Three-Date Wheat Berry Tea (San Zao Mai Mi Cha)

Why people make this tea

There is an old saying in Chinese: “Eat three dates a day and stay young.” Dates have been the cornerstone of women’s blood-nourishing food therapy for generations. After menstruation, during the perimenopause, and in the weeks following childbirth, the body needs gentle, sustained replenishment — and dates offer exactly that in a form that is easy to digest and pleasant to taste. By combining three varieties of date (red, nan zao, and honey date) with toasted wheat berries — which calm the heart and mind — this tea provides a quiet, everyday ritual of nourishment. It tastes genuinely delicious: lightly sweet, warming, and comforting.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Women in the post-period window, peri- or post-menopause, or postpartum (from the first week after delivery onward)
• Men and children can also enjoy this tea as a general tonic
• People with allergies to wheat or gluten should avoid the wheat berries; substitute with toasted millet or brown rice
• Breastfeeding mothers: replace wheat berries with toasted brown rice, as wheat berries are traditionally associated with suppressing milk supply
• People with diabetes can substitute honey dates with dried medjool dates (or jujubes), but should keep quantity moderate

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Red dates (hong zao): The most widely used blood-building ingredient in Chinese food therapy. Traditionally associated with tonifying the spleen and stomach, boosting qi, generating fluids, and calming the spirit. Research has explored their polysaccharide and flavonoid content.
• Nan zao: A darker, slightly less sweet variety of jujube, traditionally considered gentler and less heating than red dates. Also associated with nourishing the kidney and building blood.
• Honey dates (mi zao): Large, sweet, moist — cooling and moistening; they balance the warming tendency of the red and nan dates and add pleasant sweetness.
• Wheat berries (mai mi, whole wheat kernels): Distinct from oats or barley, these are the whole kernel of wheat. In classical Chinese medicine, wheat is associated with the heart channel and is traditionally used to calm restlessness, emotional instability, and disturbed sleep. They are a key ingredient in the classical formula gan mai da zao tang (Licorice, Wheat and Date Decoction).

Ingredients (about 3 cups)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Red dates (hong zao)	12 pieces	Remove pits and slice into strips
Nan zao	4 pieces	Score or halve
Honey dates (mi zao)	2 pieces	Rinse
Wheat berries (whole wheat kernels, mai mi)	~40 g	Dry-toast in a clean wok until fragrant
Water	6 bowls (about 1.2 L)

Method

1. Pit and slice the red dates. Score or halve the nan zao. Rinse honey dates.
2. Heat a clean dry wok over medium heat. Add wheat berries and stir gently until fragrant and lightly golden — about 3–5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 6 bowls of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
5. Cook for 30 minutes until reduced to about 3 cups.
6. Serve warm. Eat the dates and wheat berries for full benefit.

Bro Niu’s tips

Wheat berries (mai mi) are not oats and not barley — look for them at Chinese herbal shops or Asian grocery stores, labelled as whole wheat with a light yellow outer bran (sometimes used in traditional sticky-rice-and-wheat congee). For people with a “hot” constitution, Bro Niu suggests adding Jin Qiao Mai (golden buckwheat) — a naturally cooling grain with additional benefits — to balance the warming dates. This tea can be re-steeped: bring back to a boil for a second round.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Jenny): Is “mai mi” the same as pearl barley? Can I use rolled oats instead? Bro Niu: Pearl barley is da mai mi (barley). Wheat berries are xiao mai mi (whole wheat kernels) — different grains. Rolled oats cannot substitute.

• Q (reader): Can I use both barley and wheat berry for this tea? Bro Niu: Both can be used. Wheat berry calms the heart and mind; barley clears heat and supports cholesterol. Both are beneficial.

• Q (Amy): I just gave birth — can I drink this tea? When should I start tonifying? Bro Niu: You can drink this from the first week. If you are breastfeeding, swap wheat berries for millet. Focus the first week on clearing lochia; the second week you can start light chicken broth or lean pork soups. Full tonifying begins in the third week once lochia has cleared.

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Published October 6, 2022 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.