Are you looking for a refreshing and delicious cooling drink in the scorching summer heat? This traditional beverage not only has a long history, but also is a "sweet and sour wine" that can attract your taste buds. Let's unveil the mysterious veil of Ume Soup together and explore its origin, efficacy, and production methods. Wumei Tang, a traditional beverage that was carefully selected by ancient people as a great way to relieve summer heat, has been used as a popular remedy since the pre Qin period. The six drinks of the emperor in summer mentioned in the Book of Rites include cold drinks made from plums. From the plum juice served at banquets by the Zhou dynasty emperors, to various plum soup prescriptions from the Tang and Song dynasties, to the black plum soup that Empress Dowager Cixi cannot do without in her daily life in the Qing palace, this traditional beverage has been continuously inherited and evolved in the long river of history. Especially in the book "Qixiao Liangfang" written by Fang Xian in the Ming Dynasty, there is a detailed record of the formula and efficacy of Wumei Tang. The main components of Wumei Tang include Wumei, hawthorn, tangerine peel, and licorice. The core component of Wumei Tang, Wumei, as the main ingredient of Wumei Tang, has a unique position in traditional Chinese medicine theory. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that black plum has a sour and astringent taste, a mild nature, and enters the liver, gallbladder, lungs, and colon meridians. It not only produces fluids to quench thirst, but also has various effects such as nourishing liver blood, aiding sleep, reducing appetite and greasiness, relieving diarrhea, enhancing appetite, and relieving cough. Its rich organic acids give Wumei soup a strong sour taste, which is the main source of its flavor. Hawthorn has the effects of nourishing the stomach, reducing food intake, dispelling turbidity and lowering cholesterol, and promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Hawthorn contains organic acids such as hawthorn acid and citric acid, which can promote gastric acid secretion, enhance gastric protease activity, help break down greasy foods such as meat, and improve indigestion, bloating, and loss of appetite. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that hawthorn has a warm nature and can promote blood circulation, dispel blood stasis, and improve hyperlipidemia, which belongs to the category of "blood stasis". Chenpi has a pungent and fragrant taste, which can regulate qi and strengthen the spleen, and has the effects of drying dampness and resolving phlegm. Can alleviate bloating and loss of appetite caused by spleen and stomach qi stagnation. It can also treat cough and excessive phlegm caused by phlegm dampness obstruction. At the same time, it has a certain relieving effect on spleen and stomach disharmony, nausea and vomiting caused by excessive greed for cold. Licorice has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, moistening the lungs and relieving cough, tonifying the spleen and qi, and harmonizing various medicines. Licorice can nourish qi, relieve discomfort such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and easy diarrhea. As a "harmonizing agent" in traditional Chinese medicine formulas, it can alleviate the effects of other drugs and coordinate their efficacy. The DIY effect of ingredients is doubled. In different versions of plum soup, other medicinal herbs such as mint, lotus leaves, roses, etc. will be added. These ingredients are boiled together in a reasonable combination, with a sweet and sour taste that is delicious. It has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, generating fluids and quenching thirst, moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements, stimulating appetite and digestion, nourishing yin and moistening dryness. It is very suitable for drinking in summer. If conditions permit, you can choose to go to a medical institution and have a professional physician tailor Wumei Tang for you through observation, hearing, questioning, diagnosis and treatment. Rock sugar has a sweet taste and a mild nature. It has the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving cough, and nourishing the middle and qi. Can harmonize medicinal properties, increase the sweetness of Ume soup, make the taste more mellow and smooth, and alleviate the sourness of Ume and Hawthorn. In addition, to achieve the effect of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, when frying Wumei Tang, it can also be combined with licorice and platycodon to boil water. Luoshen flower, also known as rose eggplant, is rich in anthocyanins and organic acids, which can add color and acidity to sour plum soup, making its color more vivid and attractive, while adding a unique floral aroma. The rich aroma of osmanthus adds a unique osmanthus fragrance to the sour plum soup, making the drink more fragrant and delicious, enhancing the flavor and taste of the sour plum soup. Mulberry contains rich nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and anthocyanins, which can add sweetness and unique fruit aroma to sour plum soup. It is also rich in dietary fiber, promotes intestinal peristalsis, and makes sour plum soup more nutritious. The organic acids in Wumei Tang can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and alleviate constipation symptoms. Compatibility with mulberries increases this effect. Peppermint has a cool taste and unique aroma, which can bring a refreshing feeling to sour plum soup, especially suitable for drinking in hot summer, and can play a role in clearing heat and relieving summer heat. Especially for people with severe heat, mint can be appropriately mixed for consumption. Five types of sweet and sour small drinks: people should be cautious when drinking black plum soup, although it is good, people with the following situations should be cautious or reasonably matched before drinking. For those with excessive stomach acid, Wumei Tang has a sour taste and can stimulate the secretion of stomach acid. Drinking it may worsen symptoms such as acid reflux and heartburn in patients with excessive stomach acid, gastric ulcers, or gastritis. Those with high blood sugar usually add rock sugar to flavor the Wumei soup, which has a high sugar content. diabetes patients or those with poor blood sugar control are prone to blood sugar fluctuations after drinking it. Ume is sour and astringent during menstruation or pregnancy, and excessive consumption during menstruation may affect menstrual blood flow; Pregnant women have special physical conditions, and excessive consumption should be cautious. It is best to consult a doctor. Children and those with weak spleen and stomach function have weaker spleen and stomach function. The acidity of black plum may stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and should not be consumed excessively; People with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold may experience discomfort such as abdominal pain and diarrhea after drinking. People taking medication should pay attention to drug interactions. For those taking specific medications such as traditional Chinese medicine, they can consult a physician to see if it is suitable to drink Wumei Tang to avoid drug interactions. When selecting a ingredient package, four details should be considered: brand and user reviews. Prioritize choosing brands that focus on traditional health ingredients (such as time-honored brands and traditional Chinese medicine brands), and the quality of core ingredients is key. The black plum soup cooked with high-quality ingredients should have a deep red or brownish red color and no bitter taste. The four medicinal herbs in Wumei Tang, as well as peppermint, mulberries, etc., are also traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces with medicinal and edible properties. Checking the formula ratios of different manufacturers may result in differences in the material package ratios. Imbalance in proportion may affect the taste. If you need to digest, you can choose a package containing hawthorn. If you need to relieve summer heat, you can choose a package with mint leaves and rock sugar. Pay attention to packaging and shelf life, choose sealed and moisture-proof packaging, check the production date and shelf life, and avoid purchasing expired products. When selecting and drinking formulas based on one's physical condition, it is important to consider one's own constitution and health status. If conditions permit, you can choose to go to a medical institution and have a professional physician tailor Wumei Tang for you through observation, hearing, questioning, diagnosis and treatment. (New Society)