Pang Da Hai, the seed that swells in the cup
Pang Da Hai reads word for word “the fat, the big, the sea”: the name does not describe an origin, it describes a phenomenon. A seed of about two grams, dropped into boiling water, swells to four to eight times its volume and forms a brownish, semi-transparent gelatinous mass; it has also been called Da Fa, “the great expansion”. It is the ripe seed of a large tropical tree, Sterculia lychnophora, which grows along rivers in the lowland forests of South-East Asia. The Chinese class it among the southern goods from abroad: it comes from Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia, and one of its first Chinese names, “the seed of Annam”, recalls this.
Moistening the Lung, clearing the throat
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pang Da Hai is sweet and cold. The sweet moistens, the cold clears Heat: this is the combination the tradition seeks when Heat has dried things out, since most cold substances are drying too, and this one is not. It is associated with the Lung, to which the tradition links the throat and the voice. Clearing the throat and opening the voice is the action that defines it, the one everyone in China knows it for: the Lung, the tradition says, opens into the throat, and when its Qi no longer passes, the voice no longer forms.
A seed to let swell completely
Everything about this seed comes down to its swelling, even its preparation. Pour freshly boiled water over a few seeds, cover and wait about half an hour, until they have fully swollen; then set aside the skin and the kernel, and keep the liquid and the gel. Long boiling serves no purpose: it only needs to be rehydrated. Also associated with the Large Intestine, it gently moistens the Intestines. With liquorice, it forms the simplest pairing of all: liquorice soothes the throat and tempers the coldness of the seed.
Key benefits
Heat cleared & coolness
Cold without drying, Pang Da Hai clears Heat according to Chinese tradition, a rare quality among cold substances.
Moistened Lung & gentleness
Sweet and moistening, it moistens the Lung, especially when Heat has dried it.
Clear voice & easy speech
Traditionally used to open the voice, it accompanies periods of intensive speaking.
