Bamboo Shavings and Dried Tangerine Peel Tea

Why people make this tea

In Cantonese food therapy tradition, the postpartum period is when families pour enormous care into feeding the new mother — and sometimes that care tips into excess. Rich, warming tonics taken too liberally can leave a woman feeling restless, overheated, bloated, headachy, and unable to sleep. This gentle two-ingredient tea is the traditional corrective: bamboo shavings and dried tangerine peel work together to cool the stomach, ease nausea, and move stagnant qi in the digestive tract.

Beyond postnatal recovery, Nourilo recommends this tea for anyone with regular stomach discomfort — the kind marked by bloating, belching, nausea, or a feeling of heat rising upward. And for people who have experienced a stroke, traditional food therapy suggests that phlegm obstruction often plays a role in blocking the channels; this tea is traditionally valued for supporting smooth flow of phlegm and qi, and can be incorporated as a regular preventive beverage.

Method

1. Rinse the bamboo shavings under cool water.
2. Soak the dried tangerine peel in warm water until it softens (about 10 minutes), then slice into thin strips.
3. Combine both ingredients in a small pot with 900 ml of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Strain and drink warm. The tea has a mild, slightly grassy fragrance.

Nourilo’s Tips

• Bamboo shavings (zhu ru) are NOT the same as light bamboo leaves (dan zhu ye) — they are the pale fibrous inner scrapings of bamboo stalk, available at any Chinese herb shop.
• This tea is equally effective for everyday stomach issues: pain, bloating, gas, and nausea. Stroke patients may drink it regularly as a supportive measure to keep phlegm and qi moving.
• The white inner pith of the tangerine peel is worth keeping — Nourilo notes it contains compounds that help support blood vessel health, so scraping it off is unnecessary.