50 g · dried whole petals · caffeine-free
Each spring, the slopes of the Garhwal Himalayas turn red with buransh, Rhododendron arboreum, Uttarakhand's state tree. For generations, hill families have gathered its flowers in season for a cooling summer drink. We dry the petals whole, so the cup tastes as it always has: bright, tart and gently floral.
What is in the cup
Buransh flowers are naturally rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds, including quercetin glycosides, hyperoside and epicatechin. Diets rich in flavonoids have been associated with wellbeing in large studies of midlife women. We describe buransh as tradition and good food, not as a treatment: most research on the flower itself is still at the laboratory stage.
Why this moment
Afternoon. A cooling, caffeine-free cup for the part of the day when warmth and skin oil peak and energy dips. Lovely iced.
Follicular phase and ovulation. As oestrogen rises, energy and mood often lift. A bright, floral cup suits the most outward-facing days of the month.
How to brew
1–2 teaspoons of petals in 200 ml of water just off the boil. Steep 5–10 minutes. For iced buransh, brew double strength and pour over ice.
NTFDP
Gathered in season from the Garhwal Himalayas, and identified carefully at source: R. arboreum has a long history as a food, unlike some other rhododendron species.
Developed using the Endo Neutral framework: a caffeine-free cup, deliberately free of the phytoestrogens found in soy and red clover.
