Ethnobotanical survey of cooling herbal drinks
from southern China
Liu et al.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 
AND ETHNOMEDICINE
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY 
AND ETHNOMEDICINE
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82RESEARCH Open AccessEthnobotanical survey of cooling herbal drinks
from southern China
Yujing Liu1, Selena Ahmed1,2,3 and Chunlin Long1,3*Abstract
Background: Liáng chá (“cooling tea”, “herbal tea” or “cool tisane” in Chinese) are herbal drinks widely produced
in southern China and consumed by billions of people worldwide to prevent and treat internal heat as well as a
range of associated health conditions. Globalization and renewed interest in botanical remedies has attracted
growing attention in cooling herbal drinks by industry, scientists and consumers. However, there is a knowledge
gap on the plant species used and commercialized for cooling herbal drinks in southern China and their associated
ethnobotanical use, habitat and conservation status. This is the first study to document plant species used and
commercialized as liáng chá in southern China’s Lingnan region and associated ethnomedical function, preparation
methods, habitat and conservation status.
Methods: Three hundred market surveys were conducted between 2010-2012 in the largest herbal drink producing
region of China to record plants used for liáng chá and to document knowledge on their medicinal function,
habitat and conservation status. Product samples and voucher specimens were collected for taxonomic identification.
Results: All informants harvest and cultivate plants for preparing herbal drinks for their medicinal, cultural and economic
values. A total of 222 ethnotaxa corresponded to 238 botanical taxa (species, varieties or subspecies) belonging to 86
families and 209 genera were recorded as liáng chá to treat health conditions in the study area. Recorded remedies
consisted of one or several plant species to treat conditions classified into 27 major health conditions with clearing
internal heat being the most common medicinal function. The habitat types of plants documented for use as liáng chá
include 112 wild harvested species, 51 species that are either wild harvested or cultivated, 57 cultivated species, and 2
naturalized species. According to China’s Red List and CITES on conservation status, one of these species is endangered,
one species is critically endangered, eight species are vulnerable, one is listed in CITES II, three are listed in Regional Red
Data Book and the remaining 224 species are in the least concerned conservation category.
Conclusions: The liáng chá industry of southern China reflects the plant species richness and cultural diversity of the
region. Future research on safety and efficacy of herbal drinks as well as ecological and cultural conservation efforts are
needed for the sustainable growth of China’s botanical industry.
Keywords: liáng chá, Cooling tea, Ethnomedicine, Botanical industryBackground
Liáng chá refers to “cooling tea” or herbal tisanes/teas
produced from water infusions of a range of plant species
other than the caffeine-containing tea plant (Camellia
sinensis; Theaceae). Plant material may consist of fresh or
dried leaves, fruit, flowers, pollen, nuts, barks, seeds and* Correspondence: long@mail.kib.ac.cn
1College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China,
Beijing 100081, China
3Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming
650201, China
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
© 2013 Liu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Commons Attribution License (http://creativec
reproduction in any medium, provided the orroots from a single species or multiple species. The practice
of drinking liáng chá is an ancient custom regarded to have
originated from the Lingnan region of southern China over
2,000 years ago. Lingnan is the tropical and subtropical
region south of China’s Nanling Mountains that covers all
or part of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong,
Macau, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces (Figure 1). This region
is notable for its rich biodiversity and cultural practices.
The damp humidity and heat levels of the Lingnan
region are thought to contribute to a health condition in
local human populations recognized as “internal heat”.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
ommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
iginal work is properly cited.
Figure 1 Location map of study site.
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82 Page 2 of 7
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82According to traditional Chinese medicine as well as
various ethnomedical systems of China’s minority socio-
linguistic groups, high temperature inside the human
body above 37°C causes internal heat that may result in
discomfort and a range of health conditions. In particu-
lar, humidity and temperature transition during the
month of March is recognized as a time when local
communities are particularly susceptible to the illnesses
caused by internal heat such as influenza, fever, pneu-
monia and cough. In addition to humidity and tempera-
tures, several other factors are considered to contribute
to internal heat including spicy food, irregular work and
rest patterns, and emotional dissonance. Local popula-
tions collected herbs from surrounding mountains and
valleys and prepared these in hot water and consumed
them at room temperature to reduce internal heat and
to treat associated health conditions.
The rich biocultural diversity of Lingnan has resulted
in a practice of producing and consuming cooling herbal
drinks following the framework of traditional Chinese
medicine and various ethnomedical systems of China’s
minority socio-linguistic groups. While many botanical
products were eliminated as ineffective or replaced by
synthetic products during the early 20th century [1], the
resurgence of interest in natural products during the
past 35 years has fueled the global herbal tisane market.
