A pot of Kuding Tea, unfurled Kuding Leaves, a cup of Kuding Tea, Dried Kuding Tea/Nails
Hi there, dear friends 
I was introduced to this amazing tea called Kuding Cha by George from Singapore who had commented at my “Amazing, Inexpensive Jiaogulan/Immortality Tea” post earlier (Comment # 65) – I will copy his comments below so that you will learn about this wonderful bitter tea. His health has improved tremendously after drinking the Kuding Cha for a few months, but most importantly, his diabetic blood sugar level has dropped to a prediabetes level. My husband is also a diabetic and I am hoping that this tea will help lower his blood sugar level, and hopefully, wean him off his medication as well. As such, all credit of this post goes to George for leading me to Kuding Cha. 
What is Kuding Cha or Kuding Tea 
The word “Kuding” in Chinese actually means “bitter” and “nails or spikes”. Bitter in taste, the dried whole tea leaves are rolled up usually like a nail form, but they can be found in ball shapes or in loose leaves, too. The leaves are from the Broad Holly or Ilex species tree and can be found in Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Zhejiang, Hunan and Jiangxi in China. Although it is called a tea, it is drank more as a medicinal tea, rather than as a tea for enjoyment because of its bitterness, which remains even after steeping it a few times.
A 40 gm pack of Kuding Tea Leaves
What are the health benefits of Kuding Tea
Kuding Cha is one of the most famous tea in history. According to the Chinese Compendium Materia Medica, the medicinal properties of Kuding Tea can dispel wind-heat, clear the head and the eyes, alleviate thirst, strengthen the digestive system, keep up the spirits (relieves fidgety), clear toxins, reduce inflammation, as well as lower blood pressure and blood lipids (cholesterol).
It is good as an anti-cancer, anti-diabetes tea as well, and has been dubbed the “beauty care tea,” “longevity tea,” and “slimming tea”. Most people started taking this tea for its healthy properties but found that they had also lost some weight quite fast along the way. Some sites sell this tea as an effective slimming tea.
Where to buy Kuding Cha
In Malaysia, there are not many places selling Kuding Tea leaves. After asking my regular Chinese Medicine Shop boss to get some for me (he also didn’t managed to get the leaves in the end), and asking around many shops selling tea and herbs, I finally found one shop in Midvalley Megamall last Sunday selling Kuding Leaves. The name of the shop is Yin Onn and is located opposite the Eu Yan Sang Chinese Medicine shop on the lower ground floor. However, the tea leaves are very expensive – RM9 for 40 gm only (see pic below). 
Anyway, I will continue to look around the other shops that may sell Kuding Cha here in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. 
For those in Singapore, you can buy Kuding Cha from these shops (info provided by George) ===>
1) Bee’s Brand Birds Nest & Health Products @
- 64-66 Smith Street
- BLk 762 Jurong West Ave 5 St 75 #01-282 Gek Poh SC
- BLk 106 Yishun Ring Rd #01-149 Chong Pang City
- Blk 19 Ghim Moh Rd #01-251
2) Gainswell Trading
- Blk 531 Upper Cross St #01-14/16/55 Hong Lim Complex
- Victoria Wholesale Centre
Those in other countries can buy them from shops online if they do a search for Kuding Cha or Kuding Tea.
Taste and Dosage
So far, my family has been testing the Kuding Tea for 4 days only. For the first time, I only used 1 stick of tea for fear of its bitter taste as I wasn’t sure if my family can take it bitterness. Despite the warning of extreme bitterness, my family found the taste palatable and not bad, as it wasn’t as bitter and terribly tasting as some other Chinese herbal drinks I had made them drink! 
I have since amended the dosage and I am now giving my husband 3 sticks of Kuding Cha in 300 ml of water each, twice a day ===> in between his medication and right before bed time. For myself and 2 of my children, we take 1 stick each only, also in 300 ml of water each. The leaves are steeped for at least 1 to 2 hours before consumption, to reap as much of the tea’s goodness as possible.
Repeated brewing or steeping of the tea leaves continue to yield even more bitterness, although the taste is somehow diluted.
Feedback
When we started on Kuding Cha last Sunday, my husband was suffering from very sore gums, whilst my eldest daughter was having a sore throat for days already – all signs of body heatiness and inflamations. After giving them a few cups of Kuding Tea on Sunday – they recovered 90% by Monday, and by Tuesday, the pains were gone.
For me, I was also suffering from slight sore gums, but I didn’t dare to take too much Kuding Cha as I can’t take cooling teas or drinks too well – when my body is overly cooling, I would feel sleepy or lethargic. But due to my sore gums, I also took 1 stick (3 cm long) of Kuding Tea in the morning and by the afternoon, my sore gum would be gone, too.
