Mulberry leaf tea
On this page
- About this tea
- Origin and tradition
- TCM properties
- Traditional uses
- Ingredients
- Method
- Variations and pairings
- When to drink it
- Cautions and contraindications
- Frequently asked questions
- Related pages
1. About this tea
Mulberry leaf tea — sang ye cha (桑叶茶) — is an infusion of the dried leaves of the white mulberry, Morus alba: the same tree whose leaves feed silkworms. The tea is pale green-gold, clean and mildly grassy with a faint sweetness and a slightly drying finish, and it contains no caffeine.
In Chinese medicine it is above all an autumn tea. The dry, sharp air of autumn is held to injure the Lung, producing tickly dry coughs, a scratchy throat and dry skin, and mulberry leaf is the classical leaf for exactly that season and that pattern. Tradition holds that leaves picked after the first frost are the best, and they are still sold on that basis.
2. Origin and tradition
Mulberry leaf is recorded in the Shennong Bencao Jing and is the lead herb of Sang Ju Yin ("Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction"), the classical formula for an early wind-heat cold presenting mainly as a cough. The mulberry tree occupies an outsized place in Chinese life more generally, being the foundation of the silk industry, and virtually every part of it — leaf, fruit, twig, root bark — is used medicinally with quite different actions.
The leaf has attracted modern research interest for its effect on carbohydrate absorption, largely through a compound called 1-deoxynojirimycin, and mulberry leaf tea is marketed on that basis in Japan and Korea. The human evidence remains limited and mostly small-scale, and it should not be treated as a substitute for diabetes management.
3. TCM properties
This page covers mulberry leaf as a home-brewed tea. Mulberry leaf is also a prescribed herb in Chinese herbal medicine, where it is combined with other herbs and dosed to a diagnosed pattern — a different thing from a kitchen infusion. For the clinical profile, actions in formula and drug interactions, see the sang ye herb page.
Mulberry leaf (sang ye)
- Thermal nature: Cold
- Flavour: Bitter, sweet
- Channels entered: Lung, Liver
- Actions: Disperses wind-heat; clears and moistens the Lung; clears Liver heat and benefits the eyes
Mulberry leaf has a useful double action: it clears heat while also moistening, which is unusual. Most cooling herbs are drying, and most moistening herbs are cloying. That combination is why it suits autumn dryness specifically — a season where the problem is heat and dryness together. Its secondary action on the Liver and eyes overlaps with chrysanthemum, which is why the two are so often paired.
4. Traditional uses
Dry, tickly autumn coughs
The signature use. A dry, unproductive, tickly cough with little or no phlegm, a scratchy throat and dryness of the nose and lips — typically arriving with the dry weather of autumn — is Lung dryness with heat in TCM. Mulberry leaf both cools and moistens, which is precisely what that pattern needs. It is a supportive measure; a cough lasting more than three weeks needs medical assessment.
Early wind-heat colds with cough
Where a cold begins with a sore throat, slight fever, headache and a cough, mulberry leaf is the classical leading herb, paired with chrysanthemum. It is used in the first days only, as a complementary measure alongside conventional care.
Hot, dry, sore eyes
Like chrysanthemum, mulberry leaf enters the Liver channel and is used for red, dry, sore eyes and for headaches from Liver heat. It is milder than chrysanthemum in this role and is more often a supporting player than the main one.
Blood sugar interest
Mulberry leaf is the Chinese herb most associated with modern research on carbohydrate absorption, and it is sold widely in Japan on that basis. The evidence is early and the effect modest. Anyone with diabetes should treat this as a reason for caution about interactions rather than as a treatment — see the cautions below and speak to your doctor.
5. Ingredients
- 3–5g dried mulberry leaves — a small handful if whole, 1 tsp if cut
- 300ml hot water at 85–90°C
- Optional: 5–6 chrysanthemum flowers, the classical pairing
- Optional: a little honey, particularly for a dry cough
Buy leaves that are still green rather than brown or grey, with a clean hay-like smell. Both whole-leaf and cut-leaf forms are sold; whole leaves generally indicate more careful handling. Frost-picked leaves (shuang sang ye) are the traditional premium grade. If you are picking from a garden tree, use Morus alba only, pick away from roads and pesticide use, and dry the leaves flat in an airy place out of direct sun until they crumble.
6. Method
- Place the leaves in a cup or small pot.
- Pour over water at 85–90°C.
- Cover and steep 5 minutes.
- Add chrysanthemum, if using, at the same time.
- Strain and drink warm. Honey is best stirred in after slight cooling, and suits a dry cough particularly well.
The leaves will take a second infusion. For a cough, small frequent warm sips through the day are more useful than one large mug.
7. Variations and pairings
- With chrysanthemum: the classical pairing of Sang Ju Yin, covering cough, head and eyes together.
- With honey: not just for taste — honey is itself considered moistening for the Lung in TCM and suits dry coughs.
- With pear: simmered with a few slices of pear for stubborn autumn dryness; pear is the classical Lung-moistening fruit.
- With almond (xing ren): the traditional addition for cough, though this moves the drink towards a prescription — ask a practitioner first.
- With green tea: a common commercial blend, though it adds caffeine and changes the character of the drink.
8. When to drink it
- Dry, tickly coughs, especially in autumn
- Dry nose, throat and lips in dry weather
- The first days of a cold that starts hot, with cough
- Hot, dry, sore eyes
- As a caffeine-free everyday drink through autumn
Autumn is its season, and daytime its usual slot. One to three cups a day is reasonable. Because it is cold in nature, it is better used through a dry or hot spell than as a year-round habit, particularly in a British winter.
9. Cautions and contraindications
- Diabetes medication: mulberry leaf may affect carbohydrate absorption and blood glucose. If you take insulin or oral hypoglycaemics, speak to your doctor before drinking it regularly — the risk is additive lowering of blood sugar.
- Cold constitutions: the leaf is cold in nature. If you are habitually cold with a weak digestion, keep intake modest or pair it with ginger.
- Cold-pattern coughs: avoid where the cough is wet and productive with copious clear or white phlegm and chills. That is the opposite pattern and needs warming, not cooling.
- Loose stools: pause if it produces or worsens loose bowels.
- Pregnancy: occasional culinary use is unlikely to be a problem; avoid regular or strong use without advice from your midwife or doctor.
- Low blood pressure or low blood sugar: use cautiously if either already runs low.
- Persistent cough: any cough lasting more than three weeks, or with blood, breathlessness or weight loss, needs a doctor rather than a tea.
10. Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as mulberry fruit tea?
No — and the distinction matters. The leaf (sang ye) is cold and clears heat from the Lung and eyes. The fruit (sang shen) is a sweet blood-and-yin tonic with an almost opposite role. They are different medicines from the same tree.
Will it lower my blood sugar?
There is genuine research interest here, but the human evidence is early and the effect modest, and it is not a treatment for diabetes. The practical point for most people is the reverse one: if you already take diabetes medication, this tea could add to its effect, so talk to your doctor first.
Can I use leaves from my own mulberry tree?
Yes, if it is a white mulberry (Morus alba) and grown away from roads and sprays. Pick, dry flat in an airy shaded spot until crisp, and store airtight. Traditionally the best leaves are picked after the first frost.
Does it contain caffeine?
No. It is a leaf infusion but not from the tea plant, so there is no caffeine unless it has been blended with green tea — check the label on commercial blends.
When should I drink it?
Autumn is the traditional season, and dry tickly coughs its clearest indication. It is less suited to cold damp winter weather, when its coldness works against you.
