Five-finger fig root & red date tea with steamed sweet potato
Five-finger fig root tea with a gentle coconut aroma, plus a warm piece of steamed sweet potato — builds qi and clears dampness.
- 50 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Deficiency brings tiredness and a weak appetite, and the clammy Rain Water air weighs the spleen down further. Five-finger fig root builds qi without heat and clears dampness, while sweet potato keeps you full so you don't graze.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 40 min- 1Rinse the five-finger fig root and soak it for 10 minutes; pit the red dates.
- 2Bring the root, red dates, ginger and water to the boil over high heat, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- 3Meanwhile, wash the sweet potato, cut it into chunks with the skin on and steam over high heat for 15–20 minutes until soft.
- 4Strain the tea into a flask; in the afternoon, sip it slowly with half a sweet potato each.
Cautions
- Stop the tea during a cold or fever and resume once you are well.
Chef's tips
- Choose dry slices with a faint coconut scent — sold at herbal shops and wet-market dried-goods stalls.
- Short on time? Boil everything for 10 minutes, pour into a thermal cooker flask and leave for 2 hours.
The TCM view
Five-finger fig root, known as 'southern astragalus', is sweet and neutral; it strengthens the spleen and lungs and drains dampness without drying. Red dates are sweet and warm and build qi; ginger is pungent and warm and warms the stomach; sweet potato is sweet and neutral and supports digestion. A gentle qi tonic that also clears damp — suited to Rain Water.
