Herbal & Flower Teas
Dry Ginger, Poria & Atractylodes Decoction (Gan Jiang Ling Zhu Tang)
traditionally associated with warming the spleen, draining dampness, and easing cold-type lower-body heaviness and joint discomfort
In short: Dry Ginger, Poria & Atractylodes Decoction (Gan Jiang Ling Zhu Tang) is a herbal & flower tea that traditionally associated with warming the spleen, draining dampness, and easing cold-type lower-body heaviness and joint discomfort. It is most often made for respiratory & lung wellness, digestive wellness, cooling & summer heat. Total time about 40 min. Key ingredients: licorice root, poria, white atractylodes rhizome, red dates.
Why people make this decoction
When the weather turns cold, people who have lived with rheumatic aches, lower-back heaviness, or stiff joints often feel it keenly. In Chinese medicine, this type of discomfort — worse in cold and damp weather, accompanied by a sense of heaviness in the lower body or mild swelling in the limbs — is described as “cold-damp bi” (blockage). The classic formula Gan Jiang Ling Zhu Tang, adapted here with red dates for palatability, works by warming the body from the middle out: dry ginger drives out cold from the interior, poria and atractylodes drain accumulated dampness, and licorice harmonises the whole blend. This is a targeted medicinal preparation, not a casual daily soup, and is best taken for a short course of a few doses.
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
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 - Ginger
Overall, acute and delayed nausea and vomiting did not differ significantly between ginger and control groups. A subgroup taking 1 g/day or less for over four days had less acute vomiting (OR 0.30).Limitation: Clinical heterogeneity between trials required subgroup analyses, and the authors state that sufficiently large, high-quality RCTs are still needed.PubMed 36501010 · 3 more ginger studies - Red dates
Jujube was associated with significantly lower BMI and triglycerides, and lower fasting blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. LDL and total cholesterol fell only in some subgroups. HDL, AST and ALT did not change significantly.Limitation: The authors state the overall quality of the evidence is limited, and results varied significantly by dose, treatment duration and disease type.PubMed 40399274 · 3 more red dates 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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