Herbal & Flower Teas
Malt, Licorice & Tangerine Peel Tea
Traditionally used to ease bloating and sluggish digestion after heavy eating
In short: Malt, Licorice & Tangerine Peel Tea is a herbal & flower tea that Traditionally used to ease bloating and sluggish digestion after heavy eating. It is most often made for digestive wellness, everyday balance. Total time about 15 min. Key ingredients: tangerine peel, licorice root slices.
Why people make this tea
During Chinese New Year, even the most careful eaters find themselves reaching for one more piece of roast pork or braised pig’s trotter. The result is a familiar heaviness — bloated, sluggish, not hungry but not comfortable either. This is what Chinese food therapy calls “ji zhi” (积滞, accumulated food stagnation). Nourilo’s remedy is beautifully simple: three common ingredients, pre-cut and packed into a reusable tea bag, ready to steep whenever the stomach protests.
Toasted barley malt has long been used in Chinese herbal medicine to stimulate digestive enzyme activity and relieve food stagnation — particularly after rich, fatty, or floury meals. Dried tangerine peel (chen pi) moves stagnant qi in the digestive system, making it easier for the gut to process and move food along. Licorice root (gan cao) rounds the blend out by tonifying the middle and harmonising the other two herbs. Together, they make a mildly fragrant, pleasant tea that most people find surprisingly easy to drink.
What studies say about the key ingredients
Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.
- Tangerine peel
The tangerine peel drink group showed significant reductions in body weight and triglycerides after the intervention compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Safety markers showed no adverse effects. Gut microbiota and serum metabolite profiles also differed.Limitation: Small pilot trial with only 55 of 72 participants completing. The fermented product is not the same as plain tangerine peel, and the control group is not described.PubMed 40225325 - Licorice root
Compared with placebo plus the same low-calorie diet, licorice extract was associated with greater improvements in body weight, BMI, body fat, lipid profile, fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR at 8 weeks.Limitation: Small sample, short 8-week duration, and an extract dose that is not comparable to licorice eaten as food; the authors call for confirmatory research.PubMed 39080737 · 3 more licorice root studies
From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.
Safety first — read before you cook
This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
- take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
- have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Licorice root: Contains glycyrrhizin. Large amounts or long-term use have been linked to raised blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, and even smaller amounts have caused problems in people with high blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, or a high-salt diet. Large amounts are unsafe in pregnancy, and it can interact with corticosteroids. Source: NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root
Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes
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