Freeze-Dried Hawthorn Balls (Crataegus pinnatifida) — Seedless Hollow Shan Zha, 500 g

Freeze-Dried Hawthorn Balls (Crataegus pinnatifida) are the pitted, hollowed, freeze-dried fruit of a traditional food herb known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Shān Zhā (山楂). Also called Hawthorn or Chinese Hawberry, Shan Zha has been prized for centuries as a sour, gently warming digestive herb used to rouse the appetite, move stagnant food, and support smooth digestion. Its nature is sour, sweet, and slightly warm, making it a friendly everyday fruit for both kitchen and herbal pantry.

Key Selling Points

• Traditional food-herb fruit for daily digestion support
• Seedless hollow balls, easy to eat and brew
• Freeze-dried to preserve color, aroma, and tartness
• No added sugar in the freeze-drying process
• 500 g bulk pack for tea, snacks, and soups

Quality & Sensory

Each batch is freeze-dried to preserve the fruit's deep rosy-red color, light porous texture, and bright, clean hawthorn aroma. The hollow balls are crisp and airy, snapping lightly when bitten, and release a lively sour-sweet taste that softens into a mellow tartness when steeped in hot water. Unlike sugar-coated hawthorn candies, these balls carry the fruit's own natural acidity without a heavy syrup coating.

Technical Specifications

Usage Scenarios

• Herbal tea or hot-water infusion
• Everyday snack straight from the pack
• Congee and grain porridge
• Soup and stew ingredient
• Blended with other food herbs in seasonal drinks

Traditional Uses

In folk herbal practice, Shan Zha is decocted into teas, congee, and soups to support digestion after rich meals. It is a classic companion to ingredients like dried tangerine peel, jujube, and rock sugar in slow-simmered digestive broths, and it appears in traditional hawthorn drinks and hawthorn cakes. As a daily tea, the freeze-dried balls are simply steeped in hot water for a tart, refreshing infusion.

FAQ Q&A