Introduction: The literal translation of “qīng gān huǒ chá” is clear liver heat, however this tea has various uses and is meant for people with extreme heat or fiery feeling in their bodies. Symptoms includes a dry, sore throat (not from screaming or shouting), dry eyes (so when wind blows against it, there is a stingy sensation), cold sores inside or out of the mouth, a sore and or painful rib feeling and or overall feeling of heatiness. It was recommended to me by my herbalist when I developed an extremely sore throat with no associated cough (as cooling teas should be avoided if there is a cough). As ugly as this drink looks or even tastes without added sugar, it helped relieve the heatiness in my body and in a few days, helped “cool” my throat.
Ingredient Name: Rehmannia root, Chinese foxglove root, Sheng di huang, Radix Rehmanniae
Chinese Name:生地 (Shēng dì)
A very interesting and scary looking Chinese medicine. My herbalist recommended this to me for my “cooling” tea to rid me of my “fiery” condition of sore throat and heaty body. I had to ask him a few times what it is and then spell it for me in the simplest of Chinese terms, but I managed to come to a good understanding of this ingredient. This will make any water, soup, tea, drink BLACK – so beware. It’s not a bad thing, but sometimes black and dark things aren’t the most pleasant things to drink – well, except for black coffee for some people and cola. But in Chinese medicine, black is usually associated with bitter.
What is this?
The root of the Chinese foxglove plant
The root is harvested in the spring or autumn, dried in the sun and sliced into usable portions
This plant is most commonly found in China and the root is a common Chinese medicine ingredient
It is known as a “cooling” ingredient with sweet and bitter properties
The root is almost black in color and will certainly make your soup or tea black
Found in various forms such as dried (as picture above) or powdered
How do I prepare it?
Rinse in warm water before usage
Where can I buy this?
Most herbalists will carry this ingredient
Chinese medicine stores
What is the cost?
Relatively affordable
As pictured above, 2 pieces I purchase cost me $3 HKD
Any benefits?
Helps remove heatiness in the body and cool the blood
Relieves sore throats, dry mouths and helps cool the body to eliminate thick, green mucous caused by heatiness
Can help reduce a low-grade fever
Can help eliminate and reduce cold sores in the mouth and tongue
Nourishes the “yin”
Any precautions?
As it is cooling, it should be avoided by pregnant women in their first trimester (or even throughout a pregnancy) as it stimulates menstruation (it is also known to be used to prevent or terminate pregnancies)
Avoid if you’re lactating (breastfeeding)
Avoid using or consuming this ingredient if you have spleen problems, diarrhea or lack of appetite
I do not condone the poaching and killing of animals (much less endangered ones) for their parts because of traditional medicinal beliefs. I actually bought this ingredient as part of a package from the wet mart because I wanted to boil something “heat” relieving for myself (because of a bad sore throat and the obvious over-heated symptoms of thick-green mucus and fiery throat). And of course, little did I know what the ingredient was until I got home and did some research and then went back to speak to the herbalist and he told me “yah, this is a rare and much coveted ingredient in Chinese medicine!” Nonetheless, I’ve boiled it, drank it and my sore throat is gone, but do not think I will buy it again. The thing with doing it once is that you learn from it and honestly, once you know most of the ingredients, you can buy them separately (without pre-packaging) and ensure you’re not buying stuff that could get controversial. So that’s my 2 cents on the parts of endangered species. However, I will still share what this ingredient is for your own learning (and mine!).
What is this?
The horn of the saiga antelope (which is a rare and highly prized ingredient in Chinese medicine)
The saiga is an antelope with medium-sized horns that are found only on the males
It is an endangered species to date and commonly found in areas in Asia such as Mongolia
The horns are found in various forms such as dried, thinly sliced (or flaked as pictured above), ground into a powder, or cut into tiny pieces
The horns are white/beige in color
China is the largest importer of the saiga horn and often uses the raw horns in various derivatives of this Chinese medicine
How do I prepare it?
Rinse the dried, flaked version in warm water before use
For powders, mix in water as directed
Where can I buy this?
Chinese herbalist stores
Chinese medicine specialty stores
Not too commonly available in North America, more so in Asia
What is the cost?
The cost varies as it is a pretty rare ingredient, but it is not cheap
Any benefits?
Said to be an excellent painkiller and antibiotic
A diverse ingredient that is used to treat many ailments such as headaches, fever, congestion, delirium (although there is no reliable scientific studies that prove this)
Any precautions?
Be sure you’re purchasing from a reputable source as there are quite a few “fake” or not genuine products available
With your purchase, you’re also promoting the market of saiga antelope horns, which will further reduce their already limited numbers (did I just say that!?)
