Recently, topics such as “Why has the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region become the hottest in the country?” and “High temperatures above 40°C return to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region” have frequently topped Weibo's trending list. However, the regions suffering from intense heat extend far beyond just the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area… In this scorching summer, high temperatures combined with dampness can be particularly draining on one's vitality, causing “summer fatigue” and a lack of energy. In severe cases, some may even suffer from heatstroke due to intolerance of the heat. In fact, many nobles, famous doctors, and scholars in ancient times had their preferred heat-relieving soups, which embody the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the principles of the four natures and five flavors of herbs, as well as the concepts of ascending, descending, floating, and sinking. This article, written by an expert in TCM popular science, introduces you to some famous summer heat-relieving soups from ancient times and teaches you how to savor them to comfortably survive the peak of summer.
What are Beverages and Familiar Waters?
The term “beverage” originally referred to herbal decoctions. During the Tang Dynasty, decoctions without specified dosages were called “beverages.” By the Song Dynasty, beverages that were somewhere between medicinal decoctions and drinks were referred to as “beverages,” also known as “familiar waters.” These beverages contain Chinese herbs and possess health benefits, such as heat-clearing, heat-relieving, and dampness-dispelling properties, similar to today's medicinal teas. Beverages can be served hot or cold, and they are especially popular during the summer. In Zhang Zeduan's “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” from the Song Dynasty, shops with signs advertising “beverages” and “fragrant beverages” can be seen, indicating the popularity of various “beverages” during that time.
Sour Plum Soup
A Beverage Craved Even When Beaten – From “Dream of the Red Chamber”
In Chapter 34 of “Dream of the Red Chamber,” Jia Baoyu, after being beaten for not focusing on his studies and angering Jia Zheng, lies in bed recuperating. Waking up in pain in the middle of the night, he asks for sour plum soup. Xi Ren reports to Lady Wang, “The bowl of soup given by Grandmother, he only took two sips and kept saying he was thirsty, wanting to drink sour plum soup. I thought sour plums have astringent properties. Having just been beaten and not allowed to cry out, it is natural for the heat and toxicity in his blood to remain in his heart…”
What is Sour Plum Soup? Xu Ke describes it in “Qingbai Leicao” as follows: “Sour plum soup, a drink consumed during summer, is made with ice as its base, with dried plums added to it, giving it a sour taste. In Beijing, vendors selling sour plum soup would hold two copper cups, flipping them around, producing a clanging sound, known as ‘tapping the ice cup.' Passersby would often stop and drink it.”
The dried plums used here refer to Chinese plums. Chinese plums are the dried immature fruits of the plum plant from the Rosaceae family. When freshly picked, they are still “green plums.” After being slowly baked at around 40°C for 2 to 3 days until about 60% dry, the flesh turns brownish-yellow and develops wrinkles. Then, they are steamed for another 2 to 3 days until they turn black, transforming the “green plums” into “Chinese plums.”
As early as the Song Dynasty, people began using plums to make beverages. In “Shilin Guangji” from the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Yuanjing records a recipe for “Chinese Plum Soup.” The basic process involves mashing Chinese plums, adding various herbs, spices, etc., boiling them down into a paste, and storing it in porcelain bottles. To prepare the drink, the paste is diluted with hot or cold water to create a refreshing summer beverage. Honey can also be used instead of sugar for better taste.
Sour plum soup, with its sweet and sour flavor, quenches thirst and generates body fluids. It has multiple effects, including relieving fatigue, restoring strength, aiding digestion, enhancing appetite, clearing the intestines, and preventing diarrhea, making it an invaluable heat-relieving drink for summer.
Ingredients and Preparation: As sour plum soup became more popular, different recipes emerged. The most widespread and classic recipe includes 30g of Chinese plums, 50g of dried hawthorn, 15g of aged tangerine peel, and 30g of licorice. Wash all ingredients and soak them in water for 30 minutes. Boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. Add rock sugar according to personal preference and let it cool naturally.
Qing Luo Yin
Wu Jutong's Secret Formula for Heat Relief
During the Wei-Jin period, Xiang Xiu, one of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,” loved reading but was not good at socializing and rarely hosted guests. One day, under the persuasion of a friend, Xiang Xiu reluctantly invited colleagues to a dinner party at his home. It happened to be the height of summer, and relatives from his hometown brought a cart full of watermelons. Xiang Xiu asked his family to use the watermelon rind to make twenty-four dishes, either stir-fried, mixed, dressed with vinegar, or braised. After the guests sat down, Xiang Xiu said, “Watermelon rind, known in medicine as watermelon green skin, is not only a great heat-relieving food but also a beneficial medicine. Today, I have prepared a table of ‘jadeite feast' using watermelon green skin as the main ingredient, accompanied by other ingredients. Please enjoy it.” These people, accustomed to eating rich meat dishes, found the fresh and fragrant taste of watermelon green skin unexpectedly delicious and praised it highly!
Watermelon, with its sweet juice and refreshing taste, is a seasonal delicacy for heat relief and quenching thirst. Ancient poets once praised it with the phrase, “its fragrance brings laughter and moisture to the teeth, and its coolness enters the clothes and bones.” In fact, the watermelon rind is also a treasure on the watermelon, with heat-relieving and cooling properties. Ancient medical practitioners often used watermelon green skin in combination with other herbs to clear heat and relieve summer heat. Among these, Wu Jutong, a renowned expert in febrile diseases during the Qing Dynasty, recorded the “Qing Luo Yin” in “Treatise on Febrile Diseases” as the most commonly used formula in summer. Wu Jutong mentions in “Treatise on Febrile Diseases” that when someone has rested after suffering from heatstroke and their symptoms of fever and thirst have improved, but they still experience mild headaches and blurred vision, the Qing Luo Yin is the most suitable. This formula clears the head and eyes and relieves heat.
Ingredients and Preparation: Qing Luo Yin consists entirely of fresh seasonal ingredients that are both food and medicine, including 6g of fresh lotus leaf edges, 60g of fresh honeysuckle flowers, 5g of watermelon green skin, 5g of fresh white kidney bean flowers, 10g of fresh bamboo leaves, and 15g of loofah peel. Clean all ingredients, cut the watermelon green skin into thin slices, and place them in a pot with an appropriate amount of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 5-10 minutes over low heat.
Thirst-Quenching Water
A Fruit-Based Syrup Popularized from the Yuan Imperial Court
During Genghis Khan's western campaign, his youngest son, Tului, fell ill and was cured by a drink called “sherbet.” Sherbet is the transliteration of the Persian word “Sherbet,” also known as “Sherliebie” or “Shelirie.” According to “Nanhai Zhi” quoted in “Yongle Dadian,” “Sherliebie, in Mongolian, is called Thirst-Quenching Water. Juice from any fruit or tree can be used to make it.” Thus, “sherbet” refers to a fruit-based syrup used to prepare fruit drinks, also known as Thirst-Quenching Water. In the south, it is also called “concentrate.”
By the Ming Dynasty, there were increasingly diverse types of thirst-quenching waters. According to historical records, there were imperial thirst-quenching waters, linqin thirst-quenching waters, waxberry thirst-quenching waters, loquat thirst-quenching waters, schisandra thirst-quenching waters, grape thirst-quenching waters, fragrant sugar thirst-quenching waters, and osman