Canton love-pea vine

The whole dried vine of Abrus cantoniensis, a wiry Lingnan legume sold in bundles with the toxic seed pods already removed by reputable dispensaries. Sandy and tough, it is washed thoroughly, tied in a bunch and boiled a good hour and a half, giving the broth an earthy, faintly bitter herbal depth.

TCM properties

Nature · cooling　Flavour · sweet、bitter　Meridians · liver、stomach

Traditional food therapy

Lingnan tradition boils it for those who burn the candle at both ends, crediting it with clearing heat and damp and soothing the liver; a folk standby after late nights and rich living.

Cautions: read first

• Medical evidenceSeparately and regardless of the legal question: the seeds of the related 相思子 are highly toxic and there is a documented case of acute renal failure from a soup made with misidentified material. Buy from a reputable herbal shop, never from foraged plants, and the pharmacopoeia requires all pods removed.
• Safety critical性涼，虛寒體質者慎用
• 其種子（相思子屬）有毒，藥用必須去除豆莢種子——購自可靠藥材舖，勿自採
• 質硬需煲耐才出味

Preparation

It carries a lot of sand and mud, so wash it again and again, tie it into a bundle and drop it into the pot. Give it a full 1.5 hours or more.

Origin

Guangdong and Guangxi (Lingnan)

Availability in Australia

Herbal shops / specialists

Pairs well with