Most of these ancient drinks are made from natural materials, with special attention to the dual needs of taste and health care. It's just that there was no word "drink" in ancient times. Our wise ancestors collectively called their favorite drinks "cooked water".
Cooked water in the Song Dynasty was also very popular in the court. The Hanlin Academy at that time even organized imperial chefs and doctors to evaluate and rank cooked water with various tastes and effects. The one ranked first It's cooked perilla water. Because cooked perilla water has a pleasant fragrance and has the effect of treating stagnation in the chest.
In the Ming Dynasty, cooked water was a highly respected traditional Chinese medicine health drink, and it changed from a single prescription to a compound formula, and its effect in curing diseases and health care was more obvious. The cooked white cardamom water has developed into cooked cardamom water composed of three ingredients: white cardamom, licorice and calamus. It has the effects of removing dampness and promoting qi, warming and stopping vomiting.
There were even more types of cooked water in the Qing Dynasty. According to the medical records of the Qing Dynasty, Cixi and Guangxu’s prescriptions often included 10 to 15 grams of chamomile, 5 to 10 grams of frost leaves, 5 to 10 grams of fresh reed root, 10 grams of tangerine, and 5 to 10 grams of fried chili. Gram is the cooked water formula of the material. It has the effects of improving eyesight, digesting food, resolving phlegm, and relieving heat.
Later, cooked water developed into formulas with various effects. Rucao Cassia cooked water is used to improve eyesight and relieve constipation, and is suitable for the elderly to drink. Honeysuckle cooked water is used to clear away heat and detoxify, and is suitable for drinking in summer.