How to make a warming Chinese herbal tea to improve Qi and nourish blood
Tea Name: Warming Chinese herbal tea to improve Qi and nourish blood
Traditional Chinese Name: 紅棗云耳茶 (hóng zǎo yún ěr chá). The direct translation is red dates cloud ear tea. I know my Chinese herbalist has this fancy name for it, but to be honest, I don’t know it, so I’m going pretty generic. LOL.
Nature: Warming
Targets: Spleen, stomach, liver
Taste: Sweet
For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.
How to make a warming Chinese herbal tea to improve Qi and nourish blood
This recipe has been top of mind for me for some years as when I was in Hong Kong and seeing my Chinese doctor, she’s always recommended I make this for myself and especially for my dad! Even my Chinese herbalist at the wet mart has suggested this to me (with a few other ingredients) and sells them in packs. However, the key ingredient really is the cloud ear fungus (black ear mushroom).
This simple herbal tea helps:
🌿 Warm the body
🚰 Nourish the blood and improve circulation
👎 Reduce LDL cholesterol and enhance antioxidant capacity
Why cloud (or black) fungus?
The key ingredient in this is the wood ear fungus (aka cloud ear or tree ear fungus). This Chinese herb comes dried and shriveled and is a good source of various nutrients, including iron, which is essential for red blood cell production and may help prevent iron deficiency anemia, a condition sometimes associated with high blood pressure
Traditional Chinese Medicine texts and modern sources note that wood ear fungus nourishes the blood, improves circulation, and may alleviate hypertension and arteriosclerosis. Studies in animal models (e.g., rabbits) showed that consuming wood ear fungus led to significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol, and enhanced antioxidant capacity.
What’s involved?
Prep time: 30 mins (to soak the cloud ear fungus and let it expand fully)
Boil time: 30 mins
Total time: 60 mins
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of dried wood ear fungus (rehydrated in 1 cup of water)
- 8 dried red dates, seedless
- 4 dried licorice roots
- 2 cups of boiling water (for the tea)
- 1 cup of cool tap water (for soaking the cloud ear fungus)
- 1 glass tea diffuser
Prep Instructions
How to make this warming Chinese herbal tea to reduce blood pressure and improve Qi:
1. Start by soaking the wood ear fungus in cool water, completely covered for 30 minutes
2. In a ceramic or glass pot, add everything together, including the water from the rehydrating wood ear
3. Cover and turn heat to high and bring that to a full boil
4. Once that boils, reduce heat to allow it to continue boiling for an hour
5. Serve and enjoy!
What you’ll need:
This ceramic pot is perfect for herbal teas. It’s actually a Korean stone pot for rice, bibimbap, or stews and I use it for my soup!
I also purchase my red dates from souperwell and my local Asian supermarkets. Remember to buy from a reliable source!
These dried black fungus are a good choice (from Amazon). I also buy them from my local Asian supermarket.
I also use these licorice roots, which are perfect for steeped teas, boiled teas, and soups!
Some or all of these links may contain Amazon product referral links; as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. If you decide to use them, I would be grateful. If not, I am always thankful for your continued support! ❤️
0 Comments