It is a common Chinese medical belief that tea “leeches” away certain medicines, so tea-drinking soon after taking medication is frowned upon. However, tea doesn’t always counteract medication. In fact, tea can actually boost or complement the effect of certain herbs, flowers or medicines. Tea is already chockful of antioxidants and aids in digestion, allowing beneficial components to be absorbed by the body more quickly.

Ginseng tea, of course, is a good example. Ginseng powder or slices mixed with tea leaves make for a good energy supplement. For those who want to detox, or clear their complexion, green tea with jasmine, rose or dried mango is a good beverage to cleanse the blood and skin; when you’re done drinking, steep the leaves again for a few hours and use the liquid as a wash or wipe for the face - although this might be useful for only oily faces.

For people who have trouble with the “cooling” effects of tea, especially green and wulong tea, mixing the tea leaves with nourishing and slightly “heaty” herbs and dried fruits will help maintain a harmonious balance. Try tea with wolfberries (枸杞 gǒu qǐ), or dried red dates, as both herbs are slightly heaty (the red dates more so than wolfberries), and will help counteract the tea’s “cooling” effect. Moreoever, the two herbs help with blood circulation, which will aid tea’s detoxifying. An excellent way of warming the stomach, especially if you have caught a chill, is to use freshly cut slices of ginger and steep them with tea leaves. Use as many slices as you can stand!

The Indian tea chai masala also uses warming spices, such as cardamon, cloves and star anise (there are many variants on the recipe), to counter the “cooling” effect of tea. However, the benefits of tea are found to be negated by the addition of milk, so chai masala loses out in that respect. However, as a warming beverage, it is quite efficacious.

Tea at room temperature can also be put to several uses. Use it as a rinse after dental surgery, to sooth the gums, discourage proliferation of bacteria in the mouth and simply because it’s nicer than just plain water. Mix tea with honey (especially Manuka honey) to boost the immune system - using hot tea will destroy many of the nutrients in the tea. Tea is also good for watering down hard liquor, such as brandy, rum and whiskey. For those who have trouble with the bitterness of liquor, try mixing with cool sweetened tea. For a bedtime beverage though, I would not recommend anything with alcohol. I’ve found white tea to be very good as a tea to drink just before bed (at least an hour before), and when mixed with chamomile blossoms, makes for a pretty good soporific.