American Ginseng Root Tea (Cantonese: Yeong Sum Sou)

When I've been working too hard and sitting through too many Zoom meetings and having too many online webinars, my brain gets tired and my body feels heated up!

I find that screen radiation affects me a lot so I try to limit my screen time and most times, to no avail! (It doesn't help that I am in the digital space and that I need to work on stuff on my Mac all the time - from my podcast to my live streams and to my main business).

I felt really exhausted this week as I was also rushing to complete some important content for a client. She was in the running for a major award and needed help to brush up on her submission profile.

The thing with submission profiles is that there's always a pressing deadline! And limited words is another. Most people think it's easy to write 250 words than 1000 words but trust me, it is much harder to be concise than to be long-winded.

So work being work, and life being life, a lot of things can stress up the body.

When I sit too long at the Mac, my shoulders start to stiffen up. My temples start to throb. This is when I know I have to find some remedy.

When I was younger (much younger!) my late mum used to remind me to drink American ginseng root tea. In Cantonese we call this yeong sum sou or young sam sou - however you spell it, it is truly the fine, little roots of the American ginseng root. We Chinese don't waste anything. Even the roots can be sold, if cheaply!(The sheer frugality and business-mindedness of the Chinese. No wonder we have been around for 5000 years!)

Scientifically it is known as Radix Panacis Quinquefolii.

It can cooked in savoury soups or made into tea. It is tonifying to the Qi so as a student (studying hard for my exams) my late mum would make this for me and my sisters. This herb is great for people who work too hard and stress out too much so it helps to make this as a tea and drink it regularly.

It's easy to make this as a tea - put 2 spoonfuls of the dried roots into a pot, add 4 mugs of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Turn off fire and close the pot and let the tea steep for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

A variation of this tea is to add some dried chrysanthemum flowers to the above brew. I also learnt that you should only steep dried chrysanthemum flowers in boiling water but never boil them vigorously.

If you are washing this herb or rinsing it, know that it contains saponins so there will be "soapy bubbles" or foaminess appearing. These saponins or ginsenosides are what makes ginseng powerful in boosting the immunity and keeping the body strong. American ginseng has positive effects on the "cardiovascular system, immune system, and central nervous system as well as the anti-diabetes and anti-cancer effects."

Yeong sam sou is relatively inexpensive - I bought a packet for RM10 and you don't have to use all of the herbs at one go. My one packet can last me quite a few times.

How often should you consume this tea? 2-3 times a week is fine especially if you work a lot or feel tired.

Other than that, I would say take herbs in moderation. I prefer to take this tea once a week. As with everything in life, moderation is key!

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