We love this Tea!
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My Dearest Darlings!
I love you both so very much, miss you every single day, and am so blessed to be your Mom! I'm writing to tell you everything I know about Bojenmi Tea (TMEgret River Brand, Fujian Provincial Medicines & Health Products) even though we've been drinking it since 1996 and you've listened to me go on and on about it. Keep this letter as a "tool" (for whatever it's worth). I won't be insulted if you choose to ignore it, but I can save my breath later by saying, "read that letter again."
I've heard stories about people trying it for so many different things! I don't know If proof or scientific data exists but my own results lead me to make it my First Choice for virtually every-little-thing that comes up and overall wellness. My family, friends, and clients agree!
It comes from China and if its purity hadn't been consistent all these years, I wouldn't dream of asking you to use it internally or externally, my dearest darlings. (I've had zero reports of dissatisfaction!) Bro Jim routinely prescribed this tea to his patients as an affordable alternative before mixing one of his customized (and always nasty-tasting) tinctures or decoctions, and to everyone getting drug or alcohol treatment in his clinic, which is when I first tried it. He told me it was developed by a doctor in China to treat mouth cancer from chewing tobacco. Evidently the mouth cancer disappeared and so did the man's hemorrhoids! I couldn't care less if this story is true because my curiosity allows no limitations on potential uses for this tea. I can certainly find something more expensive if it doesn't help. I rarely need to try anything else.
From what I've gathered over the years, it's made from a strain of white tea that only grows in one particular mountainous region in China, and the entire tea field is owned by this company. The tea leaves are sprayed with tinctures of other herbs (and fyi no reports of allergic reaction either). "The Other Kate" knows more about herbs than I do, and she painstakingly looked up each one, which are listed by their Latin names on the box. She reported a remarkable combination of herbs which all appear to catalyze each other, resulting in the amazing formula we know and love. When tested for caffeine, Jim said the result was "so negligent as to be nearly immeasurable". People have asked about a caffeine-like effect, which must be a sense of vitality from alkalizing the body.
Trust me, babygirls: it's better than any other beverage and I know the benefits will be obvious when you drink it. The box says 2 - 3 cups per day but I've heard Jim tell people to sip on it all day. I know people who drink much less than that or much more. I say once a week is better than none at all!
You can drink it hot, cold, or room temp (which Jim says the Chinese recommend for all beverages). Cold-steeping is too time-consuming for me but others don't mind waiting most of the day for it to brew. You know I don't recommend a microwave under any circumstance (rated most important appliance in a recent poll but outlawed in Finland and Russia) but if you don't care, add the tea AFTER you kill the water in the microwave, okay?
It goes everywhere with me. Experiment! If you like it really cold, fill water bottles 2/3 full, freeze and take with you to sip on. Take a couple teabags to work if you prefer it hot (or want to share).
I've made it in a cup, my coffeemaker, on the stovetop in larger quantities, and even tried cold-steeping (which left me feeling like I didn't get as much of "the good stuff" from each teabag).
By The Cup: I use each teabag twice (or more) and drink at least two cups daily.
In The Coffeemaker: I usually use three bags for a full pot. A couple of ways to do it: run the water through and put the tea bags in the pot to steep, or tear them open, pour them into a (brown) filter and run the water through. Obviously it won't steep as much but it's fast & easy (you know me; I won't if it takes too long). It will be super-weak if you put the teabags in the filter basket. When the tea cools I pour it in a pitcher and put it in the refrigerator, and then make another pot to cool & add to it (I drink what's left after the pitcher is full). NOTE because I love you so much: hot tea and plastic are a dangerous combination! Humor your mom and remember to keep it cold because it starts to ferment if you leave it at room temp all day (one whiff will let you know).
On The Stovetop: I use 5 bags per gallon. Don't boil the tea, and cover the pot to reduce airborne contamination while it steeps. Mix another type of unsweetened herbal tea for added benefits. If it's loose tea, make a teabag with a brown coffee filter and a plastic twist-tie or a clean piece of string.
In The Bath: First, you know I don't like baths personally (body soup?) but if you've got a widespread skin condition of some kind, this is the best way to deal with it. Use the biggest pot you can find to heat water on the stove, and add all 20 tea bags (the whole box) to the water, steep it for 30 minutes with the lid on and low heat so it stays just below boiling, and then add it to a hot bath. I've seen people covered with hives one day and clear skin the next! If you're just wanting to treat a smaller area, my darlings, just use the tea bags like a "sponge-bath" on the affected area. Don't wash it off! In fact, don't even rinse it off, until the next time you shower as usual.
Jim told people not to sweeten it. (If they objected he would say, "change your mind".) I say if it's sweetened it's gotta be better than a soda even if it didn't have the same effect. It took me awhile to get used to it but if you can't stand the taste, add more water! If you must, add fresh lemon. You'll get to where you love it. Just keep trying until you find a way. Your uncle Scott drinks it so strong it looks like coffee, but even if it looks like watered-down apple juice it's still good stuff.