As for the slimming properties of this tea, I will report here later in a month’s time to see if my husband, second daughter and youngest son have lost some weight.
Meanwhile, if you are trying out Kuding Cha, I would love to hear from you, too, on your experiences.
Some other sites with interesting information on Kuding Tea (click on the names) ===>
Sci-rutgers.edu – A Herbal Tea Called Kuding
Wise Geek – What is Kuding Tea?
Also, do read the comments below for more information.
Warning 
This tea is very cooling and women who are having their menses, pregnant or had just delivered a baby are not allowed to drink Kuding Cha. People with low blood pressure should avoid this tea. As with all alternative healing drinks, if you are on any medication, please have your doctor monitor your health closely while drinking this tea.
If you feel dizzy, lethargic or suffer from cramps often while drinking Kuding Tea, stop taking the tea immediately for those are signs that your body is out of balance and is too cooling or yin in nature. . However, you can take warm or spicy foods to warm back you body – lamb stew is good, especially with some ginger thrown in. Ginger tea is good and warm.
With best wishes for good health,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 6, 2012 @ 12:47 PM
George Tan said,
November 15, 2012 @ 9:42 PM
Hi happyhomemaker,
I have read your other posts and I would like to write something regarding diabetes. I hope your husband’s diabetic condition is under control. Well, this is my story on how to control diabetes. Of course your ’5 colour soup’ is one way and there are many more. But drinking kuding cha is a much easier way.
I too, have diabetes. By drinking kuding cha (苦丁茶) for 3 to 4 months, my full blown diabetes becomes pre-diabetes. This is not just me. My friends’ parents, relatives and neighbours are having their diabetic conditions controlled by drinking this tea.
People got diabetes is because the soldiers of our body, the blood, is dirty. Can you expect weak soldiers to win a war? What kuding cha does is purify our blood and detox our body. Once our body is ‘clean’, your body will start to rebuild your system back to normal. People say kuding cha helps in slimming, good for fighting illnesses and diseases. This may be true, but the important thing is your body is now able to fight diseases and illnesses without medicine.
So, what has kuding tea got to do with diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is mainly caused by insensitive insulin. Just like taking painkillers for headache daily, the effect will get weaker after a period of time. You need to take more and more painkillers for your headache. Same for insulin. Once it becames insensitive, you need more to process the same amount of sugar. By taking diabetes pills, the liver’s production of glucose is reduced. Your husband will feel hungry after taking the medicine because the amount of sugar in his body is now less but the insulin is not reduced. It is the insulin that is causing the hunger because it needs to process sugar. Therefore the body will send a ‘hungry’ signal to the brain so that your husband will eat more food, hoping that more sugar will enter his body. If you ask your husband, he will tell you that this type of hunger is different from the normal hunger. It feels like you are going to faint and you will start sweating and feel weak. That’s why diabetes are advised to carry sweets in case they feel weak and hungry. I used to carry organic resins which is natural, unlike sweets.
By drinking kuding cha, the excess sugar, fats, sodium, cholesterol, water and other toxins are discharged from the body, making one slim and strong again. I lost 6kg after drinking the tea for 3 months and my weight is now constant at 65kg for many months. I know I am better now as I used to have body odour because of the toxin in my body. Passengers on buses and MRT could not stand my odour if I sweat but not so bad now. My wounds will dry in a day instead of 2 to 3 days. Mosquitoes start to bite me because my blood is clean now, etc, etc.
Kuding cha and jiaogulan have the effects of making one better. But kuding cha is more aggressive and cooling. One has to limit the amount of leaf to use for making tea if you are sensitive to coolness. Normally I would recommend my friends to drink kuding cha first to purge all the impurities from the body and jiaogulan later to build the body’s system back to normal or better.
I hope this message will give your readers another means to fight diabetes and other diseases and illnesses without medicine. Please google kuding for more info.
Regards,
George, Singapore
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 6, 2012 @ 12:49 PM
George Tan said,
November 16, 2012 @ 9:30 PM ·
Hi happyhomemaker,
1) My normal advice to my friends is to use half a stick of kuding cha to make a cup of tea if they are not bothered by its ‘coolness’. They can then progress to use 1 stick or more of the leaves to make a cup or more cups from the same leaves. People like me that have issues with ‘cooling’ tea can start with 1cm of the leaf and drink max of 1cup/day. One has to self adjust the length of tea leaf until the side effects are minimised.
2) Can drink anytime. But I normally ask them to drink the tea before they sleep if they are taking other medicines so that they don’t clash. The rule applies. There must be a 2 hours separation after taking medicine and drinking tea.
3) Those shops selling jiaogulan will most likely have kuding cha for sales too. Singaporeans can buy kuding cha and jiaogulan from those shops that I mentioned.
4) S$4.80/100g for kuding cha and S$3.50/100g for jiaogulan.
