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Mysterious Ferment





apricot seed (kuxingren; pounded)
phaeseoli seed (chixiaodou; powdered)
ching-hao (qinghao; juice from fresh plant)
polygonum herb (shuiliao; fresh, broken small)
xanthium herb (canger; fresh, broken small)

These five herbs, with wheat as the sixth ingredient, make liuqu. Over time, this preparation became quite popular and was produced also in other provinces and by several manufacturers. The herb ingredients then changed in recent decades, including replacing wheat (xiaomai) by sprouted barley (maiya) in some preparations. It is often packaged and sold as a tea (cha) and so is often called shenque cha. Many of the new preparations come from Guangzhou. As an example, one of the recent versions is made from barley and the herbs listed are:

crataegus (shanzha; fried)
pogostemon (huoxiang; vinegared)
ching-hao (qinghao; fried)
areca nut (bingpian)
platycodon (jiegeng; ginger processed)
angelica (baizhi, ginger processed)
hoelen (fuling)
cardamom (sharen)

Another, more complex formulation is presented for the product displayed on the following page (from Guangzhou Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical Company), also made with barley sprout rather than wheat. Its herb ingredients listed are: hoelen, licorice, dioscorea, scute, platycodon, chaenomeles, mosla (a cultivated variety of xiangru, elsholtizia), citrus, blue citrus, tu-huo, and tsao-ko. According to Zhu Chunhan, in Clinical Handbook of Chinese Prepared Medicines (1989 Paradigm Publications), a product of the United Pharmaceutical Manufactory of Guangzhou additionally contains ching-hao, succinum, cardamom, and chaenomeles, but not pogostemon. A similar product by the Yang Cheng Pharmaceutical Company of Guangzhou (made with wheat) had been used by ITM in its products for the past 20 years; it has been replaced by a barley-based formulation.

Because the different producers have their own formulations, the terms "shenqu" or "shenqu cha" have general rather than specific meanings. All the products are used to benefit digestion, but they may also have other applications depending on the herbs used. Barley is increasingly selected in place of wheat because it has a good reputation as a digestive aid. Further, for the American market, new requirements for warning labels about wheat content may encourage manufacturers to use barley.




Description of a shenque product sold in China.

Description of a shenqu product sold in China; it is said to regulate the digestive system and relieve stuffy chest, diarrhea, cold, fever, and heat stroke.

Small shenque.

Small shenqu.

Shenque bricks.

Shenqu bricks

December 2005