Glehnia, Ophiopogon and Fig Tea

Why people make this tea

Canker sores are one of those small but surprisingly miserable problems. In Chinese food-therapy thinking, they tend to appear when the body is running “too hot” — from lack of sleep, emotional stress, or eating too much fried food. Children can also get them not from those causes but from too many cold drinks and chilled snacks upsetting the digestive balance. This three-ingredient tea is Nourilo’s go-to for the “heat and dryness” type of mouth sore: glehnia and ophiopogon gently nourish yin and cool internal heat, while dried figs add a natural sweetness and extra soothing action.

Method

1. Rinse all ingredients with clean water.
2. Slice the dried figs.
3. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 1.5 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for about 25–30 minutes until 600 ml remain.
5. Strain and drink warm. The tea can be taken once or twice daily.

Nourilo’s Tips

The purple wild figs in the original photo are a nice find, but regular dried figs from a Chinese grocery are perfectly fine. As a quick first-aid measure for a painful sore, rinsing with warm, concentrated salt water (or salt water plus a little strong tea) can provide temporary relief, though it does sting. To support recovery from the inside, also try eating red rice or oat porridge a few times a week — both supply B vitamins, which are linked to oral health. A bowl of pork liver or chicken liver soup once or twice a week is another traditional approach in food-therapy for canker sore prevention.