Hawthorn, Ginger & Brown Sugar Tea

Why people make this tea

Hawthorn berries are among the most affordable and versatile ingredients in Chinese food therapy. Fresh ones appear in markets every autumn, but dried slices are available year-round from herb shops. The sourness of the berry, balanced by warming ginger and sweet brown sugar, creates a drink that has been relied on for generations to get things moving — digestion, energy, and blood flow alike. It is particularly popular among women recovering after childbirth, when the goal is to help the body clear and restore itself.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suits people with sluggish digestion, mild bloating or food stagnation after heavy meals, high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, and those who tend to feel “heavy” in the body
• Also traditionally used postpartum to help clear lochia and support uterine recovery
• Caution: Pregnant women must not take this tea — hawthorn strongly promotes uterine contraction and is contraindicated during pregnancy

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Hawthorn (shan zha): Sour-sweet and mildly warm in nature, it is traditionally associated with breaking up food stagnation, moving qi and blood, and dispersing phlegm. Modern research notes that hawthorn contains compounds relevant to cardiovascular health.
• Fresh ginger (sheng jiang): Warming to the middle burner, ginger supports digestion and is considered to pair well with the sour nature of hawthorn.
• Brown sugar (hong tang): A warming sweetener that, in traditional use, nourishes and warms — especially associated with women’s health and postpartum recovery.

Ingredients (2 cups)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Fresh hawthorn berries	75 g	Halve and pit them; or use 18 g dried slices
Fresh ginger	3–4 slices	About 2 mm thick
Brown sugar	To taste	Add at the end

Method

1. If using fresh hawthorn berries, rinse them, halve, and remove the seeds.
2. Combine hawthorn and ginger slices with 3 cups (about 700 ml) of water in a small pot.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
5. Strain into a cup and drink warm.

Bro Niu’s tips

This tea may also benefit people with high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, sluggish digestion, or a tendency toward weight gain. Fresh hawthorn is available in autumn at Asian grocers and Chinese herb shops; dried hawthorn slices are available year-round and work perfectly well the rest of the year.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (ah_ta): Can I use dried hawthorn? Fresh ones are hard to find in Australia. Bro Niu: Yes, dried hawthorn works fine — no problem at all.

• Q (Shell): My period hasn’t come for nearly two months and pregnancy tests are negative. Can something help bring it on? Bro Niu: You can try rose bud tea. You may also try cooking yi mu cao (motherwort) 5 qian with shan zha 3 qian and a little brown sugar in 3 cups of water down to 1 cup, and drink for 3 consecutive days — this combination is traditionally used to help prompt menstruation.

• Q (King): I had a miscarriage and there is still retained tissue. Can this tea help clear it? Bro Niu: You can try hawthorn 3 qian, motherwort 5 qian, and a little brown sugar in 4 cups of water cooked down to 1 cup, taken for 3 consecutive doses. But I strongly recommend seeing a Chinese medicine doctor as soon as possible — if the retained tissue is not cleared, you may eventually need a surgical procedure.

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Published September 26, 2017 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.