Learn How To Make Homemade Chinese Herbal Tea in 30 Minutes

Chinese herbal tea has been consumed for thousands of years. In chinese medicine, various dried herbs are mixed and boiled together to make teas which cure illness, boost immune systems, cure acnes, or simply help you recover from a cold. Many Chinese swear by herbal remedies which treat maladies holistically and without side-effects. However, while, chinese herbs are all natural you need to select the right ingredients for your symptoms. In traditional chinese medicine, it is said that ginger can improve heart functionality, blood circulation, metabolism and remove toxins stored in your system. Red dates are full of antioxidants and are believed to warm your stomach and soothe anxiety.

One of the recipes I often make at home is perfect when I need a little pick me up from feeling tired, have a sore throat, or am recovering from a cold. According to chinese medicinal practitioners, this will also improve your blood circulation and (girls!) is a perfect remedy for PMS.

The ingredients are easy to obtain in any supermarket. So when you make a trip to do your grocery, grab these on the way and learn how you can easily make your red date and ginger tea in 30 minutes.

Chinese herbal tea for CNY | What you need to make your own

• Dried red dates
• Ginger
• Half a block of cane sugar (on the packages, most of them are labelled as raw slab sugar)

Tools you will need

• A pot or boiler
• stove
• drinking water (see – told you anyone could make this!).

Time required: 30 minutes

Step 1: Take any soup pot or boiler and fill it up to 2/3 with water. Set stove on high heat and bring water to a boil.

Step 2: Take 1 cup of red dates and wash. Cut each red date in half. Put aside. (You can put more if you like.)

Step 3: Take a block of ginger. How much you use depends on how spicy you prefer your tea to be. I love the zing of ginger so I usually use a generous amount of it. Wash and peel the skin off from the ginger. Slice into thin pieces. Put aside.

Step 4: Once the water is boiled, put the cane sugar block in the water and wait for it to dissolve. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Stir at regular intervals.

Step 5: Once the sugar is dissolved, simply add the rest of the ingredients into the water. Turn down to heat to medium and let it continue to boil down for 20 minutes.

Step 6: After 20 minutes, check your tea and you should see the water has been reduced and the tea has turned a reddish-brown color. Turn off heat. Grab a cup and enjoy!

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