Approximately 25% of the drugs prescribed worldwide
come from plants, specifically from 121 natural active
compounds with 252 natural product drugs that theWorld Health Organization (WHO) considers as essen-
tial [2]. WHO estimates that approximately 75-80% of
the world’s population relies on indigenous or traditional
plant medicines either in part or entirely for their pri-
mary health care needs [3]. In particular, herbal remedies
remain the cornerstone of treatment in underdeveloped
regions and among the aboriginal peoples of the world
[2,4] while increasingly becoming part of a globalized
health supplement market. Most of this therapy involves
the use of plant extracts, often in aqueous solutions [3].
Numerous studies have validated that the medicinal
properties of herbal drinks derive from their phyto-
chemical profiles [1,5].
Despite the renewed interest in botanical remedies by
scientists, consumers, and industry, there remains a
knowledge gap on the plant species used and commer-
cialized for cooling herbal teas in southern China and
their associated habitat and ethnobotanical use. This is the
first study to document plant species used and commer-
cialized as liáng chá in southern China’s Lingnan region
and associated habitat and ethnomedicinal knowledge.
The plant material, medicinal uses, part used, habitat and
safety of herbal drinks known as liáng chá were recorded
for informing future investigation, practice and policy.
Methods
Study sites
Lingnan is the tropical and subtropical region south of
China’s Nanling Mountains. It covers an area of 450,000
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82 Page 3 of 7
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82km2 in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces as
well as parts of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. Research
was conducted in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hainan
and Hunan provinces of the Lingnan region. The region
has a high population of 160 million. The geological and
topographic variety of the region has contributed to rich
biodiversity.
Ethnobotanical data collection and statistic analysis
Field surveys were conducted between 2010 and 2012.
Special care was taken in choosing the informants. Only
those who were born and have always been living in
Lingnan region were taken into consideration. A total of
300 informants were interviewed including 148 males
and 152 females between the ages of 35-70 from 12 socio-
linguistic groups. They are from Hakka, Cantonese,
Zhuang, Dong, Li, Shui, Molao, Maonan, Yao, Miao,
Gelao, and Han Chinese. In each group we interviewed at
least 15 informants, while more than 35 informants from
each major group (Cantonese, Hakka, Han Chinese, or
Zhuang) were visited and interviewed. Approximately 60
informants of equal age and gender groups were inter-
viewed in every study province. As for educational back-
ground, 44 had never gone to school at all, 163 had only a
primary-school education, 31 had a grammar-school
education, 36 had a high-school education, and 26 had
university degrees. Surveys consisted of semi-structured
questionnaires, open-ended interviews and participatory
observation. The survey instruments included questions
on plants used for liáng chá and their associated habitat,
medicinal functions and preparation. Interviews were
conducted in standarded Chinese (putonghua) and
informant responses were recorded using a digital voice
recorder and transcribed. Product samples were collected0
5
10
15
20
25
5 5 5
6
5
6
7
6
Figure 2 Most quoted plant families in %, f (the number of species infrom markets, mountains, forests and farming fields. Key
informants were selected to guide collections of voucher
specimens in the surrounding mountains and fields. Pho-
tographs were taken to record all plant species and gather-
ing activities. Voucher specimens of all plants available
during field investigations were collected and deposited in
the herbarium of Minzu University of China. Identification
of voucher specimens was followed the Flora of China and
the collections in PE (the Herbarium, Institute of Botany,
Chinese Academy of Sciences), IBSC (South China Botanical
Garden Herbarium, Chinese Academy of Sciences) as well
as KUN (the Herbarium, Kunming Institute of Botany,
Chinese Academy of Sciences). The folk names were
not recorded, because the writing characters of Hakka,
Cantonense and Han Chinese were the same although their
pronunciation is different.
Results and discussion
Plant material for cooling herbal tisanes
A total of 238 species from 86 families and 209 genera
were recorded for use in liáng chá, or cooling herbal
tisanes, or herbal drinks, in the Lingnan region. Some of
them are weeds, in traditional medicinal floras has been
overlooked, because widely utilized medicinal plants
need to be abundant and accessible, rare plants are not
often found in medicinal floras [6]. The most prevalent
botanical family represented in the collections was the
Asteraceae with 21 species followed by Poaceae with 13
species and Lamiaceae with 12 species (Figure 2). The
documented cooling herbal drinks consisted of a range
of plant parts including leaf, root, fruit, flower, branch,
bud, pollen, stigma, pith, bulb, tuber, kernel, stem, peel,
aerial part, seed, bark and rhizome from herbaceous and
woody plants. The root was the most common plant7
10
11 11
13 13
21
cluded in family) > 5, (f < 5 are summarized as “others”) (n = 84).
