Herbal & Flower Teas

Wild Kumquat & Licorice Infusion Tea

traditionally used to support clearing phlegm and easing cough

In short: Wild Kumquat & Licorice Infusion Tea is a herbal & flower tea that traditionally used to support clearing phlegm and easing cough. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness. Total time about 10 min. Key ingredients: licorice root slices.

Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Total
10 min
Makes
1 teapot
Wild Kumquat & Licorice Infusion Tea

Why people make this tea

A friend brought Nourilo a bag of wild-picked kumquats — the small, intensely fragrant kind, quite different from the large cultivated ones sold in shops. Wild kumquats are naturally sun-dried without any additives, and their flavour is remarkable. Combined with a few slices of licorice root, they make one of the easiest throat-soothing teas you will ever brew: snip the dried fruit open, pour on boiling water, wait five minutes, and drink. The tea smells wonderful and is genuinely helpful for the kind of stubborn, phlegmy cough that seems to hang around for days.

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.

  • Licorice root · Randomized controlled trial, 66 participants · 2024
    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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