5) Oh yes. No point taking the medicine as the teas (kuding and jiaogulan) are more beneficial. Morever, my HDL (good cholesterols) are normal and LDL (bad) have decreased too after drinking the teas, so I stop taking the cholesterol medicine. Afterall, it has very bad side effects.
6) Another advice. One has to watch the diet for the first couple of months. There is a need for kuding cha to cleanse the body first. The effectiveness of the tea will be hampered if more rubbish enters the body before the old ones are cleared.
7) If your hushand feels hungry, there is no need to take alot of food. A little sweetness (sweet or a few raisins) will do or drink plain water. As for food after midnight, take those drinks without sugar, like soyabean or almond.
Hope these answers can help you.
George, Singapore
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 6, 2012 @ 12:50 PM
George Tan said,
November 20, 2012 @ 11:30 PM
Hi, happyhomemaker and all,
Here’s a little more on what kuding leaves (苦丁叶) can do.
1) Kuding cha was introduced to me by my ex-colleague whose hushand was having staged 4 throat and lung cancer due to smoking. He could not talk, eat or drink as his throat was very painful. Her relative from China sent her the tea and said it might help her hushand. Her hushand drank the tea for 2 -3 months afterwhich he could talk, drink and eat again! But he could smoke too and eventually he died. That’s why I always like to introduce the tea to smokers as it helps in cleansing their throats. Good for preventing sore throats too and also cancer?
2) Normally I cook sweet desserts (white fungus soup, green bean soup, cheng teng, sweet potato soup, etc) during weekends for my family. But ants and germs will always attack the food and spoil the food in half a day as I normally do not cover the food so as to let it cool. So, I put a little of the kuding leaf in the sweet desserts for its bitter taste. The food will not have any ants nor go bad even for the whole day after that.
3) A lot of my friends and neighbours bought kuding leaves from China, either through friends, relatives or internet shopping because it is very difficult to find locally. When I found out the outlets selling the tea leaves from another friend, I bought about 50 packs for my friends and neighbours (on their behalf). So you see, kuding cha is a very well known tea, not only for its medical properties, but also for its slimming effect as most of my friends bought the tea after seeing me so slim after drinking the tea! Don’t worry. The tea will not over slim like some slimming tea, it will maintain you at the correct weight.
Best regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 6, 2012 @ 3:26 PM
George Tan said,
December 22, 2012 @ 11:39 PM
Hi everyone,
Just a question for all who drink kuding cha or jiaogulan tea. Normally this time of the year, you will see people coughing and sneezing but have you noticed you are not one of them? I have and I thank the tea for making me healthy. U should try them if you have not yet.
George, Singapore
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 24, 2012 @ 10:30 AM
Hi there, dear George
Thank you for your update. Yes, you are right – my family’s feeling well despite it being a flu and cough season now. This tea’s really great!
The Kuding Cha is also superb in keeping our weight down – despite a few rounds of feasting within this few weeks after starting on the Kuding Cha, I have not gained any weight (in previous years, I would have ballooned up by this time
)….my husband said he had to buckle in his belt a further 2 notches one week after drinking the Kuding Cha. He’s now telling our children that this tea is really good and he encourages them to drink it as well. Usually, he doesn’t have a lot to say about the various health teas and drinks I gave him. 
My husband also said the Kuding Cha is helping him with his smoking addicition – somehow, he doesn’t feel as great a need to smoke these days after starting on the tea, and he is slowly cutting down on his cigarettes – from slightly more than 1 pack a day to about 3/4 pack a day. It must be the detoxifying effect as well as the benefits of the tea on our mind.
My lady healer friend said the Kuding Cha can be brewed with the Jiaogulan Tea and drank together – I have been doing that as my children don’t really like the bitter Kuding Tea. For me, I have grown to love the bitter taste of tea and enjoy sipping it slowly from Chinese teacups over the day.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
With best wishes,
choesf
Theresa said,
December 24, 2012 @ 4:44 PM
Hello Choesf, (and “hello” to George),
There must be some real goodness in these teas, Jiaogulan and Kuding tea. I started drinking the Jiaogulan tea since September 18, 2012 on a daily basis. So far so good! I have not had any throat irritation or cold, or flu. Thank you both for introducing these two types of tea to all of us that follow your blog.
I did start drinking the Kuding tea before going to sleep. But, I was not sure if the two tea can be drank simultaneously so I decided to just drinking Jiaogulan tea only. Now since your lady healer friend said that it is alright to drink both tea together, I will give that a try again.
Happy holidays….
Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 24, 2012 @ 8:09 PM
Hi there, dear Theresa
Thank you for your feedback on drinking the teas. I’m glad you are also feeling good and healthy since drinking Jiaogulan Tea.