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82 Page 4 of 7
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82part used for making liáng chá and accounted for 56 of
the 238 species, or 21.3% (Figure 3). Decoction in hot
water was the primary used method for preparing liáng
chá. A vast majority (>80%) of preparations involved
drying plants before decoction in order to preserve herbs
and their properties as well as to improve the taste. Only
26 of the 238 species used for liáng chá were specified
as being from either fresh or dry plant material. Six spe-
cies were specified as needing to be processed before de-
coction and only one species, Glycine max, is fermented
before consumption (See Additional file 1: Table S1). A
total of 112 species used for liáng chá are wild har-
vested, 57 species are cultivated, 51 species are either
wild harvested or cultivated, and 2 are natural domesti-
cation. Wild harvested species were collected in mon-
tane forests, wetlands, shrub lands, and disturbed
habitat (See Additional file 2: Table S2).
Prof. Shiu-ying Hu recorded 66 herbal tea species ac-
cording to parcelled herbal tea in Hong Kong stores of
USA and field work in Hong Kong [7]. Compared to
Hong Kong herbal tea, there are similarities with Ling-
nan herbal tea. For example, Chinese foxglove (di-huang,
地黄, Rehmannia glutinosa), jade bamboo (Yu-zhu, 玉竹,
Polygonatum odoratum), Eucommia (du-zhong, 杜仲,
Eucommia ulmoides) and so on. However, there are some
differences between two regions. For instance, Youngia
japonica (Huan-yang-cao, 还阳草), Solanum torvum
(Shui-qie, 水茄), Polygonum perfoliatum (Lao-hu-ci,
老虎刺) and some others were not used in Lingnan region.
Medicinal functions of cooling herbal tisanes
Herbal teas are no limit to the duration that herbal teas
are consumed as they are used within a food context,
not for the treatment of medical conditions [8]. Here,
the medicinal functions of recorded herbal drinks can be
divided into 27 health conditions (Figure 4). The most
common function is clearing away heat, followed by
detoxification. In addition to the 13 types of medical
functions shown in Figure 4, there are 14 other0
5
10
15
20
25
Figure 3 Plant parts used as herbal drinks.functions including reducing blood pressure, warming
lung and dispersing cold, warming spleen and stomach,
resolving macula, anti-tumor, relaxing the bowels, alleviat-
ing edema, promoting lactation, relieving thirst, sedative,
improving vision, promoting digestion, stopping vomiting
and dysentery, and resolving sore throat. Informants were
knowledgeable about the use of various herbal drinks for
the prevention and treatment of different health condi-
tions. Some of the preparations for liáng chá involve single
plant species and others combinations of plants. In
addition, some plants have a single medical function while
others have multiple medical functions. A brief description
of medical functions of all recorded plant species is listed
as supplemental data in Additional file 1: Table S1. The
medical functions that herbal teas are used for in Lingnan
have evolved in response to global environmental changes
and lifestyle changes driving shifts in illnesses prevalence
and the emergence of new illnesses.
The cultural importance of herbal drinks
All informants harvest and cultivate plants for preparing
liáng chá for their medicinal, cultural and economic
values. With the expanded commercialization of the
botanical industry, the production of herbal teas has
become an essential element of livelihood strategies of
informants at the study sites. The consumption of herbal
drinks is part of a regional culture and lifestyle in
Lingnan. Visitors to Lingnan area are quickly introduced
to the practice of drinking cooling herbal teas as a
caffeine-free alternative to coffee and tea as well as a
healthy alternative to sugared soft drinks. Locals of
Lingnan who leave their hometown region often cherish
the memory of different herbal drinks as a central part of
their local culture that has been practiced for centuries.
Commercialization of herbal tisanes
The liáng chá industry has dramatically grown around
Lingnan to meet regional, national and global demand
for herbal tea and dietary supplements. In 2010, the sales
020
40
60
80
100
120
Figure 4 Ailment category–frequency of mentions within one ailment > 10 (f < 10 are summarized as “others”).
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82 Page 5 of 7
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82volume of Chinese herbal drinks reached 2.5 billion tons,
which topped the sales volume of Coca-Cola worldwide
(http://epaper.nfdaily.cn/html/2011-07/14/content_6986523.
htm). China exported about one third of its herbal drinks,
with the United States as the biggest importer. The popula-
rity of herbal drinks began to acquire market demand in the
United States in 1985 [1,9,10]. Herbal drink consumption
has been increasing at an annual rate of 15-20%.
China has several famous liáng chá enterprises includ-
ing Wang Laoji, Jia Duobao, He Qizheng, Wa Haha,
Huang Zhenlong, Jin Hulu, Pan Gaoshou and Bai
Yunshan. Wang Laoji is regarded the top liáng chá com-
pany for its market share and as the first commercialized
recognized brand in the region. Wang Zebang, the
founder of Wang Laoji, is regarded as the master of
liáng chá. He acquired knowledge of producing cooling
herbal tisanes by his family practice of hundreds of
years. This herbal product is widely used for clearing
summer heat and dampness as well as for detoxification.
