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recipe (licorice and sage throat tea)

licorice and sage throat tea
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
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This one comes straight from the everyday medicine of Chinese kitchens. Licorice and Sage Throat Tea is the kind of thing a grandmother makes without measuring, and the amounts below are how practitioners describe it in a clinic.

What it is for

Traditionally this drink is used for scratchy throat, first sign of a cold. In pattern language that means it suits the cold or stagnant side of the spectrum, not the hot, dry side.

The main players: Licorice root, Sage.

How to make it

Half a teaspoon each of licorice root and sage leaf in a cup of hot water, steeped ten minutes. Gargle warm for the throat and then swallow. Two or three cups a day at the very start of the scratch.

A few honest notes

Do not expect fireworks. Food-level herbs act gently, and the benefit shows up over days, not minutes. If your pattern is hot rather than cold, a warming drink like this can push the wrong direction, so stop if you feel more flushed or restless.

None of this replaces a practitioner who can look at your tongue, feel your pulse and ask awkward questions. Use this as background, not as a prescription.

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Sources and further reading

We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.

  • Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
  • Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
  • Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
  • NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.

Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged on our editorial policy page.

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