Loquat and Rock Sugar Tea

Why people make this tea

Loquat season is short, and when fresh loquats appear at the fruit stall — even at thirty or forty dollars a pound — Nourilo says it is well worth picking some up. The fruit is beautifully sweet, rich in carotene, and packed with vitamins A, B, and C. In traditional Chinese food therapy, the entire loquat tree is considered useful: the fruit flesh is said to clear heat from the lungs and settle the stomach; the leaves are used to reduce phlegm; even the seeds have their applications. This simple tea — just fruit, seeds, and a little rock sugar — is one of the most accessible ways to ease a nagging cough, relieve a parched throat after illness, and settle a queasy stomach.