguk is said to clear the mind and brighten the eyes. Gamguk has a cooling effect, so if your stomach is weak and you should avoid cold foods, it’s best to skip chrysanthemum tea. Chamomile, found in Western teas, is also a flower from the chrysanthemum family, so their benefits are quite similar. Let’s look at the benefits of chrysanthemum.

Relieves Eye Fatigue

Gamguk contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, choline, stachydrine, and adenine, which help relieve tired eyes. Chrysanthemum tea is especially good for people who often get conjunctivitis or dry eyes.

Fever Relief

In traditional Korean medicine, Gamguk is known to lower fever and calm the body. It helps improve blood circulation by reducing blood clots in the heart’s blood vessels, which lowers body heat. Chrysanthemum tea is especially effective when you have a cold.

3. Ginger Tea

Ginger, with its small, round, and brown cactus-like shape, is known for its spicy taste and unique smell. Ginger tea is made by boiling ginger and has been loved in both Eastern and Western cultures for its many health benefits. Ginger tea is especially famous for soothing sore throats and coughs, making it a great tea for colds. The ginger in ginger tea has antibacterial and antioxidant effects, which help relieve these symptoms. Let’s look at other benefits of ginger tea.

Improves Digestion and Boosts Immunity

The gingerol and shogaol in ginger help release cold energy from the body, which can improve indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by a cold digestive system. It also helps keep your hands and feet warm, which is especially helpful for relieving menstrual pain in women. Because of ginger’s benefits, it improves blood circulation, helps maintain body temperature during seasonal changes, and strengthens the immune system.

Protects the Bronchi from Bacteria

The gingerol and shogaol in ginger have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. These help fight bacteria that cause colds and bronchitis. The raffinose in ginger prevents the formation of bacterial biofilms, stopping bacterial growth. Ginger tea also helps detoxify the body, lowers blood cholesterol, prevents dizziness and tinnitus, and even helps prevent depression.

4. Yuja Tea

Yuja tea is made from yuja fruit, which has a great fragrance, soft pulp, and a sour taste. With its unique sweet and sour flavor, it’s loved by people of all ages and genders. You can drink yuja tea hot or cold, depending on your preference. It’s often made with yuja syrup for added sweetness.

Prevents Colds

Yuja is rich in Vitamin C, containing twice as much as persimmons, three times more than lemons, and ten times more than bananas. This high level of Vitamin C helps prevent colds. The citric acid in yuja helps relieve fatigue, and limonene reduces throat inflammation and calms coughs, making it great for cold prevention and treatment.

Relieves Fatigue and Improves Skin

The Vitamin C and citric acid in yuja tea help boost your appetite and reduce stress. It’s also excellent for relieving tiredness. The pectin in yuja helps improve blood circulation and speeds up metabolism. Vitamin C improves skin health and can even soothe itchy skin.

Improves Digestion and Relieves Constipation

Citric acid helps produce digestive fluids, making digestion smoother. By drinking yuja tea, you can get plenty of citric acid, which naturally improves digestion and solves indigestion. Yuja peel is rich in fiber, which helps with bowel movements and can relieve constipation.

Helps with Hangovers

Vitamin C is consumed during alcohol metabolism. Yuja tea helps remove toxins from the body and is great for relieving hangovers. It also helps reduce bad breath after drinking, making it a perfect drink after a night out.

Prevents High Blood Pressure and Stroke

Yuja contains limonene and pectin, which strengthen capillaries and improve blood circulation. The hesperidin in yuja also helps prevent brain blood vessel problems and stabilizes blood pressure, making it great for preventing high blood pressure and stroke.

5. Ssanghwa Tea

Ssanghwa tea is a simplified version of Ssanghwatang, a traditional Korean herbal medicine that helps recover from fatigue. This tea is made by boiling various medicinal herbs such as white peony root, rehmannia root, angelica, cnidium, cinnamon, and licorice. The word "Ssanghwa" means to combine two things, symbolizing the balance of yin and yang energies. Let’s look at the health benefits of this tea, which strengthens the body through the combined effects of its ingredients.

Keeps the Body Warm and Helps with Fatigue Recovery

The ten herbal ingredients in Ssanghwa tea, including cnidium, jujube, cinnamon, licorice, rehmannia root, white peony root, and angelica, help warm the body and boost immunity. The tea also detoxifies the liver, relieves fatigue, and has various benefits such as improving osteoporosis, promoting blood circulation, preventing hair loss, and enhancing physical strength. Some people enjoy adding nuts like walnuts or pine nuts or even egg yolk to Ssanghwa tea. The combination of tea and egg yolk might seem unusual, but those who have tried it say the rich taste of the yolk balances the slight bitterness of the tea, creating a smooth and harmonious flavor. The egg yolk also adds missing nutrients and makes the tea more filling.

Avoid When You Have a Fever

While Ssanghwa tea or Ssanghwatang can help recover when you feel a cold coming on, it’s best to avoid it if you already have a fever or if your symptoms are severe. Especially if you tend to have a lot of body heat or have a fever, Ssanghwa tea might block heat release, making your symptoms worse.

We’ve now explored five types of Korean traditional tea. Beyond these, there are many more teas perfect for enjoying the flavors of fall, like Omija tea, jujube tea, persimmon leaf tea, Solomon’s seal tea, quince tea, burdock tea, and mugwort tea. Take care of your health this season with Korean traditional tea from Organic One.

<Editor Ahn Ji-young>