Red Bean, Red Date & Tangerine Peel Water

Why people make this drink

Red beans — small, earthy, and deeply nourishing — have been part of East Asian food culture for millennia. In Chinese food therapy they are considered an excellent food for women specifically: they are associated with blood nourishment, support healthy circulation (since red in the five-element framework corresponds to the heart), and act as a gentle diuretic that clears excess fluid without depleting the body. The combination with red dates deepens the blood-building quality; tangerine peel adds a digestive lift that prevents the drink from sitting heavily. Together they make a simple, affordable drink that many women prepare regularly throughout their period or during pregnancy.

One practical note for those thinking about weight management: if you cook the red beans just to the point where they are tender but the skins have not burst open, the starch remains contained inside. Drinking only the liquid (and setting aside the beans to eat separately) means you get the diuretic benefit without the caloric load of the starch. Once the skins burst, the starch dissolves into the liquid.