Herbal teas: how two Hong Kong experts tweaked TCM to cater for modern lifestyles and the quest for balance
Using traditional Chinese medicine principles but focusing on time-pressed 21st century consumers, Cinci Leung and Clair Beardson help clients drink the right types of herbal tea for their body type to maximise the health benefits
From igniting wars to shaping cultures, tea has played a crucial role in the lives of billions of people around the world for centuries – and its popularity is not waning. The global tea market is on the rise and is estimated to be worth US$47 billion by 2020, up from almost US$38 billion in 2013, according to Transparency Market Research.
Meanwhile, a new wellness tea movement has emerged in recent times, with health-conscious people turning to one of the world’s most popular drinks to tap its benefits.
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Two traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners in Hong Kong are trying to help busy people make better choices about the teas they drink by creating their own herbal tea lines that promote all-round well-being and balance.
Cinci Leung has been practising TCM for five years, but she is anything but traditional. The 35-year-old has spent the last year making her TCM philosophy more accessible to today’s consumers folk through her clinic, cafes and CheckCheckCin brand, which includes a herbal tea range, mocktail tea bars, a smartphone health app and cookery books.
CheckCheckCin means “to check first” in Cantonese. It refers to Leung’s passion for TCM’s preventative medicine principles that encourage people to make healthy decisions for a balanced life.