Another benefit from drinking the Jiaogulan Tea is that my joints are more flexible now – previously, my joints (at the knees and hips) were quite stiff and I couldn’t sit cross legged for more than 3 minutes as my legs would go to sleep and I have to shift my leg position constantly when I do my meditation.
I tested out recently – I can now sit cross legged, with my legs bent a lot at the knees, for a good 10 minutes, without any loss of blood circulation, i.e. my legs didn’t go to sleep. I have stopped doing yoga many years ago, and so, I can only attribute the flexible joints and good blood circulation to the J Tea.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
With best wishes,
choesf
George Tan said,
December 25, 2012 @ 8:48 AM
Hi happyhomemaker88 and Theresa,
Glad you all are enjoying your tea and the feastings. This is what I normally tell people that a simple tea (and simple life) can make a big difference to one’s health but they are rather skeptical about it. Well, I hope there will be more blogs and internet sites that will promote the wonders of jiaogulan and kuding cha to more people like yours, happyhomemaker88.
Enjoy the holidays with good health and lots of wealth.
George
Theresa said,
December 26, 2012 @ 3:03 PM
Good morning Choesf,
WOW! That is good news, your husband losing weight and cutting down on his smoking. I am very happy for You and him.
Can you tell us again the daily servings of Kuding Cha you were giving your husband, and when? Does he drink other tea or coffee in between? I would like to know so that all of us coming to your blog can share your findings with our families and friends.
Regards,
Theresa
P.S. Was your husband’s diet the same as before he started drinking Kuding Cha?
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 27, 2012 @ 6:06 PM
Hi there, dear Theresa
Yes, my husband’s diet was and is still the same when I started giving him the Kuding Cha. It’s very hard to get him to cut down on his sweets and snacks.
He also have a lot of coffee daily – about 4 – 5 cups. During the day, I will give him 1 cup of Jiaogulan Tea and 1 cup of Kuding Cha (3 sticks of leaves)…and where possible, I will give him an additional cup of Jiaogulan Tea or Kuding Cha in between his medication.
For the Jiaogulan Tea, I find that drinking it after a meal helps to cut the fats and oiliness. I even did an experiment and poured a little Jiaogulan Tea over an oily spot on my dining table, wiped dry with a piece of paper kitchen towel and that spot was squeaky clean, not oily at all!
On those days that my family had some feasting (e.g. buffet dinners, Chinese Festivals, Christmas Eve dinners, etx), I made sure we had lots of the Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha before and after the meals.
One thing which I am not sure if it is just me and it never happened to the others in my family – I get a slight headache if I don’t drink either the Jiaogulan Tea or Kuding Cha in a day. But I know that most of my headaches are caused by my stomach (wind, indigestion previously).
For my family’s daily consumption, I make about 2 litres of Jiaogulan Tea and 2 litres of Kuding Cha.
Happy Holidays!
With best wishes,
choesf
P.S. One of the benefits of Kuding Cha is eye-sight improvement, i.e. clarity of eye sight, etc…this is very good for my children and husband, who are on the computer daily for many hours.
George Tan said,
December 30, 2012 @ 11:54 AM
Hi happyhomemaker88,
When I was just drinking kuding cha, I did not have any eyesight improvement. It was only when I added jiaogulan leaves to kuding cha then I found my eyes could see things sharper. So I guess the combination of the 2 teas have additional benefit(s) for me.
Regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 31, 2012 @ 3:57 PM
Good afternoon, dear George
Wow, you eyesight actually got clearer from drinking those teas, how wonderful indeed! I felt that when we mix both the Jiaogulan and Kuding Tea leaves together, their efficacy is even better!
Thank you for sharing your feedback, I’m sure we will find out more improvements about our health from drinking those teas.
Happy New Year 2013!
With best wishes,
choesf
Theresa said,
December 27, 2012 @ 11:03 PM
Dear Choesf,
Thank you. Your replies are always very informative.
WOW! Two litres of each kind of tea a day. Does that mean you use about 18 sticks of Kuding tea leaves to make 2 litres of Kuding Cha? I ask this because you had said earlier that you use 3 sticks of Kuding leaves for a 300ml cup of Kuding Cha.
~Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 29, 2012 @ 1:47 PM
Good afternoon, dear Theresa
Heheh, I try to put as much information here as possible for sharing here about the effects of drinking both teas.
Before I forget, I noticed that my cracked heels have improved tremendously, along with my skin texture and complexion – before drinking those teas, I have very bad cracked heels that would recur if I stop using heel balm. These days, I don’t have to use those expensive cracked heel balms, and I only use Rosken Skin Repair Cream now and then on my heels (not daily anymore) and I don’t have cracked heels already.
