Taxillus / mulberry mistletoe
The dried leafy stems of a mistletoe that grows parasitically on mulberry and other trees, sold as dark woody stem slices and twig segments. Earthy and tea-like in flavour, it needs a full two hours' boiling and is as much at home in the sweet lotus-seed-and-egg tea as in savoury pots.
TCM properties
Nature · neutral Flavour · bitter、sweet Meridians · liver、kidney
Traditional food therapy
In Cantonese food therapy it is used to nourish the liver and kidneys, strengthen sinew and bone and dispel wind-damp; tradition also counts it a pregnancy-steadying herb, hence its place in confinement and expectant-mother tongs.
Preparation
Rinse it. It is tough, so give it a full 2 hours to give up its flavour.
Origin · Geo-authentic (道地) source
Guangdong and Guangxi, which is why it is also called 廣寄生, the Guangdong mistletoe
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
