Capillary Wormwood, Chicken-Bone Grass and Honey Date Tea

Why people make this herbal tea

Both chicken-bone grass (ji gu cao) and capillary wormwood (mian yin chen) are mainstays of Cantonese herbal cooking, prized for their traditional role in clearing what practitioners call “liver heat” — the kind of internal imbalance associated with feeling easily irritable, having a bitter taste in the mouth, or consuming a lot of rich, spicy food. Nourilo recommends this simple brew especially for those who tend toward a “hot constitution” and enjoy spicy food, as a periodic reset for the digestive system. The honey dates balance the slight bitterness of the herbs and make the tea genuinely pleasant to drink. Three simple ingredients; slow-simmered into something nourishing.

Method

1. Soak and rinse all the herbs briefly to remove dust.
2. Combine everything in a pot with 3 L of water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
4. Cook for about 2 hours until reduced to 1.2–1.5 L.
5. Drink warm, divided across 1–2 days (this makes a 2–3 person portion).

Nourilo’s Tips

• When buying chicken-bone grass, choose a batch that looks naturally brown-yellow and slightly dull. Avoid any that are unusually bright or vivid in color — this can indicate they have been heavily fumigated with sulfur, which is harmful to the liver and digestive system.
• If you prefer, rock sugar slabs (pian tang) can replace the honey dates for sweetness.
• This brew is cooling in nature. If you wish to reduce its cooling effect slightly (for example, if you have a mixed constitution), Nourilo suggests adding 2 pieces of dried tangerine peel (chen pi) and 19 g of poria mushroom (fu ling) together with some adzuki beans when brewing.