Pomelo Peel and Ginger Tea

Why people make this tea

A friend back from travelling brought me some sugar-preserved pomelo peel and a fingered citron. The candied pomelo peel comes in strips you can dice and eat like a sweet preserve. Pomelo peel is traditionally used to resolve phlegm, ease a cough, regulate the qi and relieve discomfort. Candied pomelo peel is traditionally taken for travel-sickness queasiness and vomiting, or for a sluggish, off-feeling stomach during a cold. This pomelo peel and ginger tea is traditionally used to warm the centre, resolve phlegm, aid digestion and settle nausea — a gentle helper for an upset stomach.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Suits people with an upset, off-feeling stomach, nausea or motion sickness, and children with bloating or food-stagnation diarrhoea (in small amounts).
• Pomelo peel (like tangerine peel) may reduce breast milk — nursing mothers should skip it and use ginger and brown sugar water instead. If an upset stomach persists, please see a doctor.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Pomelo peel (you pi): Traditionally resolves phlegm, eases cough, regulates the qi and relieves discomfort; candied peel is associated with settling nausea.
• Ginger (sheng jiang): Warms the stomach and traditionally settles nausea.
• Tea leaves (cha ye): Add fragrance and a light finish.

Ingredients (2 bowls)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Candied pomelo peel	~38 g	or sun-dried pomelo peel; cut into strips
Ginger	~38 g	shredded
Tea leaves	a small pinch

Method

1. Cut the pomelo peel into strips and shred the ginger.
2. Boil the pomelo peel and ginger in 4 bowls of water down to 2 bowls.
3. Add the tea leaves, turn off the heat, steep 5 minutes, and drink.

Bro Niu’s tips

To make your own dried pomelo peel, cut fresh peel open, pare off the oily-spotted outer layer, and dry it in the sun or air. Beyond tea, it can be simmered into a wash traditionally used for chilblains, skin sensitivity or rheumatic joint complaints.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Sally): Can a breastfeeding mother drink this? Bro Niu: Tangerine peel can reduce breast milk, and I suspect pomelo peel may too — so don’t use pomelo peel; just boil ginger and brown sugar water instead.
• Q (wing wing mami): Where can I buy candied pomelo peel, and which tea leaves should I use? If I’m prone to a sore throat, can I drink this tea? Bro Niu: I’ve seen candied pomelo peel at a shop called Mei Mei Zhan, and Yue Hwa supermarket should stock it, as do shops selling Taiwanese foods. If you’re prone to a sore throat, steep 1/4 of a monk fruit, or brew dried burdock as a tea — both help as a preventive.
• Q (anonymous reader): My 5-year-old keeps feeling like vomiting these days, though appetite is unchanged; what can I cook? Bro Niu: Try perilla leaf (3 qian), 3–4 ginger slices and a little brown sugar in 4 bowls of water boiled 15 minutes, split over a day, for 2 doses. Avoid cold drinks and soft drinks and limit cold and fried foods. If it persists, see a doctor.

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Published June 18, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.