Herbal Tea

Popularly found in the South China region, herbal tea ("leung cha", or "cooling tea") is a decoction of Chinese medicinal herbs made according to traditional Chinese medicine theories. The climate of South China is known for being "hot and damp", and its water is regarded as being "heaty". So in order to prevent the heat and damp symptom-complex, to cool the body and prevent the common cold, different types of decoction have become part of the unique food culture of the region. Herbal tea in Hong Kong has a history of over a hundred years. Decades ago, the herbal tea shop had another function as a neighbourhood "entertainment centre". Today, herbal teas are still very much a part of everyday life and are representative of folk knowledge and traditional culture. Herbal tea was inscribed onto the first national list of ICH in 2006.

Back