Liquorice Orange Peel 甘草陈皮, is a preserved fruit, or in some cases, it is referred to as herbal candy. The preserved fruit boasts several health benefits to the human body with the two main herbs: Liquorice 甘草 (Gāncǎo) and Orange Peels 陈皮. Before I talk about the significance of Liquorice Orange Peel, I will elucidate the potency of herbs in determining the toxicity of one’s body.
Toxicity in food and herbs
People usually think that toxicity refers to being poisoned, however, it is important to understand that foods—even herbs—regulated the bodily flow of ‘qi’氣’. It is a ‘vital essence’[1], which determines the cosmos that flows alongside the human body and the balancing of Yin-Yang. The classification of medicinals as seen in The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica delineates the toxic classes of 360 medicinals with Superior Class Medicinals being not toxic, Middle Class Medicinals being mildly toxic and Inferior Class Medicinals being very toxic. Although Superior Class Medicinals, like Liquorice and orange peel, were considered non-toxic, the fact that foreign agent was entering the body was seen as affecting the toxicity of the body if not handled or utilised optimally.
(a) Liquorice
The first ingredient in the preserved fruit candy is Liquorice. Essentially, it was one of the earliest herbs that were identified in the 2nd Century Han Dynasty in China. Whilst there are many different types of Liquorice all over the world, ranging from Australia to South America, the most commonly used plant out of the Liquorice plants in the medical field is the Glycyrrhiza Uralensis from China. [2]
The main characteristic of the Liquorice is that is often called a ‘sweet herb’ or ‘Gan-Cao’. As such, it is usually mixed together with other herbs to mask their bitterness. According to the ‘five element theory’, the sweetness tends to slow down acute reactions, detoxify the body and aid in the replenishment of the Qi. Moreover, the production of Qi is the most prevalent in the heart, stomach, and lungs when Liquorice is consumed. This is because the heart determines one’s vitality because it stores their ‘spirit’, the stomach is responsible for receiving ingested food and fluids, and the lungs are believed to be pivotal in the production of the qi that helps to ‘nourish life’. Some examples of some modern-day and ancient uses of the Liquorice herb to cure ailments include relieving the pain of the abdomen by effectively removing toxins and it’s utilisation as an antidote to drug poisoning. [3]
The utilisation of Liquorice in ancient China can be found in The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica[4], which was a record of Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing’s expertise in determining the medical properties of different food by tasting it himself. According to the legend of Shen Nong, it was said that he was one of the mythological rulers and deities from ancient China who was responsible for classifying the 365 species of herbs and medicinal plants. Interestingly, there are some accounts that claimed that Shen Nong has a see-through stomach, which allowed him to see the various effects of the herbs in his internal organs. As such, he has been given the title of ‘god of Chinese medicine’. Moreover, he has been given credit for transforming people’s diet from meat and clam during the period of ancient China to one of grains and vegetables—to balance the toxicity in people’s bodies. Shen Nong’s medical expertise has been passed down informally through oral recounts for many centuries but it has been translated to English. [5]
The Materia Medica outlines the benefits of Liquorice in ancient china under ‘Gan Cao (Radix Glycynhizae)’ which states that it helps to prolong life by treating the five viscera and six bowels and dispelling evil qi. [6]Additionally, Liquorice plants are positioned as neutral in nature as it does not affect the ‘Yin or Yang’ in the body; [7]Hence, it was commonly known to harmonise with other herbs. An example is when liquorice was used with the herb ‘Ren Shen (Radix Panacis Ginseng), where it helped to ‘abate fever and effectively settle one’s, spiritual soul’ and in the Fu Zi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praparata), which is essentially Chinese aconite, where it neutralised the toxicity of another herb. [8] The diverse effects of the use of Liquorice is notes as it appears in several recipes of drinks, purees, and food with other ingredients during the Mongol Era.
The process of obtaining Liquorice is through crushing dried roots into boiling water and when the sap is extracted, the Liquorice dries into a golden-brown powder. In modern times, the Liquorice extract is produced by shredding and extracting the root with water in a steam extraction plant which speeds up the process of obtaining Liquorice. [9]Therefore, Liquorice proves itself to be a herb of powerful efficacy, able to remove the major bodily toxins, especially in ancient Chinese remedies as a companion herb and in modern recipes as a cure in traditional Chinese medicine. Perhaps the most frequent herb combination liquorice had was with orange peel.
(b) Orange Peel/ Tangerine Peel
The next ingredient is dried tangerine or orange peel. It’s literal meaning in Chinese means ‘preserved peel’ and another name for Chen Pi is ‘ju pi’.[10] The chief benefit of orange peel is that it is able to normalise the flow of qi.
