Drinking hot soup in the winter is both delicious and healthy. Wang Daokun, Chief Physician of the Gastroenterology Department at the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, tells us that adding a few pieces of dried tangerine peel to soup not only improves the flavor but also helps relieve stomach discomfort and treat coughs with excessive phlegm.
Dried tangerine peel, or Chenpi, is actually the peel of the tangerines we normally eat. It is named so because its medicinal properties become stronger the longer it is stored. Traditional Chinese Medicine considers Chenpi to be pungent and bitter in taste, and warm in nature. It has the effects of warming the stomach to dispel cold, regulating qi, and strengthening the spleen. It is suitable for people with symptoms such as stomach bloating, indigestion, poor appetite, and coughs with excessive phlegm. Modern research shows that Chenpi contains a large amount of volatile oils, hesperidin, and other components. The volatile oils it contains have a mild stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal tract, promoting the secretion of digestive fluids, expelling gas from the intestines, and increasing appetite. When making soup, adding about 10 grams of Chenpi is sufficient.
It should be noted that Chenpi is rather warm and drying. Individuals with a yin-deficient constitution who have symptoms such as a dry cough without phlegm and a dry mouth and throat should not consume it in large quantities. Furthermore, fresh tangerine peel does not possess the same medicinal properties as Chenpi. Additionally, because the surface of fresh tangerine peel may be contaminated with pesticides and preservatives, which can be harmful to human health, it cannot be used as a substitute for Chenpi.