Parsley and Ginger Water

Why people make this water

While filming everyday soup ingredients that overseas Hong Kongers can buy at Western supermarkets, Bro Niu noticed how many fresh herbs are stocked — basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley. He likes using them in cooking: they cut the gaminess of meat and are traditionally associated with freshening the appetite, calming the spirit and supporting resilience. Spotting fresh parsley at his local shop, he made this simple parsley-and-ginger water. Western research has looked at parsley for helping the body shed excess salt, and since many people eat too salty, sipping this in place of tea is a gentle way to ease the load on the kidneys.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Anyone with a salty diet who wants a simple, gentle daily water
• Can be cooked together with meat if preferred
• A simple culinary herb water; those with kidney conditions should follow their doctor’s dietary guidance

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Parsley (fan yuan sui): an aromatic herb traditionally used to freshen the appetite and calm the spirit, and noted in Western research for helping the body clear excess salt
• Fresh ginger (sheng jiang): warming, traditionally used to balance cooling ingredients and settle the stomach

Ingredients (3 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Parsley	4 sprigs	Washed, cut into sections
Fresh ginger	4 slices	—

Method

1. Wash the parsley and cut into sections.
2. Add the parsley and ginger slices to 5 bowls of water and simmer for 20 minutes, reducing to 3 bowls. Serve.

Bro Niu’s tips

You can cook this water together with some meat if you like. Supermarkets also carry a thinner-leaved, finer parsley — also a member of the parsley family — which works just as well.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Zi-nei): I’m near my due date and want to prepare some roasted-rice tea (chao mi cha) for after the birth — with peel, figs, mulberry, dates, longan, goji, bei qi, dang shen, etc. Are the amounts flexible? How many add-ins per batch? Bro Niu: Roasted-rice tea suits new mothers. You can use those ingredients, but don’t get greedy — one tablespoon of each with the roasted rice, steeped as tea, is enough, and at most about two add-ins per batch. Toast wang bu liu xing seeds and black sesame first so they release flavour, and bag them with the rice. Tangerine peel can be used right after birth in soup or tea, but don’t eat it, as too much peel can reduce milk supply.
• Q (Zi-nei): Is raw or toasted black sesame better? What else helps with postpartum hair loss? Bro Niu: Black sesame is fine raw or toasted. TCM holds that “hair is the surplus of the blood,” so weak qi and blood make hair thin and prone to falling — focus on nourishing qi and blood, e.g. he shou wu, walnut, black sesame and southern dates simmered as a tea. Nursing mothers can regularly use tong cao and toasted wang bu liu xing without problem.

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Published July 12, 2024 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.