Sugarcane, cogon grass root and carrot drink
Winter-sweet bamboo sugarcane simmered with cogon grass root, carrot and corn silk — naturally sweet with no added sugar, it clears heat and damp.
- 1 hr 30 min
- Serves 4
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows up as spots, a bitter taste and dark urine — worse after fried and sweet New Year treats. Sugarcane and cogon grass root clear heat and drain damp, carrot supports digestion, and drinking it warm suits Lichun's lingering chill.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 75 min- 1Wash the sugarcane, chop it into lengths and crack them open with the back of a cleaver. Rinse the cogon grass root and corn silk; peel the carrots and cut into large chunks.
- 2Put everything into 2.5 litres of water, boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer for 1 hour.
- 3Strain — no sugar needed. Pour it into a flask while warm and sip through the afternoon.
- 4Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat before drinking rather than having it cold.
Cautions
- Sugarcane water has natural sugar, so one cup is enough if you watch your blood sugar. Go easy if your digestion runs cold or you get loose stools.
Chef's tips
- Wet-market veg stalls and herbal shops sell ready-made 'sugarcane and cogon grass root' soup packs, often with carrots and water chestnuts.
The TCM view
Sugarcane is sweet and cold, clears heat and eases thirst; cogon grass root is sweet and cold, clears heat, promotes urination and cools the blood; corn silk is sweet and neutral and drains damp; carrot is sweet and neutral, supports digestion and tempers the cold. Together they clear damp-heat through the urine without drying yin.
