Bitter orange (immature)
CoolBitterPungentEarth
The young, small green fruits of Citrus aurantium, harvested early in summer (often those that fall naturally from the tree) then cut in ha…
Frost’s Descent, 23 October to 6 November
Traditional Chinese materia medica
Nature, read with precision
Herbs, blends and teas from the Chinese materia medica, selected for you. Every product page sets out nature, flavours and traditional use.
枳实Zhi ShiAurantii Fructus Immaturus
炙甘草Zhi Gan CaoGlycyrrhizae Radix Praeparata
半枝莲Ban Zhi LianScutellariae Barbatae Herba
罗汉果Luo Han GuoSiraitiae Fructus
Solar calendar · 节气 · 23 October to 6 November
Frost’s Descent 霜降 Shuāngjiàng
First frosts; Metal completes its work of stripping bare before winter.
Against the dryness of autumn: the tradition goes to the sour and the sweet; natures neutral to warm, while moderating the pungent (省辛增酸).
Suppliers based in FranceSpecialists in the Chinese materia medica.
Full TCM readingNature, flavours and Phases on every product page.
Shipped from FrancePrepared and dispatched within 24/48h.
Packed to orderSealed pouch, away from air and light.
The catalogue
Five worlds
Herbs, teas, infusions, blends and equipment: five families through which to approach the Chinese materia medica.
93 referencesHerbsThe heart of the materia medicaClose to 100 single herbs, each documented: thermal nature, flavours, Phases and traditional use.Browse the selection
4 referencesTeasSingle-origin grands crus
6 referencesInfusionsEveryday blends
6 referencesBlendsClassical pairings
2 referencesTCM EquipmentTools of the practice
Products
Goji berries
枸杞子 · Gou Qi Zi
From 5,67 €
Spatholobus vine
鸡血藤 · Ji Xue Teng
5,67 €
Loquat sweets
川贝枇杷糖 · Chuan Bei Pi Pa Tang
4,17 €
Dried longan
龙眼肉 · Long Yan Rou
7,50 €
Wild chrysanthemum buds
野菊花 · Ye Ju Hua
6,50 €
Chinese loosestrife
金钱草 · Jin Qian Cao
6,50 €
Magnolia buds
辛夷花 · Xin Yi Hua
5,83 €
Three Circulations Infusion
三通茶 · San Tong Cha
4,83 €
Rose buds
玫瑰花 · Mei Gui Hua
3,33 €
Dried mulberries (White mulberry)
桑椹子 · Sang Shen Zi
5,67 €
Common prunella
夏枯草 · Xia Ku Cao
5,67 €
Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa
川贝枇杷膏 · Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao
From 7,50 €
Lily bulb
百合 · Bai He
6,50 €
Bitter orange (immature)
枳实 · Zhi Shi
5,83 €
Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola)
积雪草 · Ji Xue Cao
5,83 €
Bitter orange (mature)
枳壳 · Zhi Ke
5,83 €
Another way in
By thermal nature
In the Chinese tradition every herb carries a nature: its thermal register. Five degrees, from cold to hot.
Chinese tradition
Find your season of the moment
A few questions, a reading of your season of the moment in the classical register, and a selection to match.
The house
Passing on the tradition, rigorously
BotaQi was born of a simple conviction: the traditional Chinese materia medica deserves to be passed on with rigour, clarity and respect.
From France, we select herbs, blends and teas from specialist suppliers based in France. Every product page makes the language of the Chinese tradition legible (natures, flavours, Phases) so you grasp the logic of a plant before choosing it.
What every record carries
- The name The French, the hanzi, the pinyin and the Latin binomial.
- The origin The identified supply chain the lot comes from.
- The reading Thermal nature, flavours and Phases.
- The recorded use What the tradition says of it, and nothing else.
Glycyrrhiza uralensis 甘草 Wu Qijun, 1848
The knowledge
Reading a Chinese herb
Every BotaQi product page gives the nature, the flavours and the Phases of a herb. Here are the keys to reading them.
- Cold
- Cool
- Neutral
- Warm
- Hot
Nature
From cold to hot: the thermal register the tradition assigns.
- Sour
- Bitter
- Sweet
- Salty
Flavours
Sweet, bitter, pungent, sour, salty: each orients how a herb is read.
The Phases
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water: the five Phases and their affinities.