It’s November and getting cold. When my hands and feet start getting cold, I would remember this tea. Longan Red Date Ginger Tea 桂圓紅棗姜茶(gùi yuan hóng jīang chá) is a tea recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. It helps women with menstrual pain and fertility issues. It’s generally believed to be a tea specifically for women. But men can drink it too. It is good for digestion and blood circulation. This tea can really warm your insides during the cold winter months. It’s particularly good for people with poor digestion and cold hands and feet.
There are some people who shouldn’t drink this tea. Don’t drink it if you have a sore throat, “heatiness” 上火 (shàng hǔo) or if you already have a “hot body” (that’s funny but I can’t think of another way to interpret 熱體質 rè tǐ zhí). Someone who has a “hot body” may regularly have sore throats, breakouts, constipation, and be easily irritable. “Heatiness” means that you temporarily have a “hot body”. Lack of sleep, insomnia, stress, eating too much fried foods can all cause heatiness. But once you're back to normal, you can drink this tea.
The main ingredients are longan and red dates. Longan 龍眼 is actually incorrect since longan is the fresh fruit. I use the word longan because that’s how this tea has been translated into English. The proper word is gùi yúan 桂圓 since it refers to the dried form of longan. You can buy these dried and without shell and seed. Gùi yúan 桂圓 is said to be able to help with insomnia, strengthening blood, strengthening the heart and beautifying the skin. After I read beautifying, I stopped there! But there are many more benefits!
Red dates 紅棗 hóng zǎo or 大棗 dà zǎo are also known as jujubes. Remember to remove the pit before making the tea because the pit will increases the overall “heatiness”. This could cause a break out of the skin. Since red dates are high in iron, they help increase blood production, blood circulation, beautifying the skin and much more!
This recipe for Longan Red Date Ginger Tea 桂圓紅棗姜茶 is easy to make and has no caffeine. I love, love, love this tea because after I drink it, I really do feel warm inside. Plus, it’s super delicious! Try this tea and see if your winter feels warmer than before!
Not your cup of tea? Try my Apple Fig Tea 蘋果無花果茶, Hong Kong Milk Tea 港式奶茶, or Hong Kong Lemon Tea 港式檸檬茶 instead.
Longan Red Date Ginger Tea 桂圓紅棗姜茶
Ingredients
- 50 g Dried longan
- 70 g Pitted red dates
- 20 g Goji berries
- 50 g Ginger peeled and sliced
- 60-100 g Rock sugar (cane)
- 2 L Water
- 500 ml Water
Instructions
- Rinse 50g dried longan, 70g pitted red dates and 20g goji berries
- Peel and slice ginger
- Add 2L of water to a pot. Add the dried longan, pitted red dates and goji berries to the pot
- Bring the contents to a boil and then turn down the heat to simmer
- Let it simmer for 25 minutes
- Add rock sugar and let it dissolve in the liquid
- Add 500ml of water and bring the tea to a boil
- Turn off heat and serve
I love this tea! I would recommend skipping the sugar and adding honey to your cup to taste. Also, you can add water back to the fruit at least 3times to get more. Enjoy!
Hi Dustin! Thanks for the great rating! I like adding honey too. You might want to give my Watercress and Honey Tea a try too. It's one of my favorites!