I've heard some amazing stories, girls! I believe them all; there's no reason for anyone to lie about it. The truth is, I haven't done any follow-up or documentation. I wouldn't dream of saying anyone's health is directly because of it but I also know it sure won't hurt anyone's efforts toward health and wellness. If you share it with your friends, make sure you mention at least one other brand of tea.
They say it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. I'm pretty sure they couldn't print it if they hadn't proved it. I've heard of people using it for weight loss, blood sugar issues, allergies, asthma, lupus, acid reflux, ulcers, diverticulitis, polyps, colon cancer, spastic colon, colitis, irritable or inflammatory bowel, hemorrhoids or fissures, constipation and diarrhea, and recently a man whose long-term esophageal bleeding ulcers went away after he started drinking it everyday.
If someone you love suffers from acid reflux or irritable bowel (becoming more common and conditions that western doctors can't seem to correct or even improve), they can call me if they want. People tell me the symptoms get less every day they drink the tea. Yes it sounds crazy, and I've talked to people who've said, "I've had this problem for years, and you aren't going to stand there and tell me it's that simple..." If they decide to give it a try, weeks later I'll get a phone call or see someone who tells me they haven't had any symptoms from day one, and imagine how displeased by their doctor's inability to help them.
It works equally well externally!! As you know, it does wonders on acne and your aunt Theresa used it on a huge cold sore after her wisdom teeth were pulled. People tell me they've used it on mouth sores, gum disease, abscessed teeth, hives, rashes, burns, cuts & scrapes, stitches, yeast in all forms, gout & other foot problems, even radiation scars. One of them gargled several times and her strep throat went away without chemical antibiotics. It's a great rinse for your eyes, ears, sinuses (use it in a neti pot if you have one) and even as a douche (which I don't recommend but would undoubtedly be a healthy alternative to chemicals). The first time I heard of topical use, the woman had a growth on her neck. She steeped three bags in a half-cup of water for 30 minutes to get it thick, strong and concentrated, and then dabbed it on her skin several times a day until it was gone (she claimed it took 2 weeks). If you use it in your eyes, ears or sinuses use the purest water you can find.
People give unsweetened tea to all kinds of pets (even reptiles & birds), pouring it on dry food or into their water dish, by sprinkling dry tea on canned food, and I watched a dog share a cup of tea with its owner. There are nearly as many amazing reports about animals as there are about people!
If one drop is leftover or stale, your plants will love it. Most people save the used teabags in a sealed container in the fridge to re-use externally and then put in their plants. Dry tea will eventually get watered with the plant.
Don't be surprised if you notice your digestive processes when you first start drinking it on a regular basis. Some people have reported gas or rumbling, etc. and while we cannot know for sure without seeing inside their bodies, we can surmise that this would be what is known as a "health crisis" (something negative that has a positive outcome) meaning there's a war going on between the toxic, acidic environment most people harbor in their digestive tracts and the alkalizing, healthy effect of the tea. If this happens to you, girls, Push Through!! It will pass, and would be a good sign that whatever bacteria have been living there won't be able to for much longer. If these effects cause too much embarrassment or discomfort, add more water until the discomfort eases and keep right on drinking the tea.
If you happen to also see an increase in your bm's it would be for the same reason. From what I understand, the tea strips mucus from the intestines (as well as sinuses), strips placque from the arteries and changes the internal environment so drastically that candida and other bacteria (free radicals, toxins, foreign proteins, etc) cannot thrive and become manageable. If you notice this particular effect, be grateful that these germs are leaving your body!
You're both gorgeous, and absolutely perfect just the way you are. However, we don't always see our own beauty. If one of you ever wants a smaller size, the tea can help. I already know you can't abuse it, "live on it" or starve yourself. Start when you wake up. If your body needs food, your stomach will feel hot or "funny" or even flip-flop. At that point, set aside your tea and pick it up an hour after you eat. Go ahead and skip meals; when your body needs food it won't let you drink that tea. If you don't need to lose weight, you won't.
>sigh< Don't ask me how it works, my darlings! It just does.
The Chinese would respond to
our questions of "why" and "how" with a simple "it's the Tao" (pronounced dow and means
"the way it works"). Here's where I get to encourage you to call me. It makes my day each
and every time I hear your beautiful voices, but for sure call if you have any questions about
any ways we can use this wonderful tool to improve our own health and share the tool with
the people we care about.
With All My Love,
Your Mom
RESULTS will vary, depending upon all of the above factors and more. There are no guarantees or promises of any particular results during any specific period of time. Reflexology is only one personal choice from many tools available for self-care.
Before beginning any new diet, exercise, or self-care program, it is recommended you consult your personal healthcare practitioner.