Homemade winter melon tea
Watching a travel show on TV, with the host touring Taipei's night markets and indulging in all sorts of street food, really made me nostalgic for traveling. It reminded me that whenever I visited Taiwan in the past, I'd always have a cup of winter melon tea at the night market. Besides being delicious, it helps cool the body, relieve summer heat, and remove dampness.
You can also make a concentrated winter melon tea at home. Simply prepare roughly equal amounts of winter melon and brown sugar, about 1 kg of each. Wash the winter melon, slice it with the skin and seeds, and place it in a pot. Add brown sugar and stir, then let it marinate at room temperature for 2 hours; the water from the winter melon will slowly be released. Then, heat it over medium heat for 30 minutes. Strain out the winter melon pulp, and what remains is concentrated winter melon tea. Store it in the refrigerator for easy access whenever you want a drink. When consuming, simply pour a tablespoon and mix with water. This tea is not suitable for individuals with a weak spleen and stomach or those with diabetes.
Some recipes only use the winter melon flesh, but the skin and seeds also have their own benefits. Winter melon flesh tastes sweet and bland, is slightly cool in nature, and enters the lung, stomach, and bladder meridians. It can clear heat and transform phlegm, relieve restlessness and quench thirst, and promote diuresis and reduce swelling. Eating winter melon can help obese individuals lose weight. Winter melon skin tastes sweet, is slightly cool in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine meridians. It can clear heat, promote diuresis, and reduce edema. Winter melon seeds taste sweet, are slightly cool in nature, and enter the lung and large intestine meridians. They can clear lung heat and transform phlegm, reduce carbuncles and drain pus, and promote dampness.
Brown sugar tastes sweet, is warm in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, and liver meridians. It can replenish qi and nourish blood, invigorate the middle burner and soothe the liver, harmonize the stomach and counteract rebellion, harmonize blood and dispel stasis, and regulate menstruation. Brown sugar is made from unrefined sugarcane and is rich in vitamins and trace elements, making it more nutritious than refined white sugar or rock sugar.
You can also make a concentrated winter melon tea at home. Simply prepare roughly equal amounts of winter melon and brown sugar, about 1 kg of each. Wash the winter melon, slice it with the skin and seeds, and place it in a pot. Add brown sugar and stir, then let it marinate at room temperature for 2 hours; the water from the winter melon will slowly be released. Then, heat it over medium heat for 30 minutes. Strain out the winter melon pulp, and what remains is concentrated winter melon tea. Store it in the refrigerator for easy access whenever you want a drink. When consuming, simply pour a tablespoon and mix with water. This tea is not suitable for individuals with a weak spleen and stomach or those with diabetes.
Some recipes only use the winter melon flesh, but the skin and seeds also have their own benefits. Winter melon flesh tastes sweet and bland, is slightly cool in nature, and enters the lung, stomach, and bladder meridians. It can clear heat and transform phlegm, relieve restlessness and quench thirst, and promote diuresis and reduce swelling. Eating winter melon can help obese individuals lose weight. Winter melon skin tastes sweet, is slightly cool in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine meridians. It can clear heat, promote diuresis, and reduce edema. Winter melon seeds taste sweet, are slightly cool in nature, and enter the lung and large intestine meridians. They can clear lung heat and transform phlegm, reduce carbuncles and drain pus, and promote dampness.
Brown sugar tastes sweet, is warm in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, and liver meridians. It can replenish qi and nourish blood, invigorate the middle burner and soothe the liver, harmonize the stomach and counteract rebellion, harmonize blood and dispel stasis, and regulate menstruation. Brown sugar is made from unrefined sugarcane and is rich in vitamins and trace elements, making it more nutritious than refined white sugar or rock sugar.