White Dew · Tea break · Yin Deficiency
Fresh grapes with Solomon's seal & ophiopogon tea
A gently moistening yin tea with a plate of sweet-sour grapes — quick relief for an afternoon dry mouth.
- 35 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
CoolingNourishes yin & moistensEases thirst
Why it suits you: Yin Deficiency brings a dry mouth and warm palms, and White Dew is when autumn dryness starts while days are still hot. Solomon's seal and ophiopogon nourish yin and fluids, and sweet-sour grapes 'turn sour and sweet into yin' — moistening, never heavy.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 30 min- 1Rinse the Solomon's seal and ophiopogon and put them in a flask.
- 2Pour in 600 ml boiling water, cap and steep for 30 minutes. For a stronger tea, simmer on low heat for 15 minutes instead.
- 3Once the tea is warm rather than hot, stir in the honey if using — never add honey to boiling water.
- 4Soak the grapes for 5 minutes in water with 1 tbsp cornflour, rub gently and rinse, then eat them, skins on, with the tea.
Cautions
- Both herbs are cool and moistening — go easy if your digestion runs cold, your stools are loose, or you have a cough with white phlegm.
Chef's tips
- Take the grapes out of the fridge 30 minutes before eating so they aren't ice-cold.
The TCM view
Solomon's seal is sweet and slightly cold and nourishes yin; ophiopogon is sweet, slightly bitter and slightly cold — it moistens the lungs, replenishes stomach fluids and calms restlessness. Grapes are sweet, sour and neutral, building qi, blood and fluids. Sweet paired with sour builds yin — right for depleted fluids and deficient heat.
