Drink Goji Green Tea every day and look like this?
On the label of Goji Green tea, after sharing the ingredients and describing the subtle sweetness of this glorious tea, the label states, “live a long healthy life drinking this tea.”
Li Qing Yuen
Our old blog shared the story of the Chinese herbalist Li Qing Yuen who was said to have consumed goji berries daily and lived to 252.
You have to smile after considering this statement. Have you ever wondered what you might look like at 250 years old? The story is too good not to have in this version of our blog. Call it a Tea Tale!
…And so, I dug a bit deeper into Li Qing Yuen and found the picture, along with more details. I made myself a cuppa Goji Green Tea and my smile returned as I read.
His birth year was 1736 or 1677, though his true birth date has never been confirmed. Li Qing Yuen was born in the Sichuan province, in Qijiang County. He was an apprentice to elders who gathered herbs in the mountains. He went on to have a military career and then returned to life as an herbalist on Snow Mountain.
A New York Times article from 1930 mentions Imperial Chinese Government records from 1827 congratulating Li Qing Yuen on his 150th birthday. And then again in 1877 on his 200th birthday!
An earlier correspondent reported many older men in his village claimed their grandfathers knew Li Qing Yuen as a grown man when they were boys. The 1933 Time Magazine article asked for his secrets to a long life. Li Qing Yuen is quoted as saying,
“Keep a quiet heart,
Sit like a tortoise,
Walk sprightly like a pigeon,
and, Sleep like a dog.”
Goji Berries
He spent most of his life in the mountains collecting and selling ginseng, goji berries, and other herbs. Along with his diet, Li Qing Yuen mentions drinking rice wine as another secret.
He claimed to have survived 23 wives and had more than 150 children. He died in Kai County in May of 1933. His 24th wife said he died of natural causes. No mention of a daily dose of goji berries could be found in the official reports, and I really don’t know what sitting like a tortoise might look like.
I leave the story on our product page because I think our Goji Green tea is phenomenal. As phenomenal as the legend of Li Qing Yuen.
Goji Green Tea
Enjoy Goji Green tea as a hot tea to start your day, or as a refreshing iced tea - try it as a Cold-Brewed Tea- as it is served most days as Secret Garden Green Tea at the Selby House Café behind the gates at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
While you are savoring a cuppa of this wonderful green tea, contemplate your secrets to a long life. And then please share them with me :)
Cheers,
md
1 comment
I knew that was good stuff! My tea!