Rain Water · Tea break · Damp-Heat
Adzuki bean & corn silk tea
A clean-tasting corn silk drink with adzuki beans and smilax root — refreshing to sip, and the corn doubles as a snack.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Boil
- Easy
NeutralClears heat & drains dampClears toxins, eases puffiness
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows as oily skin, spots and a bitter taste, and the heavy damp of Rain Water traps the heat further. This drink clears heat and drains damp yet is neutral, not cold, so it won't upset digestion in the cool, damp weather.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 50 min- 1Rinse the adzuki beans and smilax root; soak the beans for 1 hour, or overnight.
- 2Husk the corn, keeping the silk and the two innermost husks; rinse them and cut the cob into 4 pieces.
- 3Bring the water to the boil, add the beans, smilax root, corn silk and husks, then simmer for 40 minutes.
- 4Add the corn and cook for 10 more minutes. Strain the drink into a flask, no sugar needed, and eat the corn warm as a snack.
Cautions
- It is quite diuretic — go easy if you pass urine often or have a dry mouth from Yin Deficiency.
Chef's tips
- Use the slim, dark red rice beans (赤小豆) from herbal shops, not the plump red beans used for sweet soup.
The TCM view
Adzuki beans are sweet, sour and neutral, drain water and clear heat-toxins; corn silk is sweet, bland and neutral and drains damp and heat; smilax root is sweet, bland and neutral and clears damp-toxins; sweet corn is sweet and neutral and settles the stomach. Mostly bland and draining, neutral rather than cold — clears damp-heat without hurting spleen yang.
