With a rising awareness of health and well-being, traditional Chinese medicine cuisine is gaining traction among consumers in China. TCM drinks, bread, ice cream, hotpot — there has been a trend in the catering industry of incorporating Chinese medicinal ingredients into various food and beverages. Once labelled as an ordinary supplement, it has become unique, more expensive and popular, especially among youngsters.
At the Peerless Tea Delights shop in Xining, Qinghai province, various Chinese herbs are on show in glass boxes. Meanwhile, waiters serve porridge that can strengthen the spleen and stomach, desserts that can relieve the summer heat, and tea that can improve immunity. It was run by a TCM clinic that the family of Wu had opened for about 100 years.
Yang Yilin, 20, bought a cup of “lung-clearing and throat-moistening” tea. “Overall, I feel it’s quite good. It’s not as bitter as I had imagined.
Instead, it starts off somewhat sweet and ends with a slight herbal taste,” she said. Though the beneficial effect is not pronounced, Yang believes it’s more healthy than snacks such as fried food, to leave “less of a mental burden”. Tong Ren Tang, a time-honoured TCM brand, introduced brand Zhima Health in 2019 based on the concept of “medicine and food sharing the same source”.
Zhima Health has put forward various types of regimen-related products, including herbal coffee, herbal tea, bird’s nest and lily rice cakes. Its eight red jars with extracts.