My coffee mugs/cups can hold about 300 ml of water and so, I would estimate the total amount of teas I make daily. Therefore, I roughly use about 15 to 18 sticks of Kuding Cha a day, even the short sticks are counted as one stick. Heheh, I give my husband 3 long sticks in his coffee mug and I try to give him 2 cups a day as I feel he needs to detoxify more than the rest of the family.
Sometimes, I would put 2 sticks of Kuding Cha and half a teaspoon of loose Jiaogulan Tea into his coffee mug … because he has so many things to drink.
Also, I have stopped giving my husband Kuding Cha around bedtime because the tea is a strong diuretic and I noticed my husband has to go to the bathroom often in the middle of the night/his sleep…usually, he only goes once at bedtime. So as not to disrupt his sleep, I stop giving him both the teas after dinner.
Do have a wonderful weekend with your family!
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 29, 2012 @ 1:51 PM
P.S. I don’t make 2 litres of Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha every day, only on most days when most of my family are home to drink them. In between, I have other healthy, cooling teas, e.g. Hor Yan Hor tea, 5-Flower Tea, Chrysantemum/Motherwort Tea, etc….to balance the heatiness of our body now and then.
George Tan said,
December 29, 2012 @ 7:44 PM
Hi happyhomemaker88,
Why don’t you reuse the tea leaves for the same day? If the tea is too diluted, you can steep the leaves a bit longer as kuding cha can be reused for up to 9 times theoretically or you can just add a bit more tea leaves to the same cup of tea.
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 29, 2012 @ 7:51 PM
Good evening, dear George
Yes, I read that the leaves can be steep up to 9 times, and that the subsequent times will require longer steeping times. What I do is just steep the Kuding Cha for at least 2 hours in a large jug or teapot and that will result in a very strong brew. I have tried using those leaves to make a second steeping and I found that although there is still some level of bitterness there, the taste is already very diluted. Sometimes, I would gather all those used tea leaves and make a second cup of tea for myself.
Have a lovely weekend and Happy New Year!
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 29, 2012 @ 7:54 PM
P.S. The teas are enough for my family of 6 adults, with my husband having double “portions”
Theresa said,
December 29, 2012 @ 10:16 PM
Hello Choesf,
I am so glad that you mentioned ‘cracked heels’. I too had seriously dried and cracked heels. In fact the whole feet were like that. And even my hands were very dried. Especially the tips of my fingers. I dragged shaking hands with others because my Hands felt like sand paper. I would be afraid to touch silk because I will snag it.
I just took a good look at my heels. I do not see any more cracks under my feet. But, the skin is still a bit dry. Although the skin under my feet is dry looking, it feels very smooth.
I was thinking lately how the skin of my hands got so smooth. I thought that it was from wearing gloves when ever I washed dishes lately.
Now I know that it was drinking Jiaogulan tea that transformed my very dried and cracked skin to smooth skin.
Good night,
Theresa
Theresa said,
December 30, 2012 @ 1:02 PM
P.S. ==> I stopped buying and wearing those nice Japanese house slippers because my cracked and dried heels would just tear the cloth after two weeks. I will now buy a pair and test it with my soft and smooth heels.
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 31, 2012 @ 3:46 PM
Hi there, dear Theresa
Wow, I’m glad you also reported that your cracked heels have got healed somehow by drinking those teas. Now, you can look forward to wearing those pretty Japanese cloth slippers!
Yesterday, I was very busy and didn’t put my usual hand cream at the end of the day – I noticed my hands are still smooth and not dry at all. It’s really amazing how the teas can benefit us in so many ways.
Happy New Year 2013!
With best wishes,
choesf
PandaMun said,
December 31, 2012 @ 4:55 PM
I got my kuding tea from Empire shopping mall. It’s in a box and it cost me RM 60++
happyhomemaker88 said,
December 31, 2012 @ 9:13 PM
Hi there, dear PandaMun
Thank you for your update, I’m glad you found Kuding Cha. Is that the Empire Shopping Mall in Subang Jaya and from which shop did you buy it from? Also, what is the weight of the Kuding Cha in a box?
I have not found another place yet that sells Kuding Cha and I am thinking of going back to Midvalley Megamall to replenish my Kuding Cha stock – it cost me RM9 for 40gm. If yours is cheaper, then I will go to Empire and try the Kuding Cha from there.
With best wishes,
choesf
PandaMun said,
January 4, 2013 @ 4:36 PM
123grams for Rm60 which I find it really pricey
I will be going to Singapore this month and hopefully I could get some cheap kuding tea leaves!
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 4, 2013 @ 7:42 PM
Happy New Year, dear PandaMun
Wow, that sure is very expensive for 123 gms of Kuding Leaves. You must buy at least 1 kg when you are in Singapore!
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 4, 2013 @ 7:43 PM
P.S. You may as well buy the loose Jiaogulan Tea when you are at the shop buying Kuding Cha. It’s really cheap there in Singapore, too …according to George and Theresa.
