How to source chrysanthemum powder for teas and supplement blends
What we clarify before quoting chrysanthemum. Two questions decide the quotation: whether the buyer needs a quantified flavonoids figure for the label, and whether the finished product is a hot-brewed tea, a bottled beverage or a capsule. The answers choose between the 10:1 grade and the 2% / 5% UV grades, and they also decide which lot we pull the evaluation sample from — a beverage buyer tasting at serving strength and a capsule buyer checking flow are not testing the same thing.
Chrysanthemum powder is one of the best-known botanicals in East Asia and one of the least standardised in Western supply. The material we sell is an extract of Chrysanthemum morifolium flowers, water-extracted at food grade, supplied as a yellow-brown fine powder at 80 mesh. It is bought for tea-style and beverage products and for eye-health and calming supplement blends, and the sourcing decision that matters is which of two specification bases you buy on. This guide covers both, the documentation, and the first-order mechanics.
What the material is
The part used is the flower, extracted with water at food grade, and the floral profile is preserved by low-temperature processing — the difference between a material that reads as chrysanthemum in the cup and one that reads as hay. The standard specification lists the botanical as Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat., the appearance as a yellow-brown fine powder, the particle size at 80 mesh, loss on drying at or below 5.0%, and a shelf life of 24 months unopened in cool, dry storage.
Two grades, two label stories
Like most extracts sold into both tea and supplement markets, chrysanthemum powder comes on two bases, and the product page lists both:
- 10:1 concentration grade. The tea-style basis: ten kilos of flower per kilo of extract, priced on raw-material input. The right choice for beverage and tea products where the label does not quantify flavonoids.
- Total flavonoids 2% or 5% by UV. The marker basis: a quantified figure on the COA, for supplement labels that state one.
The typical certificate for a standard lot reads 2.4% total flavonoids by UV, 4.4% loss on drying against the 5.0% ceiling, lead below 1 ppm, total plate count below 1,000 cfu/g, and E. coli and Salmonella negative. If your label states a flavonoids figure, that figure has to come from the marker grades and be supported by the lot COA — a 10:1 ratio cannot support it, for the same reason it cannot support any other compound claim.
Where the flower comes from
Chrysanthemum is a crop before it is an extract, and the flower material we buy is food-grade stock from tea growing regions — the same supply chain that produces the beverage-grade flower, not the ornamental trade. That matters for two reasons. First, tea-region flower is handled as a food ingredient from harvest onward, which is what a beverage or supplement buyer’s documentation expects. Second, low-temperature processing on fresh-character material is what keeps the floral top notes that a darker, hotter-dried lot loses. Small pilot quantities are available for exactly this reason: the difference between lots shows up in the cup, not on the sheet.
Where it is used
The product page lists two application areas. In food and beverage: herbal tea blends, hot and ready-to-drink, floral wellness beverages, and honey-chrysanthemum syrups. In dietary supplements: eye-health formulas — the classic pairing is with cassia seed and goji, covered in our cassia seed sourcing guide — and calming and relaxation blends.
For beverages, judge the material at serving strength. The floral character is the reason the product exists in a tea, and it only shows itself in the finished dilution, not in a dry sample. For dry blends and capsules, the 80 mesh powder flows and mixes without special handling.
MOQ, packing and lead time
First orders are deliberately small. MOQ is 1 kg. The standard pack is a 25 kg fibre drum with a double polyethylene liner, and 1 kg and 5 kg foil bags cover evaluation samples and pilot runs, drawn from production lots. In-stock items are ready in about two days; bulk production of standard grades runs 3–5 working days after deposit. Transit runs Xi'an to Shenzhen consolidation in about three days, then roughly six days by air or 18–25 days by sea.
Chrysanthemum is bought for its floral character. Taste the finished dilution before you approve the grade — the dry powder only tells you the colour.
The product page carries the full published specification, assay options and documentation pack.
Frequently asked questions
What assay grades of chrysanthemum powder do you supply?
The specification lists total flavonoids at 2% or 5% by UV, or a 10:1 concentration grade. The typical COA for a standard lot reads 2.4% total flavonoids by UV, with loss on drying at 4.4% against a limit of 5.0%.
Is chrysanthemum powder suited to beverages as well as capsules?
Yes. The product page lists herbal tea blends, hot and ready-to-drink, floral wellness beverages and honey-chrysanthemum syrups, alongside eye-health and calming supplement blends. It is a water-extracted, yellow-brown fine powder at 80 mesh, and the floral profile is preserved by low-temperature processing.
What is the MOQ, packing and lead time?
MOQ is 1 kg. Standard packing is a 25 kg fibre drum with a double polyethylene liner, with 1 kg and 5 kg foil bags for samples and pilot runs. In-stock items are ready in about 2 days; bulk production of standard grades takes 3-5 working days after deposit.
Related: Chrysanthemum Powder — full specification, grades and documentation.