Digestive Herbal Teas

As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, it’s once again the season for indulging in delicious food — rice dumplings (zongzi) are an essential part of the celebration. The main ingredient of zongzi is glutinous rice. 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), glutinous rice is sweet and neutral in nature, non-toxic, and enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It can warm the spleen and stomach, and replenish energy. It is recorded that Glutinous rice porridge is an excellent remedy to nourish stomach Qi.

However, glutinous rice is sticky and hard to digest. This is especially so for the elderly, children, or those with weaker digestive systems, who may experience indigestion or constipation after eating it. One important things to note is that glutinous rice warms the middle interior which can cause internal heat, and leads to hard stools.

Therefore, overeating rice dumplings may result in bloating, stomach pain, indigestion, or constipation. In such cases, certain teas can help. Popular options include oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and more.

From the TCM perspective, there are also foods and herbs with medicinal properties, such as hawthorn, lotus leaf, and cassia seeds, that promote digestion and relieve bloating.

A simple tea recipe includes 20g of hawthorn, 10g of dried lotus leaf, and 10g of cassia seeds. First rinse the ingredients, place them in a teapot, add 300–500ml of hot water, and steep for 10 minutes. For a more varied flavor, you can also add some roselle (hibiscus) for a tangy and refreshing taste that stimulates the appetite.

That said, having digestive teas does not mean we should overeat. TCM emphasizes that “Moderation in diet and regular daily routines” are the key to good health.

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy Celebration!