Theresa said,
December 31, 2012 @ 9:57 PM
Hi Choesf and PandaMun,
WOW! RM60++ a box sounds quite expensive unless it is of premium grade. I bought my Kuding Cha at S$4.80 for a box weighting 100 grams. At today’s exchange rate of approximately (2.5), that comes to RM12.00 a box. Cheof, send me your email address and I can send you a picture of the Kuding Cha box.
Yes. I too was not moistening my hands after each round of daily cooking and washing dishes. I was also too lazy to wear gloves while washing dishes. And the skin of my hands felt the worst, dried and chapped. And the skin around my nails were all dried and cracked too, looking horrible. But, for the past week my hands feels very soft and smooth even after cooking dinner and washing dishes. I am so amazed.
Have fun watching fireworks at midnight tonight. Happy New Years!
~Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 1, 2013 @ 9:13 AM
Happy New Year, dear Theresa and PandaMun
Yes, the price of Kuding Cha here is really high! It’s more than double the prices in Singapore. Even the loose Jiaogulan Tea is more expensive here.
I have another idea for the used Jiaogulan teabags but I have yet to try it out
===> put the used teabags in the fridge. When cold, put them over our eyes as treatment for our eye bags. If the Jiaogulan tea works so well inside our body, it must work well outside, too, yes? 
With best wishes,
choesf
Theresa said,
January 2, 2013 @ 1:24 PM
Hello George,
Happy New Year to you. I re-read some of the previous post and noticed your comment on improvement of eye sight clarity. Do you actually brew tea with both Jiaogulan and Kuding tea leaves together? Or just drinking both tea during the day? And what amount of each tea leave do you use for this combination brew?
It is so amazing that we are finding more good effects from consuming these tea daily.
~ Theresa
George Tan said,
January 2, 2013 @ 10:54 PM
Hi Theresa,
This was the post I replied you on November 24, 2012 @ 9:00 PM. Hope you can recall.
“HI Theresa,
In fact, I am drinking a mixture of jiaogulan and kuding tea now, but the quantity of each type of leaf is half of what I will drink normally if I am drinking one type of leaf only. But if I eat alot of oily or junk food, I will only drink kuding cha at night to cleanse the unhealthy stuff out of the body. Note that I drink other tea (red, green, fenugreek or chrysanthemum) during the day.”
If it is too confusing, I hope this is clearer.
1. I drink tea by combining kuding and jiaogulan leaves together at night, normally 1 to 2 hours after dinner. The amount of leaves I use (for each type of tea) is usually halved of what I will use if I am drinking 1 type of tea only, ie half portion of kuding and half portion of jiaogulan combine to make 1 portion.
2. If I eat alot of oily food, then I will only drink kuding cha, ie 1 portion of kuding leaf.
3. Daytime, I drink 1 other type of tea, be it red, green fenugreek or chrysanthemum. Fenugreek is good for diabetes as it will make the insulin more sensitive to blood sugar. Chrysanthemum is good for eyes.
Regards,
George
Theresa said,
January 3, 2013 @ 2:47 AM
Thank you for the reminder George. I do recall your November 24 reply. But at that time I thought that you meant that you drink both types of tea through out the day. I did not think that you meant that you actually brew tea with both types of tea leaves together. Now it is clear to me. Thank you for explaining it.
Do you still only drink the tea at night before going to sleep?
, Theresa
Theresa said,
January 3, 2013 @ 4:07 PM
P.S.
Hi George,
I read again your replies and your latest explanation. Easy to understand. I am amazed that for you by drinking just one cup of Kuding Cha or a mixed cup of combined brew a day had improved your health so much. So I was wondering that for those of us that drink more than a cup a day of either Jiaogulan tea or Kuding Cha a day, are we drinking to much?
~ Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 3, 2013 @ 9:11 PM
Hi there, dear George and Theresa
The last time I visited my lady healer friend, she said we can drink 3 cups of Jiaogulan Tea daily and that we can combine Jiaogulan and Kuding Tea Leaves and drink at the same time. However, she didn’t say how much of Kuding Cha to take.
I also do like George does when combining both the leaves – I use half the amount of the tea leaves if I had made them separately.
As to how much is considered safe to take, we can monitor our body response and health closely after drinking the teas. If we feel sick or something is not right, then we reduce the amount of teas, or take a break from drinking them. Sometimes, our body gets “used” to the tea and do not respond as well.
I asked my lady healer friend if Kuding Cha is overly cooling for me. She said perimenopausal and menopausal women are very heaty and therefore, Kuding Cha is safe to take for me. She said Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha have been around for a long time but not many people are aware about them.
I am waiting for some new “tea” to arrive by post for testing and I will post here about its amazing qualities as well. This “tea” was introduced to me by my lady healer friend who had tried it out a couple of months ago.
