I intended to drink tea with aged tangerine peel to clear internal heat, but it gave me diarrhea. Recently, a puzzled Mr. Chen went to the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for a consultation, only to find out his mistake: "using fresh tangerine peel instead of aged tangerine peel."
Mr. Chen explained that his family had bought a lot of oranges a few days ago. Having heard that drinking tea made from aged tangerine peel can clear heat and resolve phlegm, he collected the leftover peels, dried them several times, and started drinking it as tea daily. Unexpectedly, this led to diarrhea, which he initially thought was due to catching a cold.
Zhang Yuejun, Chief Pharmacist at the Department of Pharmacy of the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explained that fresh tangerine peel must be dried and processed to become aged tangerine peel. The older the tangerine peel, the better its quality; it should generally be stored for at least a year before use. As a common traditional Chinese medicine for regulating qi, invigorating the stomach, and resolving phlegm, drinking tea made with aged tangerine peel can indeed clear heat and resolve phlegm. However, using fresh tangerine peel is different. Because fresh tangerine peel contains a higher amount of volatile oil, it can easily irritate the digestive tract, leading to digestive dysfunction.
Professor Li Wangang, from the hospital's Department of Gastroenterology, analyzed that the fresh tangerine peel could also irritate the stomach and intestines because the peel's surface may be coated with pesticides or preservatives, which simple washing and sun-drying might not completely remove. He advised against using fresh tangerine peel to make tea or wine, and also warned against using tangerine peels that have developed mold on the surface when making one's own aged tangerine peel.