03-07-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
The TCM health benefits of mountain begonia, from detoxing the body to expelling heat
Nestled at the far western end of Hong Kong's Lantau Island is Tai O, a fishing village famous for its stilt houses, sun-dried salted egg yolks and shrimp paste.
A lesser-known product found in the tight-knit community is a drink made with mountain begonia (Begonia fimbristipula Hance), a plant native to southeastern China.
Flowering in May and fruiting in June, the tiny but resilient perennial plant can be found growing in cliff crevices and on damp rocks in mountain forests.
In
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) , the mountain begonia is a valuable medicinal herb that is most commonly consumed as a herbal tea. It has several reputed health benefits, from reducing
inflammation to eliminating phlegm.
Tai O is a historic fishing village at the far western end of Hong Kong's Lantau Island. Photo: Kylie Knott
Another claim is that it cools the body, so on a sweltering day in June, with the temperature in Tai O hovering around 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), the reddish-brown drink with a subtle floral, bittersweet flavour is the perfect tonic.
Unlike the mountain begonia drink sold by Hong Kong herbal tea chain Hung Fook Tong, the Tai O version comes in clear, label-free bottles without any clue as to its ingredients.
