TCM
Self-care for relieving heaviness of the head with red eyes
A simple Chinese Herbal Tea for refreshing in a stressful life
Peppermint Tea (Bo He Tea) 薄荷茶
Ingredients
Peppermint (Bo He 薄荷) (dry herb): about 3 g
Sweeteners: optional for better taste (choose one):
- Honey
- Stevia
- Monk Fruit (Luo Han Guo)
- Licorice root (Gan Cao)
Functions of the herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Peppermint (Bo He 薄荷)
Its properties are cool with sweetness, acrid, and aromatic flavour. Peppermint enters both the Liver channel and the Lung channel.
Relieving heaviness of the head with red eyes
Heaviness on the head with red eyes is always caused by stress. In TCM, anxiety and anger always harm the Liver channel and cause Liver Heat. And it is interesting why Liver Heat is associated with the heaviness of the head with red eyes.
In daily life, fire and heat usually ascend upwards. So, the Liver Heat would ascend to the head and cause a heaviness sensation with red eyes.
For example, after a person has fierce anger, he may always have red eyes, a red face, and dizziness. This is because his fierce anger has caused the Liver Fire which is going up to his head part suddenly.
Peppermint is able to soothe anxiety, anger, and stress by clearing the ascending Liver Heat. And that is why it can relieve the heaviness of the head with red eyes.
Relieving Depression
For depression, TCM sees depression mainly caused by Liver Qi stagnation. And it usually occurs that a person with depression always keeps sighing a lot; which is because his body is trying to soothe the stagnation of Liver Qi.
Peppermint may help to soothe an emotional person by spreading his Liver Qi; which means that his stagnation of Liver Qi could be relieved.
Relieving common cold
Peppermint also enters the Lung channel. So, it is a common herb in TCM for relieving infections in the upper respiratory system.
Conclusion
Peppermint is a common herb in TCM for relieving headaches and red eyes because it functions in clearing Liver Heat and spreading the stagnation of Liver Qi. And that may help in soothing a person’s anger, anxiety, or depression.
Reference
American Dragon. (2017). Individual herbs. Retrieved from https://www.americandragon.com/Individualherbsupdate/JuHua.html
