Honeysuckle and Polygonum Chinense Soup

Why people make this tea

Polygonum chinense (huo tan mu) is a wild herb you might spot on a country walk — the older leaves carry a clear “V” mark and it sets tiny white flowers and shiny black fruit. Nourilo brews this simple two-herb pot when the trouble is the damp-heat kind of gut upset: cramping, foul-smelling, urgent diarrhea several times a day, with a burning feeling and a hot, thirsty body. It is a humble country remedy, but a tidy one.

Method

1. Rinse the honeysuckle and Polygonum chinense.
2. Add 900 ml of water and boil for 20 minutes.
3. Drink as a warm tea.

Nourilo’s Tips

The herb pictured is Polygonum chinense; the dried form is sold in some Chinese herb shops. Remember, this soup is not for those with cold-and-weak-spleen diarrhea.