Green Olive, Mandarin Cake & Dried Pear Tea

Why people make this tea

This is one of the most widely beloved Cantonese family teas for protecting the throat during seasonal infections. Green olives (qing lan) are a different fruit from the Mediterranean olive — a fresh, slightly astringent stone fruit with the highest calcium content of any common fruit, traditionally used to clear throat heat, ease phlegm, and even help with food poisoning. Mandarin cake (ju bing) is a preserved whole mandarin — moist, sweet, and packed with dietary fibre and pectin — used for clearing congestion and regulating digestive qi. Dried pear is gentler than fresh pear; the low-temperature drying process removes some of the pear’s cooling nature while keeping its moistening effect on the lungs and skin. Together these three ingredients make a tea that is easy to prepare, pleasant to drink, and well-suited to the whole family.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for the whole family — children, adults, and elderly
• Helpful during cold and flu season, or when the throat feels dry, scratchy, or inflamed
• Those with gastric ulcer should reduce olives to half the stated amount
• Diabetics can replace mandarin cake with half a golden monk fruit (jin luo han guo), which does not raise blood sugar
• For children with fever, add 4 qian of reed root (lu gen) to the brew

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Green olives (qing lan, Canarium album): Highest calcium content of any common fruit; traditionally associated with clearing heat from the throat, detoxifying, transforming phlegm, and even neutralising food poisoning from fish or crab
• Mandarin cake (ju bing): A preserved, concentrated mandarin; traditionally moistens the lungs, stops cough, and regulates qi; its dietary fibre and pectin also support healthy digestion
• Dried pear slices (xue li gan): Low-temperature dried pear; more warming than fresh pear, making it gentler for those who run cold; traditionally moistens the lungs and skin and relieves thirst

Ingredients (3 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh green olives (qing lan)	12–15 pieces	Rinse; crack lightly with the back of a knife
Mandarin cake (ju bing)	2 pieces	Rinse briefly; cut open
Dried pear slices (xue li gan)	5–6 slices	Remove any seeds; rinse

Method

1. Rinse the green olives and crack them lightly with the back of a knife — this helps them release their flavour and active compounds.
2. Rinse the mandarin cake briefly and cut each piece in half.
3. Rinse the dried pear slices and remove any seeds.
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with 6–7 bowls (~1.2–1.4 L) of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, reducing to about 3 bowls.
6. Drink warm or at room temperature.

Bro Niu’s tips

This is a gentle, mildly warming tea that can be taken regularly to maintain throat health and boost general immunity — not just during illness. The mandarin cake is mildly warming in nature, so it will not cause coldness in the body. If you cannot find mandarin cake, golden monk fruit (half a fruit) makes an excellent substitute. For diabetics, monk fruit is the better option as it does not raise blood sugar. Those with a gastric ulcer should reduce the olive quantity by half.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (karen): My elderly father (80+) has been coughing every night for a week but not during the day. Drinking this tea gave some improvement but he still coughs. Any suggestions? Bro Niu: For night-time cough, try five-flavour berry (wu wei zi) 3 qian and liquorice (gan cao) 2 qian, boiled in 4 bowls of water down to 2 bowls. Take 3 consecutive servings. It helps astringent the lung qi and stop cough.

• Q (Amy): Can someone with diabetes drink this tea? Bro Niu: Mandarin cake is high in sugar. Replace it with half a golden monk fruit — monk fruit does not raise blood sugar.

• Q (karenkk): Can someone with a gastric ulcer drink this? Bro Niu: Yes, but use only half the stated amount of green olives.

---

Published July 21, 2020 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.