Orange peel is typically aromatic, warm and pungent in taste. The bitter and bland taste from the orange peel makes it a ‘yin’. In line with the five elements theory, the peel helps the body by clearing heat, drying dampness and promoting elimination via bowel movements. Alternatively, the pungent ingredients promote the circulation of Qi and body fluids. This, then, explains why some people sweat when they eat spicy or pungent foods—because they are literally and metaphorically releasing the toxins from their body[11].
The most prime orange peel is from the Xinhui region, Guangdong, in China, as they have the most fragrant peels and it has been said that orange peels have been harvested for hundreds or thousands of years there[12]. It is located there because of its optimum tropical climate. It can also be found in Fujian, Sichuan, Jiangsu.
The process of obtaining tangerine peel relies on the importance of its preparation to reduce its pungentness, warmth, and dryness of orange. The method compromises of:
- Putting the dried orange peels in a closed container
- Adding water which is 1-2 times as heavy as the dried orange peels
- Moistening it for 1-3 hours at room temperature
- Steaming the peels for 20-90 minutes at a temperature of 70-100 degrees
- Air drying it and cutting the peels into shreds for raw use
The preparation methods are used in the climatic environments of Hunan and Jiangxi. [13]
(c) Liquorice Orange Peel
Lastly, let me explain the Liquorice Orange Peel. I bought this Prime Supermarket and it has both the aforementioned herbs together with Sugar, Citrus Acid, and Salt. As you try this item, you might be able to notice that the reason why the items have been combined to create this snack is because the bitterness of the orange peel is mitigated by the sweetness of the Liquorice. The combination of these two herbs have been used since the Mongol Era, in the ‘puree for the stagnant qi recipe’ to combat fatigue and is still being used in modern times because it’s the ability to be harmonious.
Overall, the difference between the past and present methods of liquorice and orange peel as ingredients is that before these two ingredients were cooked and made in dishes, purees, and drinks. Alternatively, this preserved candy-sweet has been commodified and manufactured at a company, making the process less organic—and, perhaps even less healthy. In truth, it does take-away from the natural means in which the herbs were used in remedies. Nonetheless, I don’t believe that the commodification of the ingredients reduces its authenticity because herbs being made into candy is done for the convenience of people as it easier for them to buy pre-packaged herbs than for them to make the recipes themselves. Furthermore, with the popularity of Traditional Chinese Medicine becoming more prevalent—not just in Asia—but it Western countries like America, it makes sense that the herbs are manufactured and packaged as some of the raw materials would not be obtained in their own country.
References:
[1] Husihui., Buell, Paul D., Anderson, E. N., and Perry, Charles. A Soup for the Qan : Chinese Dietary Medicine of the Mongol Era as Seen in Hu Sihui’s Yinshan Zhengyao : Introduction, Translation, Commentary, and Chinese Text 2nd rev. and expanded ed. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2010. 138-42, 144-47.
[2] Daniel, Gillian. “The Legend Of The Divine Farmer”. The Public Domain Review, 2019. https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-legend-of-the-divine-farmer/.
[3] “Liquorice”. Meandqi.Com. Accessed 23 September 2019. https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database/liquorice.
[4] Yang, Shou-zhong. The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica: A Translation of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. Boulder, Colorado: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
[5]Daniel, Gillian. “The Legend Of The Divine Farmer”. The Public Domain Review, 2019. https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-legend-of-the-divine-farmer/.
[6] Yang, Shou-zhong. The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica: A Translation of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. Boulder, Colorado: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
[7] Chen, John K., and Tina T. Chen. “Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications: Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research.” Amazon. Art of Medicine Press, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331121300/http://aompress.com/book_herbology/pdfs/GanCao.pdf.
[8] Yang, Shou-zhong. The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica: A Translation of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. Boulder, Colorado: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
[9] Karaaslan, Irem, and Ali Coşkun Dalgıç. “Spray Drying of Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza Glabra) Extract.” Journal of Food Science and Technology 51, no. 11 (2012): 3014–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-012-0847-0.
[10]Balch, Phyllis A., and Stacey J. Bell. Prescription for Herbal Healing. Stamford, CT: Bottom Line Books, 2014.
[11] “Tangerine Peel.” Tangerine peel (Chen Pi) in Chinese medicine. Accessed September 21, 2019. https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database/tangerine-peel.
[12] “How Do They Stuff Tea into Fruit? Puer Tea Xinhui Mandarin Oranges.” white2tea. Accessed September 21, 2019. https://white2tea.com/2015/12/01/how-do-they-stuff-tea-into-fruit-puer-tea-xinhui-mandarin-oranges/.
[13]“CN102085262A – Preparation Method of Chinese Medicine Dried Orange Peels.” Google Patents. Google. Accessed September 24, 2019. https://patents.google.com/patent/CN102085262A/en.