Description:

竹殼茶 葫蘆茶

竹壳茶(原名葫芦茶)，竹壳茶广东紫金的出品。

以整片竹箨（竹壳）包扎成五个连珠葫芦状，底部贴上红纸标签，过去在广州市中药店悬挂出售，颇为引人注目，是广东民间凉茶之一。这些年因利润低微，且外观“老土”，故在广州已难觅踪迹。可它却是真材实料之品。竹壳茶，内含鸭脚木叶、葫芦茶、鸡骨草、金银花、车前草、金不换、救必应等中草药，据说民间已有近四百年的饮用历史。

功效

清热解暑

茶功擅清热消暑，利湿消滞，用治感受暑热、感冒食滞、大肠湿热等病症。

帮助消化

三四口之家，每次取茶丸两个，加水煎滚5分钟即可饮用。汤味苦中带甘，醇和宜人。尚可煎水外洗以清热止痒。 竹壳茶主要原料是葫芦茶。葫芦茶属草本植物，叶片外形如倒转葫芦；采叶晒干为茶叶，性味微苦、涩、凉，有清肺利咽、清热利湿、消滞杀虫的功效，能治咽喉肿痛，肺燥咳嗽痰血，湿热泻痢，暑湿证，小儿疳积、消化不良。常与其它药配成清暑消滞类凉茶，也可单方100至150克煎水当茶饮。

防虫保健

葫芦茶的全草能防腐杀虫，《岭南采药录》记载：“干置衣箱中，辟蠹去蛀虱。”广东民间用它腌制咸鱼和肉类，以防蝇蛆。 竹壳茶现已制成袋泡剂和冲剂等新剂型，前者易名为“保健茶”，加入了现代广东民间凉茶的行列。

Bamboo shell tea/cucurbit tea/Zhu Ke Cha/ Hu Lu Cha

A combination of traditional plant medicine herbs to support healthy digestion, wrapped in a bamboo leaf. 

From the manufacturer: 

Bamboo shell tea (formerly known as gourd tea), bamboo shell tea produced by Guangdong Zijin. The whole piece of bamboo sheath (bamboo shell) is wrapped into five lianzhu gourds, and the bottom is affixed with a red paper label. In the past, it was hung and sold in Guangzhou Chinese medicine stores. It is quite eye-catching and one of the folk herbal teas in Guangdong. In recent years, because of low profits and "old-fashioned" appearance, it has been difficult to find it in Guangzhou. But it is a real product. 

Bamboo shell tea contains Chinese herbal medicines such as duck's foot knobs, gourd tea, chicken bone grass, honeysuckle [anti-biotic], plantain, Jinbuhuan, Jiu Bing [anti-parasite], etc. It is said that [this tea has been used for 400 years]. [Canton love-pes vine (aka chicken bone grass, Abrus Frutus Losus herb,) improves liver function, clears dampness, reduces bloating, improves general wellbeing. (timeout.com) ]

Effects: The tea is used to relieve heat [inflammation, fever, etc] Tea Gong is good at clearing heat, eliminating dampness and stagnation, and is used to treat symptoms such as heat, cold and food stagnation, damp heat of the large intestine.

Improve digestion 

For a family of three or four, take two tea pills at a time, add water and boil for 5 minutes before drinking. The soup tastes bitter, sweet, mellow, and pleasant. It can [be used topically] with decoction to clear heat [skin redness] and relieve itching. The main raw material of bamboo shell tea is gourd tea. Gourd tea is a herbaceous plant, the shape of the leaves is like an inverted gourd; the leaves are picked and dried into tea. The taste is slightly bitter, astringent, and cool. 

It has the effects of clearing the lungs and throat, clearing heat and dampness, eliminating stagnation and [treating infections], and can cure sore throat, lung dryness, cough, sputum and blood, damp-heat diarrhea, heat-damp syndrome, malnutrition in children, and indigestion. It is often mixed with other medicines to make herbal tea for clearing heat and dissipating stagnation. It can also be used as a single prescription of 100 to 150 grams of decoction for tea. Insect health care: The whole plant of gourd tea can be antiseptic and insecticidal. 

The "Lingnan Collection of Medicines" records: "Dry it in the suitcase to remove moths." The Guangdong folk use it to pickle salted fish and meat to prevent fly maggots. Bamboo shell tea has now been made into new dosage forms such as pouches and granules. The former was renamed "health tea" and joined the ranks of modern Guangdong folk herbal teas.