American Ginseng, Dendrobium and Ophiopogon Sweet Tea

Why people make this tea

Autumn in Hong Kong and southern China is dry — and anyone who regularly works late, skips sleep, or spends hours in air-conditioned spaces often notices the symptoms: a parched throat, a low-grade restlessness, dry eyes, and skin that no longer holds moisture the way it once did. In Chinese food therapy, this cluster of symptoms points to what is called “yin deficiency” — a concept describing a state where the body’s fluids and cooling reserves are depleted. This three-ingredient tea is one of Nourilo’s go-to recommendations for autumn dryness. Dendrobium is valued for generating fluids in the stomach and clearing mild internal heat; ophiopogon root is one of the oldest documented herbs for nourishing lung and heart yin; and American ginseng (cooler and more moistening than Asian ginseng) rounds it all out. The result is a pleasant, lightly sweet drink that does not taste strongly medicinal.

Method

1. Rinse the dendrobium and ophiopogon root.
2. Place dendrobium and ophiopogon root in a pot with 1.5 L of water.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes.
4. Add the rock sugar and American ginseng slices; continue cooking for about 3 minutes. (American ginseng is added last to preserve its active qualities — long boiling reduces its effectiveness.)
5. Pour and drink warm. You can also add lean pork instead of rock sugar if you prefer a savoury soup version.

Nourilo’s Tips

Dendrobium comes in many forms and price points. The ordinary stick-form (tiao zhuang) dendrobium available at most Chinese medicine shops works well for everyday use — there is no need to seek out the most expensive varieties. Dendrobium can be ground into powder and stirred into water or soup. For those with stomach yin deficiency, persistent low-grade thirst, or a tendency toward mild restlessness and mild internal heat, dendrobium is an excellent everyday ingredient.