Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua) Tea and Chinese Medicine

Ju Hua is the dried flower head of Chrysanthemum morifolium, brewed as a tea and used in Chinese herbal formulas. [1] It is a daisy-family plant, which matters for allergy. This page covers the tea and the herb; it gives no dosing or brewing instructions.

Allergy first

Chrysanthemum belongs to the daisy family (Asteraceae, also called Compositae), which includes ragweed, mugwort, chamomile and marigold. A 2024 review reports that some people with respiratory allergy to weed pollen (such as ragweed or mugwort) also react to herbal products made from related plants such as chamomile, marigold and purple coneflower. [2] In a Dutch study of greenhouse workers, 20.2% were sensitized to chrysanthemum pollen, and sensitization was closely linked to mugwort sensitization, which the authors called suggestive of cross-sensitization. [3] Skin sensitization from Compositae herbal products is also described, with sesquiterpene lactones the most important allergens. [4] These papers study pollen, workplace exposure and other daisy-family products, not chrysanthemum tea, so how often the tea causes reactions is unknown. If you have a daisy-family allergy, ask an allergist before trying it. Hives, swelling of lips or face, wheezing or trouble breathing after any herb needs urgent medical care (call 911 in the US). See Side effects, allergic reactions and reporting and Allergies vs colds.

Food and medicine

Chrysanthemum morifolium is described as a "medicine food homology" plant, meaning one that is used as both. [5] A 2024 review says it originated in China and moved from food and tea to medicine over more than 3,000 years. [5] Ju Hua is called a "paradigm" of a flower used as Chinese dietary herbal medicine, and is mainly used for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. [1] These are traditional uses, not proven treatments. For the idea behind food-medicine, see Chinese dietary therapy.

Traditional use

A review lists colds, inflammation and cardiovascular conditions among its claimed health uses. [5] Practitioners describe the herb's effects in traditional terms (see How Chinese herbs are classified). The reviews I read describe lab findings for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other effects, mainly in cells and animals. [5] [1]

What research shows

1. Lab activity

   Preclinical

   Reviews list antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activity in laboratory work. [5]

2. Blood sugar and fats after a fatty meal

   Insufficient evidence (small, short, healthy volunteers)

   In a small randomized study of 37 healthy young adults, an Imperial Chrysanthemum extract lowered blood glucose at one hour after a high-fat meal and improved some antioxidant markers; the overall glucose response (area under the curve) did not differ. [6]

3. Colds, eye strain, blood pressure or headaches

   Proper evidence not found

   Proper evidence not found: I did not find controlled human trials of the tea or the flower on its own in the sources I read.

4. Safety record in people

   Insufficient evidence

   The reviews summarize lab data; I found no safety trial.

The best summary is that chrysanthemum tea is a traditional drink with plausible lab activity and almost no controlled human data. It is not a treatment for any condition, and a tea does not replace care for blood pressure, vision or infections. See How to evaluate a therapy claim.