Benefits, Recipe, and How to Make It

I’ve been making this jujube date and goji berry tea regularly for the past four months, but I actually started making it for a very specific reason.

My curiosity was piqued during a visit with a TCM doctor for our youngest daughter. She suggested making this tea to support her Spleen Qi.

So I started making this tea for her, and somewhere along the way, I started drinking it regularly too. Now, four months later, it’s become one of those simple little rituals I didn’t expect to stick with.

There’s something lovely about putting a handful of jujube dates and goji berries into a saucepan, letting them simmer away, and ending up with a warm, naturally sweet tea. The jujube dates become soft and tender, the goji berries plump up, and if you add a few slices of warming ginger or a cinnamon stick (especially good as we move into fall), the whole kitchen smells warm and inviting.

And if you’re interested in traditional Chinese wellness practices, there’s another reason this combination caught my attention. Jujube dates and goji berries have both been used for generations in traditional Chinese food and herbal practices, each with their own traditional benefits.

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So after making this tea regularly for the past four months, I wanted to share the simple recipe, what we’ve learned about it through our TCM experience, and a little more about why these two ingredients make such an interesting combination.

What are Jujube Dates and Goji Berries?

Jujube Dates

Jujube dates are also known as Chinese dates or red dates, but they’re quite different from the soft, sticky dates you may be familiar with, such as Medjool dates.

Compared with Medjool dates, jujube dates are smaller, drier, and much less sweet. You’ll sometimes see them described as a dried fruit that can be eaten as-is, but personally, I don’t find them particularly enjoyable that way. Their skin is fairly tough, and the flesh inside can be dry and chewy.

That’s actually what makes them so well suited to tea. Simmering softens the dates and draws out their natural sweetness and honey-like flavor, leaving you with a lovely, lightly sweet tea.

Once you’ve brewed the tea, you can eat the softened jujube dates, add them to another recipe, or simply discard them – whatever you prefer.

Where to buy? Easiest place to find Jujube dates is amazon. Find them on amazon.com and amazon.ca.

Goji berries

Most of us have probably come across goji berries by now. They became hugely popular as a nutrient-rich food and were often promoted as a “superfood.”

But just like jujube dates, goji berries aren’t everyone’s favorite snack. They can be a little chewy, tart, and earthy on their own.

Brewing them into tea is a simple – and surprisingly delicious – way to enjoy them. The berries plump as they simmer, releasing their flavor into the water and making it easy to incorporate them into your routine without having to eat them by the handful.

Where to buy? Goji berries are easier to find in stores, they are widely available now. Also find on amazon.com and amazon.ca.

Organic Ingredients: While amazon is convenient, you can find reasonably priced organic ingredients at OM Foods. They have a US and Canadian location (choose on the site). Use code DREENA for an additional $10 off your order.

Jujube Date and Goji Berry Tea: Benefits*

One of the reasons I was interested in this tea in the first place was that both jujube dates and goji berries have a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

They’re not simply ingredients that happen to taste good together. In TCM, each has a particular role, and the combination is traditionally considered nourishing and supportive, especially for Qi, digestion, and overall vitality.

Jujube Dates: Nourishing Qi, Blood, and the Spleen

Jujube dates, or red dates, are considered a particularly nourishing food in TCM. They’re traditionally used to nourish the blood and Spleen, which plays an important role in digestion and immunity.

Nourishes Blood
Jujube dates are traditionally used to nourish and replenish Blood. In TCM, this is associated with supporting vitality and a healthy complexion. Signs traditionally associated with Blood deficiency can include fatigue, weakness, or a pale complexion.

Supports the Spleen and Digestion
This is one of the reasons our TCM doctor recommended this tea for our daughter. In TCM, the Spleen is responsible for transforming and transporting food and fluids throughout the body. When Spleen Qi is weak, practitioners may describe symptoms such as bloating, sluggish digestion, heaviness, or a tendency toward “dampness.”

Jujube dates are traditionally considered strengthening and supportive for Spleen Qi, which is why they’re such a common ingredient in nourishing teas, soups, and porridges.

Calms the Spirit
Jujube dates are also traditionally used to calm the Spirit. In TCM, this refers to settling and soothing the mind and is associated with easing feelings of restlessness or stress and supporting restful sleep.

Goji Berries: Nourishing Yin and Supporting Vitality

Goji berries, or wolfberries, have their own important place in TCM. They’re traditionally considered nourishing to the Liver and Kidney Yin, and are especially well known for their connection to the eyes.

Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
In TCM, goji berries are traditionally used to nourish Liver and Kidney Yin. This is associated with supporting the eyes, healthy moisture levels, and overall vitality.

Rich in Antioxidants
There’s also a nutritional reason goji berries became so popular outside of TCM. They’re a source of antioxidants and naturally occurring plant compounds, including polysaccharides. You don’t need to think of goji berries as a miracle “superfood,” but they are a nutrient-rich fruit and an easy addition to a varied diet.

Traditionally Used for Skin and Beauty
Goji berries have also earned a reputation as a traditional beauty food. Their use in TCM is associated with nourishing Yin and supporting overall vitality, which has led to their traditional use in preparations intended to promote healthy-looking skin and a radiant complexion.

Again, I think of this less as a magic beauty remedy and more as part of the bigger picture: nourishing foods, adequate sleep, hydration, and taking care of yourself all contribute to how you feel and look.

Jujube Date and Goji Berry Tea: The Recipe

This is more of a guide than a recipe. For instance, you can use all jujube dates or less jujube dates – or increase the water and make a larger batch with more dates and gojis. When the weather gets cooler, add those warming components of ginger and cinnamon. It’s flexible, have fun with it!

*A note about traditional benefits: The concepts of Qi, Blood, Yin, Spleen Qi, and “dampness” come from Traditional Chinese Medicine and don’t correspond directly to Western medical diagnoses or physiological processes. The benefits described here reflect traditional TCM theory and use, rather than claims that this tea can treat or cure medical conditions.