Ju Hong and Chen Pi Tea (Dried Citrus Peel Tea)

Why people make this tea

Both ju hong (the dried rind of a particular type of pomelo grown in Huazhou, Guangdong) and chen pi (aged dried tangerine peel) are classic aromatics in Chinese food therapy — warming, fragrant, and traditionally valued for their ability to help move stagnant qi and break up accumulated phlegm. When cold air or a damp chill triggers a scratchy throat, a tickling cough, and that stuck-phlegm feeling that nothing seems to shift, this simple two-ingredient tea offers a time-tested, warming response.

Nourilo notes that classic texts credit ju hong with a broad range of traditional uses: dissolving phlegm, clearing food stagnation, sobering the effects of alcohol, soothing an upset stomach, and even neutralising crab toxicity. In practice, for everyday coughs with phlegm, this tea is one of the simplest remedies in the repertoire.

Method

1. Rinse the ju hong and chen pi briefly in cool water.
2. Place both in a small pot with 600 ml of water.
3. Bring to a strong boil over medium-high heat.
4. Once fully boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and steep for 10 minutes.
5. Pour and drink warm. This quantity provides 1–2 cups; drink while warm.

Nourilo’s Tips

• For children with recurrent respiratory infections and lots of phlegm: combine ju hong (6 g), huang qi / astragalus (9 g), poria mushroom (12 g), huang jing (Polygonatum sibiricum, 9 g), and chicken gizzard lining (ji nei jin, 6 g) in 1.2 L of water; cook for 30 minutes and drink as a tea. Repeat twice a week — this formula is traditionally used to help strengthen the lungs and reduce the frequency of phlegm-producing colds in children.
• This tea also helps clear the effects of over-eating or too much alcohol — a handy remedy after a big holiday meal.
• If you are also taking Western medicine for a cough or cold, wait 2 hours after your dose before drinking this tea.
• For a sore throat with heat (red throat, yellow phlegm), this tea is not the best choice — use a cooling tea instead, such as luo han guo (monk fruit) with pang da hai (malva nut) and a little licorice root.