Coffee Shop Launches Photinia Latte?! Can You Eat Photinia Flowers: Benefits, Drawbacks, and Efficacy

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The Controversial Spring Bloom: Photinia and Its Unexpected Coffee Collaboration

With the arrival of spring and summer, it's the perfect time for all things to bloom, and photinia flowers are no exception...

Does anyone know the flower language of photinia? "Solitary and lonely, solemn, dignified, and tasteless." Netizens comment: How is it tasteless? Its flower language is clearly yue...!

Favored by urban greening initiatives yet dreaded by passersby, the spring scent that makes 9 out of 10 people unable to resist "yue-ing" twice—photinia—has recently been trending frequently online. Besides its overpowering floral fragrance and netizens' inability to understand why it's so unpopular among city residents while urban greening departments favor extensive planting, there's also the recent news that a coffee shop announced they would feature "the taste of spring" and launched a photinia latte.

How to Make Photinia Latte

Preparation method: First, wash fresh photinia flowers and crush them, then pour in fresh milk, and finally add espresso.

Because the scent of photinia is truly overwhelming—smelling fragrant from a meter away but potentially overwhelming up close—the comment section for this latte featuring "the taste of spring" was filled with nothing but "yue" reactions. Some skeptical netizens even tried to replicate and taste it themselves, with the result... they were already "yue-ing" before even taking a sip.

Health Concerns and Expert Warnings

Some netizens have raised questions about whether photinia is edible. To be honest, besides its overwhelming scent, photinia actually has high medicinal value, primarily focusing on preventing colds, treating rheumatism, and reducing inflammation—though only when consumed as a tea infusion. Besides its anti-inflammatory properties, it has another rather familiar function: direct consumption can enhance gastrointestinal motility. Just two days ago, a nutritionist pointed out that foods with similar gastrointestinal motility-enhancing properties should not be consumed together. For example, olive oil acts as an intestinal lubricant, while the caffeine and acidity in coffee also stimulate the gastrointestinal system. When combined, they can easily cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Photinia, with its acidity and caffeine content similar to coffee, also has the effect of enhancing gastrointestinal motility. While not toxic, it's still not recommended for individuals with sensitive stomachs to try. Additionally, the photinia flowers used shouldn't be directly picked from green belts because they're really! really! really! dirty! This plant is widely used in landscaping because it can absorb harmful gases and dust from the air, providing pollution resistance. If directly picked for consumption, not only is it dirty, but it's genuinely toxic.

Image source: Internet, Mica, Languan

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