Red Date & Longan Tea

Name: Red Date & Longan Tea
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 3 cups
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: Dried red dates — 8 pieces; Dried longan — 1/4 cup; Water — 4 cups; Rock sugar — to taste (optional)

Earth Element · 土 Sweet Warm

Longan means "dragon eye" — because the dried fruit looks like one. My grandmother called it the fruit that quiets the heart.

Prep 20 min

Servings 3 cups

Element Earth 土

Total 20 min

By FiveFlavor Kitchen Reviewed by Dr. M. Wu, L.Ac. Updated August 17, 2026

Why This Elixir Works

Both red date and longan are sweet and warm. Sweet nourishes the Spleen and builds blood; longan is traditionally used to calm the Heart and support restful sleep.

Earth element · Sweet phase of the five-flavor cycle

Ingredients

Dried red dates 8 pieces
Dried longan 1/4 cup
Water 4 cups
Rock sugar to taste (optional)

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The Refining Process

Step 1
Slit the red dates so they release their sweetness.
Step 2
Simmer red dates and longan in water 15 minutes.
Step 3
Sweeten lightly if desired and serve warm.

Alchemist's Note

Sweet and warming — lovely in cooler months or before bed. Educational purposes only.

Red dates and longan — two of the sweetest, most nourishing dried fruits in the Chinese pantry — brewed into a deep amber tea. It tastes like a hug.