Tangerine Cake, Tangerine Peel, Ginger and Date Tea

Why people make this tea

Once children start school, respiratory infections follow close behind. The challenge for parents isn’t just treating the cough — it’s finding something the child will actually drink. Many cough remedies taste bitter or medicinal, and most children refuse them outright.

This tea solves that problem. Tangerine cake (ju bing) is a traditional preparation: ripe tangerines that have been processed, dried, and treated with salt or sugar until they develop a white coating on the surface. When brewed with ginger, tangerine peel, and red dates, the resulting tea is mildly sweet, gently spiced, and quite pleasant — something most children accept willingly.

There is something interesting about how citrus works here: fresh sweet oranges and mandarins are actually not recommended during coughs, because their sweetness can increase phlegm and worsen the cough. But the same fruit, once processed into tangerine cake, has the opposite effect — it helps move and resolve phlegm. Traditional food therapy is full of these kinds of context-dependent distinctions.

This tea is particularly recommended for cough that is worst in the early morning and at night, cough that comes back after a cold seems to have cleared, or cough that persists without obvious cause.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suitable for children of all ages (for under-1 babies, use very small amounts); also fine for adults
• For adults, use 2 pieces of tangerine cake and 2 pieces of tangerine peel
• Particularly good for cold-type cough with phlegm, or lingering post-cold cough
• If phlegm is heavy, reduce or omit the red dates (which are sweet and can encourage phlegm)
• If nasal congestion or runny nose is also present, add 6–8 pieces of magnolia bud (xin yi hua) to the same brew
• If cough is clearly heat-type (yellow phlegm, sore throat), this warming formula may not be the best fit — consult a practitioner

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Tangerine cake (ju bing): A processed form of mandarin. The processing transforms the fresh fruit’s phlegm-producing nature into one that clears phlegm and soothes cough. It also supports the spleen and aids digestion. The white coating on quality tangerine cake develops naturally during the curing process and is associated with the cough-relieving effect — a genuine tangerine cake will not feel sticky or have loose powder; good ones hold their coat.
• Dried tangerine peel (chen pi): Moves qi, transforms phlegm, warms the stomach. An essential pair with tangerine cake for cough with phlegm. Only authentic new hui peel (xin hui pi) from the dried tea mandarin (cha zhi gan) gives the characteristic fragrant and effective result.
• Fresh ginger (sheng jiang): Warms the lungs, helps expel cold and disperses pathogens. Particularly useful for cough that originated from cold exposure.
• Red dates (hong zao): Nourish and support the body’s qi while making the tea more palatable. Omit when phlegm is heavy.

Ingredients (2 cups / 1 child’s daily serving)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Tangerine cake (ju bing)	1 piece	Rinse lightly, chop into pieces
Dried tangerine peel (chen pi)	1 piece	Soak to soften; no need to scrape the inner pith
Fresh ginger	3 slices
Red dates	5 pieces	Pitted, sliced
Water	5 bowls

Method

1. Rinse tangerine cake lightly; chop into small pieces.
2. Soak dried tangerine peel briefly until softened; leave the inner white pith on.
3. Pit and slice red dates.
4. Combine all ingredients in a pot with 5 bowls of water.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes until the liquid reduces to about 2 bowls.
6. Give in two servings throughout the day. Take for 3 consecutive days.

Bro Niu’s tips

This is a single-serving recipe (for one child). For adults, double the tangerine cake and tangerine peel to 2 pieces each. When buying tangerine cake, look for the natural white coating (ju bing shuang) on the surface — it should feel dry to the touch and not flake off easily. An artificially powdered fake will feel sticky and loose. This quality marker matters because the coating is associated with the cough-relieving effectiveness of the preparation.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Wing): My 3-year-old has constant runny nose, and recently coughs in the morning and evening with occasional phlegm sounds. The doctor says it may be airways sensitivity. Is this tea suitable? Bro Niu: Yes, you can give this tea. If phlegm is heavy, leave out the red dates. If there is also a lot of runny nose, add 6 magnolia buds (xin yi hua) to the brew.

• Q (Ivy): My 3-year-old has been running a lot of phlegmy cough and runny nose. Should I scrape the inner pith off the tangerine peel? Bro Niu: No, do not scrape the inner pith. And if phlegm is heavy, leave out the red dates. Also, only authentic new hui tangerine peel (xin hui chen pi) has the right fragrance and effectiveness — regular citrus peel can taste quite bitter and lacks the therapeutic quality.

• Q (Kayi456): My toddler has been coughing mainly at night for two weeks, with phlegm and some nasal congestion. He is also on Western medicine. How long should I wait between the Western medicine and this tea? Bro Niu: Wait 2 hours after the Western medicine, then give the tea. For night cough specifically, try 1 chopped tangerine cake, 2 ginger slices, and 6 magnolia buds — cook for 15 minutes. This helps disperse cold and ease the night cough.

---

Published December 17, 2018 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.