Witchweed
The whole dried plant, root and all, of witchweed, a tiny semi-parasitic grassland herb, sold in paper-wrapped bundles at herbal shops. Grassy and faintly bitter-sweet, it is washed carefully of sand and simmered with lean pork and honey dates in the classic children's soup.
TCM properties
Nature · cooling Flavour · sweet、bland Meridians · liver、spleen、stomach
Traditional food therapy
A Cantonese nursery classic: tradition simmers it with lean pork and honey dates to ease a child's food stagnation, open the appetite and settle restless sleep.
Cautions: read first
- Children whose spleen and stomach run cold should drink little of it
- Pregnant women should use it only under a practitioner's guidance
- Customary amounts are 1 to 3 錢 for a child and 3 to 5 錢 for an adult, and no more than that
- Avoid using it in quantity alongside very cold and cooling items, so the spleen and stomach are not harmed
Preparation
Use the whole plant with the root still on, washed clean of mud and grit. Boil it with 蜜棗 (candied honey dates) and lean pork for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Origin
Guangdong and Guangxi (a Lingnan folk herb). Uncommon even at Australian herbal shops
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
