The Benefits and Effects of Loquat Flower Tea and How to Care for It to Bloom

When autumn turns to winter, many people find their throats uncomfortable. Today let's share a dual-purpose medicinal plant, the loquat flower (Eriobotrya japonica). It not only soothes the throat and lungs, but also helps resolve phlegm and stop coughing, clears a stuffy nose, and has good ornamental value as well. Let's take a look below.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the loquat flower is praised as an excellent remedy for moistening the lungs and stopping coughs, and its fragrance is unique, making people feel relaxed and joyful when they smell it. Whether dried and brewed as tea or cooked in soup with ingredients such as snow pear and lean pork, it can likewise stop coughs and nourish the lungs, making it especially suitable for friends who smoke often.

The loquat flower belongs to the genus Eriobotrya in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is mostly cultivated in China, with cultivation also found in places such as Japan and Vietnam. In terms of care, it naturally prefers a warm, humid climate. It likes temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees; if winter drops to -5 degrees, the flowering period and young fruit stage may not survive. As for soil, it prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil, and a sandy substrate with a pH of around 6 is most suitable. The flowering period usually runs from October to February of the following year, lasting a full 4 months, and during this time it has a particularly high demand for light, so it can be given plenty of sunlight, though it can also adapt to semi-shaded conditions to a certain extent.
For daily watering, loquat likes moisture. Before watering, feel the soil; when it feels slightly dry, you can water it, with moisture around 40%~50% being ideal.

For fertilizing, newly purchased seedlings or loquat flowers that have just begun to sprout are best given monopotassium phosphate or Huaduoduo No. 2, with a fertilizing frequency of once a day, while mature trees have a greater demand for potassium (ratio nitrogen 20: phosphorus 10: potassium 20). Do not use only nitrogen fertilizer, to prevent excessive vegetative growth.
Other things to watch for include pests and diseases. Generally speaking, loquat flower leaves are prone to leaf spot and anthracnose. When leaf spot appears, the leaves develop pale yellow and reddish-yellow spots, and spraying a 500-800 times dilution of zineb can relieve it. When anthracnose appears, round gray spots form on both sides of the leaf veins, and for treatment pay attention to light penetration and ventilation; if similar signs are found, spray a 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 500 to 800 times dilution in the early stage.