It has been so widely commercialized that it was on the
menu for Kentucky Fried Chicken in China in July 2004.
Herbal drink recipes are experiencing a shift with pro-
ducers changing traditional practices to meet the market
demands. For example, producers and distributors have
started to add sweeteners to ease the bitter flavor of
herbal drinks that adds calories and change their
health value. Market-monitoring efforts are impera-
tive to protect the traditional liáng chá culture of
Lingnan.
Is it safe to drink cooling herbal drinks?
There are increasing studies on the safety [11-16] and
pharmacological efficacy [17-21] of herbal drinks with
the revitalized interest in botanicals, but most of evi-
dence remains anecdotal based on traditional ethnomed-
ical practice that has not been validated by controlled
studies [11-14,17,18,22-26]. Findings have elucidatedthat many phytochemicals in liáng chá are beneficial to
human health [17,24,26-29] while others are found to be
harmful to humans [10,23,30-33]. With the growing
liáng chá market, further research is needed to docu-
ment the bioactivity and toxicity of cooling herbal drinks
and their constituents by in vitro and in vivo studies. In
addition, uniform standards of practice and licensing of
herbal practitioners and vendors is required towards a
safer liáng chá market. As new harvesters enter the
market, it is very important for them to have the know-
ledge to select the proper plants as some herbs are hard
to identify for their similar morphological characteristics.
China’s QS certification inspection system that monitors
quality throughout all production stages is one scheme
towards a safer liáng chá market.
Sustainability of herbal tisanes
The sustainability of the herbal drinks’ ethnomedicinal
base is threatened with global environmental change, ex-
panded commercialization, policies and overharvesting
of natural resources. China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-
1976) seriously damaged liáng chá culture by prohibiting
the production and destroying associated materials.
As for the plant species used in herbal drinks, we
checked the status following the China’s Red List of
Higher Plants (See Additional file 2: Table S2) and CITES.
Some species are involved, according to the IUCN evalua-
tion criteria: (1) Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis is listed
as EN (endangered); (2) Dendrobium officinale is CR
(critically endangered); (3) eight species are VU (vulner-
able), including Atractylodes macrocephala, a few species
of Dendrobium, Coptis chinensis, Notopterygium incisum;
(4) Nervilia fordii and all Dendrobium species are listed in
CITES Appendix II; (5) Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Paeonia
lactiflora and P. veitchi are listed in Regional Red Data
Book; and (6) the remaining 227 species are in the least
concerned category.
Liu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2013, 9:82 Page 6 of 7
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/9/1/82Wild plant gathering is an essential element in liveli-
hood strategies all over the world. Gathering plant has
altered from one of necessity in the past to a pleasurable
activity today. Wild plant gathering has therefore also
received renewed attention as a form of intangible cul-
tural heritage [34]. Chinese policy is working to protect
some of its national liáng chá heritage. In June 2006, the
state officially recognized 18 brands and 54 secret
recipes of liáng chá under the Catalogue of National
Intangible Cultural Heritage after being inherited pri-
marily orally for over 2,000 years. However, protection is
not given to the full range of herbal drinks in China and
policies are needed to protect these botanical resources.
Conclusions
The liáng chá industry of southern China reflects the
rich plant species richness as well as cultural diversity
and exchange of the region. As China’s herbal drink
industry exceeds the market share of Coca-cola, future
research is needed to understand the safety and efficacy of
recorded herbal tisanes. The market-orientated production
of herbal drinks should be monitored for ecological viabi-
lity and product safety towards sustainability.
Additional files
Additional file 1: Table S1. Inventory of plants used in cooling herbal
drink in Lingnan region of southern China.
Additional file 2: Table S2. Habitat information and conservation need
of plants used for cooling herbal drinks in Lingnan region of southern
China.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors’ contributions
YJL and CLL conceived of and designed the study as well as conducted data
collection and literature review. YJL, SA and CLL interpreted data and wrote
the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to the local people in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan,
Hunan and Jiangxi provinces who provided invaluable information. This
work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(Nos. 31161140345, 31070288), the Ministry of Education of China through
its 111 and 985 projects (Nos. B08044, MUC985-9, MUC98506-01000101),
the Ministry of Science & Technology of China (2012FY110300), and the
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. JSPS/AP/109080).
Author details
1College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China,
Beijing 100081, China. 2Department of Health and Human Development,
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. 3Kunming Institute of
Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.
Received: 10 July 2013 Accepted: 13 December 2013
Published: 19 December 2013
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doi:10.1186/1746-4269-9-82
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