Ku Ding Tea (Ilex latifolia) — Large-Leaf Wild Bitter Tea, Dried Loose Leaf Herbal Infusion

Ku Ding Tea (Ilex latifolia) is the dried large leaf of a revered traditional herb known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Kǔ Dīng Chá (苦丁茶). For centuries, Ku Ding has been prized as a cooling, fire-clearing, and spirit-lightening herb, used to refresh the senses, clear heat from the head, and support comfortable digestion after rich meals. Its nature is bitter, sweet, and cold, making it a brisk yet clarifying herb for soothing internal heat and restoring a light, balanced feeling.

Key Selling Points

• Traditional heat-clearing food herb
• Large-leaf wild Ku Ding variety
• Ilex latifolia botanical identity
• Dried loose leaf, unsweetened
• Suitable for daily tea and after-meal infusion

Quality & Sensory

Each batch is carefully dried to preserve its deep olive-green color, long twisted leaf shape, and clean herbal aroma. When brewed, the leaves unfurl slowly and yield a clear golden-green infusion with a distinctly bitter opening note that softens into a lingering, gently sweet aftertaste — a classic signature of well-processed large-leaf Ku Ding.

Technical Specifications

Usage Scenarios

• Daily hot tea infusion
• After-meal digestive tea
• Blended with chrysanthemum or honeysuckle
• Summer cooling beverage
• Office and travel tea routine

Traditional Uses

In folk herbal practice, Ku Ding is brewed as a daily tea to clear heat from the head and eyes, refresh the spirit, and ease the heaviness that follows rich or oily meals. It is often steeped alone in hot water, or blended with chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, or goji berry for a balanced summer infusion. In southern Chinese tea culture, a small pinch is enough for a full pot, and the same leaves are traditionally re-steeped several times through the day.

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