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The no-mess, no-hassle, affordable, instant Xiasangju Chongji tea.
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This Tea’s For Me
By Carlie Chiu
Special to AsianWeek
Who could have thought the best remedies could come from the littlest packages? Usually it is under the assumption that the stronger, the better, or perhaps the more horrid it tastes, the better it will work. But that’s not always the case.
Many families of Asian decent turn to the trusted remedies passed down orally from past generations and never written on paper. Many people use Asian remedies because in most cases they work better than the American over-the-counter products. All over old and new Chinatowns you can find large containers of special herbs and roots. Even though the Asian remedies may not have an artificially flavored grape or bubble gum taste, they often work quite well.
But thanks to these little packages, a product now can do almost just the same thing as if you were to spend hours boiling those herbal teas. This product, named “Xiasangju Chongji,” comes with 20 packets, and all that needs to be done is to empty the contents of one or two of these packets into a cup and add boiling water. The product is very similar to a common beverage called lerng cha, which literally translates to “cooling tea.” The symptoms it relieves include sore throats, coughing, headaches, body aches and pains. The basic purpose of the product is to “cleanse” your body, bringing it to a healthier state.
After testing this product, it has become a household item in my pantry along with the multiple containers and packages of tea leaves used for all types of purposes. I was first introduced to this product by my grandmother, who usually makes me the real stuff from the natural herbs and preserves, but since I am not able to visit my grandmother as often as I can due to time constraints, she recommended this to me.
The easy accessibility to this product is what makes it great, especially since it can be found not only in the stores in San Francisco’s Chinatown, but along the smaller Chinatowns in the Richmond and Sunset districts.
So whenever I get a sore throat or sick feeling, I brew a cup of this tea. And the best thing about it is it does not carry a bitter taste like foo cha, but rather a sweet flavor with a bit of tang. And it only goes for approximately 69 cents. All in all, I highly recommend this!
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