Icare White peony Tea

Icare White Peony Tea

Peony tea is one of the oldest remedies in traditional Chinese medicine, according to the website MountainRoseHerbs.com. The name peony is derived from Paeon, the Greek physician of the gods. In Japan, where it was introduced by Buddhist monks from China, peony is considered a symbol pf prosperity. A variety of traditional uses for peony tea have been confirmed by modern research.

Extract from the root of the white peony herb may be steeped in boiling water to create a tea. Proponents of white peony tea believe it to have medicinal properties as it contains compounds which may support kidney and liver health. Consult with your health care adviser prior to ingesting white peony tea.

Our organic white peony tea is only harvested for a few weeks each year in the northern district of Fujian, China. The process of white tea is quite minimal which includes drying and withering almost immediately after picking. The secrets of the teas withering process varies from region to region in Fujian and depends on climate conditions and family traditions. This prized tea is hand picked bringing only two leaves and a bud form under strict standards passed down from the Ming Dynasty Our organic white peony has many buds and is fresher and sweeter than most white teas.

Modern Chinese herb authorities have grappled with the issue of differentiating the properties and applications of the peony herbs. A clear and consistent picture does not immediately arise because the modern depictions of these herb materials, as found in most materia medicas and Chinese herbal guidebooks, have some discrepancies. An attempt to sort out the conflicting reports is attempted below to the extent possible with the available information. The root of the three or four year old plant is dug and collected in summer and autumn, washed clean with the rhizome and fibrous roots [rootlets] removed, and the rough epidermis scraped off, cooked slightly in boiling water, and finally dried in the sun." By contrast, red peony is produced simply by drying in the sun the root that has the rhizome and rootlets removed

Other Benefits

Blood Thinning Properties a study published in the August 2010 edition of "Die Pharmazie" reports that peony contains 18 active constituents responible for inhibiting blood coagulation or platelet aggregation. The active constituents include paeoniflorin, catechin, galloylpaeoniflorin and paeonol. The anti-coagulant effect of peony supports healthy blood circulation, which prevents against certain cardiovascular diseases.

Kidney Health the effect of peony root extract on the kidneys of rats was reported in a study published in the March 2010 edition of "Phytomedicine." The study concluded that peony root extract had an antioxidant effect on the diabetes-induced oxidative stress of the kidneys as the subjects exhibited a significant decrease in urinary albumin. Urinary albumin is an indicator of poor kidney health. Furthermore, the subjects exhibited reduced symptoms of kidney tubule injury when provided a treatment of between 100 mg and 200 mg of peony root extract per kg of body weight.

Blood Vessel Dilation the September-October 2010 edition of "Vascular Pharmacology" published a study that researched the effects of paeonol on blood vessel dilation in rats. Paeonol is an active constituent derived from the root bark of the peony herb. According to the test results, paeonol relaxed the aorta by 95.6 percent by significantly elevating the production of nitric acid and regulating the flow of calcium. Nitric acidis a compound that relaxes blood vessels while calcium functions to promote muscle contraction. Blood vessel dilation may help to reduce blood pressure and control symptoms associated with high blood pressure, such as cholesterol.

Liver Support a study published in the June 2010 edition of "Archives of Pharmacal Research" researched the antioxidant effect of paeoniflorin, a component of peony, on the liver. The study concluded that peony extract protects against liver inflammation as it prevents against the oxidative stress caused by an antigen known as lipopolysaccharide. The University of Michigan Health System notes that peony may also be utilized to treat certain liver conditions, such as cirrhosis and hepatitis; however, further research is needed to validate the efficacy of white peony on liver disease.