Ophiopogon and Golden Monk Fruit Tea

Why people make this tea

Summer heat tends to dry people out — a sweaty commute, long days, air-conditioned offices — and the result is often a persistent dry throat, a craving for cold drinks, and a general sense of restlessness or irritability that cold water alone does not fix. In Cantonese food therapy, this is a yin-deficiency pattern: the body’s cooling, moistening reserves have been depleted. Ophiopogon (mai dong) is a slender, sweet-tasting root that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries specifically for this pattern — moistening the lungs, nourishing the heart, and encouraging the body to generate its own fluids. Paired with golden monk fruit — a low-temperature-roasted version of the traditional dried monk fruit, which avoids the smoky flavour of conventional preparation — the result is a tea that is naturally very sweet, pleasant enough to drink cold or warm, and associated with helping manage blood sugar rather than raising it. Nourilo keeps this tea on regular rotation in summer.

Method

1. Gently crush the golden monk fruit piece.
2. Place the monk fruit and ophiopogon root in a small pot or teapot.
3. First rinse with a pour of boiling water, then discard this rinse water.
4. Pour in fresh boiling water (approximately 400–500 ml) and steep for 15 minutes.
5. Drink warm or at room temperature. Re-steep with more hot water until the flavour is spent.
6. Alternatively, simmer over a low flame for 15 minutes for a slightly stronger brew.

Nourilo’s Tips

• Ophiopogon has traditional associations with inhibiting certain bacteria and with lowering blood lipids and cholesterol, making it a useful daily tea for many people.
• For yin-deficiency cough (dry cough, little or no phlegm), this tea is very helpful. Cold-and-wind coughs should not use it.
• In summer, if you are sweating heavily, try adding 11 g (9 g) of five-flavour berry (wu wei zi) to the ophiopogon — the sour-sweet combination is associated with nourishing yin and reducing excessive sweating.
• Women during their period can drink this tea without concern.