Water-Draining, Dampness-Clearing Tea

Why people make this tea

When the weather turns hot and sticky, Nourilo likes a clean pot of dampness-clearing tea — the kind of cooling brew Cantonese families reach for in summer to feel light again. This blend of lotus leaf, lotus pod, poria, water plantain, smilax, beans, Job’s tears and kapok flower is traditionally simmered to clear summer heat and support the body in draining excess dampness.

Method

1. Rinse all the ingredients.
2. Put everything in a pot with 2.4 L of water and simmer about 2 hours down to roughly 1.2 L. Drink as a tea.

Nourilo’s Tips

Many Chinese herb shops sell ready-packed dampness-clearing tea blends — convenient if you would rather not gather each herb yourself.