With best wishes,
choesf
George Tan said,
January 4, 2013 @ 9:43 AM
Hi Theresa,
As explained by happyhomemaker, you control the amount of leaves to use, ie. self adjustment. Don’t let the leaves control you until you are too cool or too heaty.
Hi happyhomemaker,
Can’t wait to learn of your new tea.
Regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 5, 2013 @ 12:57 PM
Update :-
I bought 100gm of loose Jiaogulan Tea for RM11 from Effective Herbs & Medicine Sdn Bhd, Lot 221B LG Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya,.
They have 2 other outlets under the name of Taimal Herbs & Medicine Sdn Bhd at :-
1) Lot.1.11.10 Level 1, Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur
2) Lot G49, Jusco Metro Prima Shopping Centre, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur
niceyfemme said,
January 19, 2013 @ 7:41 PM
Hi to all of you. Thank you for introducing me to both of these wonderful teas. I will be introducing them to my mother’s diet as she’s almost diabetic. I went to Victoria wholesale center and was ready to pay for S$4.80 per 100gms of Kuding Cha and S$3.80 for Jiaogulan Tea. But I found another store there that sells 500gms pack for S$15 each. But I dont read chinese so Im not sure if that really is the jiaogulan tea but why would the lady lie anyway? thanks again!
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 20, 2013 @ 11:04 PM
Hi there, dear niceyfemme
Thank you for sharing here on where you got your teas. The information will surely come in handy. I hope the teas would work well for your mom, too.
Nowadays, I put both Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha and make 2 jugs of the teas daily…heheh, easier and simpler to prepare for my family of 6. Nowadays, they will help themselves to the teas without me prompting them like when I started them. They all felt the goodness of the teas.
With best wishes,
choesf
Theresa said,
January 22, 2013 @ 4:46 PM
Hello Niceyfemme,
You can always compare the Chinese words even if you can not read it. Jiaogulan Cha in Chinese is 绞股蓝茶， Kuding Cha in Chinese is 苦丁茶。 Another name for Jiaogulan Cha in Chinese is 金嗓子. Is this Victoria wholesale centre in Singapore?
Theresa said,
January 22, 2013 @ 5:02 PM
Hi Choesf,
I am still only drinking Jiaogulan Cha on its own and have not mix the two leaves together to brew tea. Since you had been drinking this mixed brew for a while, can you let me know if the effect on the body is any different than from drinking tea from one type of tea leaf.
I make one pot of Jiaogulan Cha for myself and one pot of Kuding Cha for my husband daily. I am now considering making mixed brew Jiaogulan/Kuding Cha for the two of us instead. To make life easier!
~Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 23, 2013 @ 9:26 AM
Hi there, dear Theresa
These days as I am really busy decluttering and cleaning, preparing for the Chinese New Year, I have stopped making just Jiaogulan tea and I make 2 large jugs of a combination of Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha. I make almost 3 litres a day – for each litre, I put in 1 heaping teaspoon of loose Jiaogulan Tea + 1 teabag of Jiaogulan Tea + 3 sticks of Kuding Cha.
I cannot confirm it but I feel that somehow, the combination of both the teas result in better effects – for example, I feel that while the Kuding Cha helps to detoxify the body, the Jiaogulan Tea enhances its effects and the results are seen the following day when we go to the toilet. The same results are not seen if we take any of those teas alone.
I am now trying out Yerba Mate tea as well – my lady healer friend introduced me to the Yerba Mate tea and she would put 1 Yerba Mate teabag + 1 Jiaogulan teabag into a mug/pot and drink together…wow, she said the Yerba Mate Tea gives her a lot of energy and she never got exhausted from giving healing massages throughout the day. I will write about the Yerba Mate tea later. Gosh…I am taking so many types of teas these days!
This year, for the Chinese New Year cleaning and decluttering, I have more to do because we are also painting most parts of the house and doing some minor renovation works. With those teas, I find that I have lots more energy and my body aches/pains heal much better, much faster! But I have to drink at least 2 to 3 cups of the Jiaogulan and Kuding Cha teas.
Oh, my husband is going to Singapore for a meeting next week, and I told my nephew there in Singapore to buy 3 kilos of Kuding Cha for him to bring back to me.
My nephew checked out the prices at Gainswell…it seems 150gm of Kuding Cha is $5-80 in loose plastic bag packaging, while the box of 100gm is selling at $4-80.
Do have a lovely day!
With best wishes,
choesf
George Tan said,
January 24, 2013 @ 9:35 AM
Hi happyhomemaker,
This is the link to Gainswell locations in Singapore (http://www.beesbrand.com.sg/location.htm).
