Huang lian, 30 precious herbs in traditional Chinese medicine

Listed as one of the 30 precious herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, the short, ginger-colored and chicken's feet-shaped huang lian is widely used to remove inner heat and dampness.

It usually grows in humid mountainous areas in low temperatures at altitudes of 1,200 to 1,800 meters.

Huang lian tastes bitter and is a very "cold" medicine without any toxicity. It works in the heart, stomach, liver and spleen.

According to the TCM bible "Ben Cao Gang Mu," or "Compendium of Materia Medica," huang lian is extremely bitter and "cold," which means it cannot be taken over a long period of time, otherwise it would harm the spleen and stomach.

Huang lian is harvested in autumn. Its roots, cleaned and dried, are made for medicine. The herb can treat fever, gingivitis, mouth and tongue sores, liver and heart heat, dysentery, Eczema, canker and many other illnesses. It is also used to detoxify organs.

Shizhu County in Chongqing Municipality is one of the biggest huang lian bases, which produces 40 percent of the world's huang lian. Click here to learn more about Rhizoma Coptidis (Huanglian) .

traditional chinese medicine" src="/uploadFile/newsImg/2015/8/19/1b903758-c05f-4061-98d9-4c1ce1e6a628.png">

Huang lian and e jiao soup

Boil 12g huang lian, 3g huang cen (baical skullcap root) and 3g bai shao (white peony root) in a thick soup. Add 9g e jiao (donkey-hide gelatin) until the glue melts. Then add two egg yolks.

Eat while hot.

Benefits: Helps dispel inner heat and treats high fever.

Wine soaked huang lian

Soak clean huang lian in yellow rice wine. Simmer at low heat and then dry the wine-soaked huan lian. Cool it.

Every 10kg huang lian needs 1.25kg rice wine.

Benefits: Helps improve eye functions and treat swollen and sore eyes. It is also used to treat a sore mouth.