Then & Now | How Chinese medicinal wines became just the tonic in Hong Kong

Chinese medicinal wines made with herbs or animal parts have long been the go-to remedy for all sorts of maladies, from bad breath to marital inharmony

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Executive council member Henry Tang is handed a bottle of Chinese medicinal wine by workers at a local production plant in 1998. Photo: SCMP Archives

Jason Wordie

Published: 3:15pm, 16 Jan 2025

When life’s stresses build up, the cumulative effects can leave one feeling run-down, cranky and out of sorts. At these times, as all but the most diehard hypochondriacs recognise, a medical consultation doesn’t help much. While getting more rest, drinking more water, eating more fresh food, taking regular exercise and so on are the most reliable remedies, medicinal tonics can help with certain symptoms – chronic indigestion, flatulence, constipation and bad breath, among others.

From centuries of empirical observation and experimentation in China evolved a range of remedies for these and other common symptoms. All attempt to address that hard-to-define space between “being sick” and “not being well”, along with a recognition that every body is subtly different, and therefore treatment suggestions must be adjusted accordingly.

All over Hong Kong, examples abound; any side-street herbal tea stall offers “cooling” and “heating” tonic brews – by the glass, on the spot, as individual needs dictate. Unlike other nostrums earnestly peddled by the global “wellness” industry, these time-tested, remedies are both democratic and inexpensive – celebrity endorsements not required.

Many believe that snake wine also offers medicinal benefits, including improving blood circulation. Photo: Simon Song

From Hong Kong’s mid-19th century urban beginnings, an assortment of Chinese herbal or animal-part-derived medicinal wines has been produced here. Sam Seng Wine is one highly rated example. Established in Tsuen Wan in 1971, the firm’s processing plant later relocated to Chuen Lung, on the slopes of Tai Mo Shan, which is also known for mountain-grown tea and high-quality spring water sourced from the surrounding hillsides. Sam Seng Antler Pilose Medicinal Wine, with deer antlers as a principal ingredient, is a top seller. Another popular brew is Hai Gao Pien Wine; a literal translation – the label does not contain an English rendering – is “Sea Dog Penis” Wine, the key component being sourced from a variety of seal.

Relief from the debilitating effects of poor blood circulation is a routine promise found on Chinese medicinal wine labels. Extremities are quickly warmed up by a shot or two; double-digit alcohol content (sceptics might suggest) probably does more to cause a sudden heat flush than anything else their exotic ingredient lists might contain.

Inevitably, such medicinal wines encourage ribald jokes, as their “warming” and “strengthening” qualities are, apparently, not restricted to fingers and toes. Some labels claim – in euphemistic, untranslated phrases – that regular consumption will “restore marital harmony”.

A popular Sam Seng brew is “Sea Dog Penis” Wine. Photo: Sam Seng Wine

Local production intended for overseas export, particularly to North America, greatly expanded after 1950, as a consequence of the United Nations-led embargo on direct China trade imposed during the Korean war. Creatively sidestepped by many countries – and greatly facilitated by Hong Kong’s status as a British colony – this economic embargo was stringently enforced by the United States government, with mainland-produced products explicitly banned from importation.