Salted Wampee Tea

Why people make this tea

Wampee (huang pi) is a small, aromatic fruit with a brief harvest season around early summer. Because the season is so short, the traditional approach is to preserve it in sea salt so the fruit’s benefits can be enjoyed year-round. A spoonful of the brined fruit steeped in hot water makes a tangy, warming tea that has traditionally been used to ease bloating after a heavy meal, calm a phlegmy cough, soothe a scratchy throat, and even settle nausea during early pregnancy. The whole fruit — skin, flesh, and pit — is used together because each part is believed to contribute differently: the skin has a mild diuretic quality, the flesh supports digestion and lung comfort, and the seed is traditionally valued for relieving cramping and stomach pain.