Their storage and package room is 1 to 2 doors away from the main office (in Upper Cross Street). Ask your nephew to call the main office and see if can they pack and sell you the tea in 1kg or 3 kg package and at a better price.
Regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 24, 2013 @ 1:23 PM
Hi there, dear George
Thank you for the link. I will be sure to ask my nephew to check it out. I already told him to get a special price for 3 kilos of Kuding Cha. I am not sure which branch he went to earlier.
With best wishes,
choesf
Theresa said,
January 23, 2013 @ 12:02 PM
Good morning Choesf,
I see that you are busy as a bee. It’s good that the tea is giving you vital energy. And thanks for taking time out to reply to these numerous questions on this site from me and all your other readers.
Great that your husband will be helping you to stock up on tea leaves. We will all need it for the rounds of endless eating during the up coming Lunar New Year celebrations.
What about Jiaogulan tea? Have your husband bring some back too. I buy my loose Jiaogulan tea in its original package of 600 grams at S$1.60 per 100g.
This morning I brew a mixed pot of tea using 3 tsp of loose Jiaogulan and 2 sticks of Kuding. I did not use the Jiaogulan tea bag thinking it might get too bitter.
Enjoy the rest of your day even if you are busy.
-Theresa
happyhomemaker88 said,
January 24, 2013 @ 8:44 AM
Good morning, dear Theresa
How do you find the combo of Jiaogulan Tea and Kuding Cha? Felt anything different? Heheh, I told my husband to just get Kuding Cha from Singapore because it’s really terribly expensive here. Loose Jiaogulan Tea is not so costly in price – about RM8 for 100gm.
Now that the mandarin oranges are available for the Chinese New Year, my husband is eating too many oranges
and I don’t foresee his blood sugar level to go down when he takes his blood test in a week’s time or so. Moreover, I am not giving him enough Kuding Cha as I’d love to as I am so busy with CNY preparations. 
Take care and do have a lovely day! I’m glad today is a public holiday here in Malaysia and I can get my “soldiers” (children) to help me the whole day today!
With best wishes,
choesf
George Tan said,
January 24, 2013 @ 9:39 AM
HI Theresa,
May I know where did you buy your jiaogulan leaves as they are cheaper than where I bought them.
Thanks
George
Theresa said,
January 24, 2013 @ 10:11 PM
Hello George,
I go to a small medical hall that is on New Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street. The shop is on New Bridge Road facing Yue Hua store. It is right next door to Hotel 81. The Shop is called Teck Yin Soon Chinese Medical Hall. 德仁信中藥行私人有限公司. It is not that far from the medical hall where you buy your tea from.
The first time when I bought the loose jiaogulan cha, it was at $1.80 for 100gram. The last time I bought a 600g package for $1.60 per 100g. It is in its original package.
~Theresa
george tan said,
January 27, 2013 @ 11:26 AM
Thank you Theresa,
Will check out the shop when my herb is running low.
Regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 13, 2013 @ 9:41 AM
Here is the initial positive feedback from my nephew in Singapore who started drinking Kuding Cha when I asked him to buy 2 kg of it before the Chinese New Year
===>
1) both his wife and him are vegans and they are not overweight at all. However, after drinking just 1 stick of Kuding Cha after lunch and sometimes after dinner, they have lost some weight…looking even slimmer.
2) my nephew has been suffering from indigestion and bloatedness for quite a long time and no remedy seemed to help that problem. He was so bloated until his pants were too tight and his face was all puffed up. After taking Kuding Cha, his indigestion and bloatedness have all gone away! How wonderful!
3) my nephew’s colleague, who was quite overweight, lost 5kg in just one month of taking 1 stick of Kuding Cha on weekdays after lunch.
George Tan said,
March 14, 2013 @ 8:33 AM
Hi happyhomemaker88,
I like the ways you test a herb and post its benefits. May I have your permission to use these benefits (of kuding cha) on my blog so that everyone can read that other people are also benefiting from this wonderful tea other than me?
Thank you.
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 14, 2013 @ 9:03 AM
Good morning, dear George
Of course, you can share my findings at your blog – it is good to spread the word around on using such a wonderful, simple tea for good health…but, I really appreciate the fact that you were the one that introduced Kuding Cha to me in the first place! ** 2 thumbs up **
Do have a lovely day!
With best wishes,
choesf
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 14, 2013 @ 9:06 AM
P.S. George, I just noticed that your blog link to your username here in the comments is not working…maybe you have to edit the link? Just copy your blog link and omit the “@”…this way, my readers can find your useful blog, too.
George Tan said,
March 15, 2013 @ 5:51 PM
Thank you happyhomemaker.
Typed my blog wrongly. Thanks for pointing out the mistake.
Regards,
George
happyhomemaker88 said,
March 15, 2013 @ 5:58 PM
You are most welcome, dear George!
With best wishes,
choesf