Living in Hong Kong can certainly be unhealthy, but on the flip side, we’re also blessed with a smelly Chinese medicine shop on every street corner that’s packed with healthy goodies.

Take, for example, dried red dates and goji berries — both of which are extremely good for the body, especially when brewed into a tea.

Goji berries are an amazing source of vitamins (B1, B2, B6 and E), minerals (zinc, copper, iron, calcium, selenium), amino acids and beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A by the liver to help improve vision. It’s also got lots of antioxidants to fight free radicals and 13 percent more protein than whole meat.

Red dates aka. jujubes are seen as China’s “cure-all fruit” and have 70-80x more vitamin C than grapes and apples. They’ve also got plenty of vitamin A, B1, B2, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium and are known for enriching and replenishing the blood (great for women during their special time of month or after giving birth).

Together, the hydrating tea is said to help relieve stress and insomnia while providing anti-inflammatory effects and increasing blood circulation.

To make the tea, rinse 1/4 cup of goji berries and 1/2 cup of dried red dates (pitted) in some lukewarm water, and drain. Place the washed berries and dates in a pot with 1.5 litres of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, and add brown sugar or honey to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

Note: The boiled goji berries and red dates can be eaten if you like. Also, red dates can be a bit ‘heaty’ so those with too much ‘heat’, watch out. You can also add dried longan to make it sweeter and/or ginger to ‘expel wind’ 😉