Herbal & Flower Teas
Chinese Olive, Dried Pear and Golden Monk Fruit Tea
Traditionally used to soothe the throat, clear heat and ease dry coughs
Why people make this tea
When the weather turns dry — and especially if you’ve been eating a lot of fried food — a sore, uncomfortable throat comes easily, all the more so for anyone with chronic throat irritation. Bro Niu reaches for Chinese olives (qing lan) and monk fruit, both traditionally used to soothe the throat, generate fluids and clear heat. Autumn is snow-pear season, and because dried pear keeps well he always has some on hand — it makes a clear, sweet, moistening tea or soup that helps with phlegmy, dry coughs. Research also notes that some trace elements in Chinese olives are associated with countering the effects of alcohol, so this tea is a nice one for regular drinkers too.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Anyone with a dry, scratchy or inflamed throat or a dry-weather cough; the source says young and old can drink it.
- A pleasant everyday autumn-and-winter tea; gentle in nature.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Chinese olive (qing lan): Traditionally soothes the throat, generates fluids and clears heat and swelling.
- Golden monk fruit (jin luo han guo): Clear-sweet and moistening; traditionally used to ease the throat and cough.
- Dried snow pear (xue li gan): Clear, sweet and moistening; traditionally helps transform phlegm and calm a cough.
Ingredients (3–4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese olives | 10 | Washed, lightly crushed with the flat of a knife |
| Dried snow pear slices | 6–8 slices | Soak, then core |
| Golden monk fruit | half | Crush |
Method
- Wash the olives and tap them lightly with the flat of a knife to loosen; soak and core the dried pear; crush the monk fruit.
- Simmer everything in 7 bowls of water for half an hour down to 3–4 bowls, and serve as a tea.
Bro Niu’s tips
Bro Niu likes the low-temperature-roasted golden monk fruit — it is clear-sweet and tasty so even children don’t mind it, and the gentle roasting keeps its vitamins and trace elements intact. A fine autumn-and-winter food-therapy tea for young and old.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Xin): Is this tea suitable for a one-and-a-half-year-old? Can it be taken at the early onset of a cold with fever? Bro Niu: At the early onset of a cold a toddler can take it — just let them drink as much as they like.
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Q (Liuliu): My throat has been sore and dry these past few days; swallowing food or saliva hurts. The Western doctor said the throat looks injured and just needs time to heal on its own. Is there a food therapy to speed recovery? Bro Niu: You can drink this tea, or simmer green radish, snow fungus, apricot kernels and figs with lean pork — also good for a dry, uncomfortable throat. It helps, too, not to talk too loudly.
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Q (reader): If I don’t have Chinese olives, what can I use instead? Bro Niu: Without Chinese olives, use 4–5 figs, cut open.
Published September 17, 2025 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
