Too much ‘heat’ might be making you sick – and herbal tea, or leung cha, could help
- Tea shops have been a fixture in Hong Kong for more than a century
- Herbal tea is thought to cool ‘internal heat’ and treat a range of health problems
Herbal tea known as leung cha is found throughout south China, and tea shops have been a familiar fixture of the Hong Kong landscape for more than a hundred years.
What is ‘cooling tea’?
Leung cha translates literally as “cooling tea”. An infusion of herbs originating from China’s Guangdong province, it is believed to contain medicinal properties. In fact, the drink rarely contains any elements of the tea plant and is more like a bitter-tasting medicinal soup.
A quick-fix remedy, leung cha is thought to cool “internal heat” and is used to treat a range of health problems. An affordable alternative to doctors since the late 19th century, leung cha was officially selected as part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Here are some of the more typical ingredients:
