You can put aside the expensive chain coffee and bubble tea shops. CheckCheckCin, which he opened in Sheung Wan at the end of December, is a new type of beverage shop that offers healthy drinks that balance the body, designed with traditional Chinese medicine theories in mind. , we also don’t sell traditional bitter-flavored herbal teas.
Owner Cinci Leung is a registered Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist and runs a clinic out of the back of the store. She has also published two books on the healing powers of soups and her book to help people determine their body shape, illness, and what foods to eat to reduce symptoms of illness. We have released an iPhone app. We spoke about her desire to make Hong Kong people more aware of their bodies and find balance in their bodies. And I realized that sometimes preventing illness is as simple as a cup of proper tea.
What first made you want to study Chinese medicine?
My first degree was not in Chinese medicine. I worked in marketing for her for 3-4 years before getting my TCM qualification in 2012. I have a preceptor who specializes in sports injuries, is knowledgeable in both Chinese and Western medicine, and has treated my relatives and family friends. This sparked my interest in massage for a while. However, physical therapy was not so deeply understood, and I thought that Western medicine consisted only of surgery and medication.I wanted to see the whole story [of how to treat people from the inside]So I started using Chinese herbal medicine. But my personality is different from the typical lethargic Chinese doctor who sits here and says I need to drink this or that. I don’t want people to drink medicinal things like ginseng or fish floats. Because there are many practitioners who are already doing it.
Why did you decide to open Check Check Cin?
I used to run my own clinic in the store upstairs, but the rent has gone up. I started looking for a place on the first floor for her. To do this, I needed to come up with some new ideas because I couldn’t just see patients all day long. Around the same time, her husband was opening a whiskey bar in Sheung Wan’s New Street. When she went there while pregnant, the bartender made her a warm mocktail. She was surprised, it was so good. It tasted like earl gray tea mixed with fruit. I also wondered if I could make a delicious drink.
How did you design the drink menu?
I started brainstorming with the bartender. For example, we provided him with different categories of ingredients that help relieve body moisture and heat. These are based on his eight classical forms of Chinese medicine, but are not fixed medicinal prescriptions.
I decided to simplify it with common symptoms rather than drink categories that are common in herbal tea shops, such as “removes heat and toxins” and “expels cold and warms the body.” Being “irritable” means that there is a lot of heat in the body (which is what causes the irritable mood). The drink for that includes ingredients that help get rid of that heat. It’s delicious and a great alternative to bubble tea, coffee, and black tea. Freshly brewed without artificial syrups. It’s just like making it at home.
What are the most common diseases in Hong Kong?
Typical symptoms include feeling tired, looking pale, feeling restless after sleeping, and feeling bloated even after eating a lot. In Chinese medicine, this all indicates a deficiency in the spleen and stomach. Overall, Hong Kong people tend to have too much of something rather than lack of it, and their bodies are stagnant, which causes a lot of traffic to be stagnant, which is why people’s hands tend to get cold. (due to lack of blood circulation), dark circles appear and the lips turn purple and black.That’s all air Stagnation occurs in the body and blood stagnation occurs.
Modern people are too busy. I hate being told to work hard and play hard. Because if you work hard, you should rest well. After taking a break! Some people may not be able to do that, even on vacation. If stress lasts too long, it affects the spleen and stomach, worsening the digestive system. This is why I tell people to drink rice water. Check Check Cin sells boxes of vacuum-sealed sachets that are perfect for brewing in the office. There’s no reason not to drink!
Why rice water?
Rice water is mild in nature and helps improve spleen function. This is like an exfoliating step before applying lotion. It scrubs away the bad stuff so nutrients can be better absorbed. People these days really like to reward themselves. They eat well almost every meal, so instead I want to offer them more humble options. Raw, natural foods such as rice and sweet potatoes are known to be good for the spleen and stomach.
have Still hey, (“hot air”) is something you hear Chinese people specifically talking about about how they feel after eating fried food. How do you clearly explain this imbalance to someone who doesn’t understand it?
People have a balance of yin and yang. Some people always sleep late and have a sore throat. Some people actually get sore throats from eating too many potato chips. This is when there is too much sun. The fire inside your body is too strong, so drinking Chinese herbal medicine that cools your body will extinguish it. But always sleeping late means your shade is actually too low. If you continue to take Chinese herbal medicine, your levels will drop further and your body will become weaker. In this case, you need to drink something to nourish and balance your body. Think of it like a successful pot. Even if you burn all the soup, the fire won’t go out and you will have to add more soup.
Besides the clinic, you are also working on many other projects, what are your goals here?
Although I am first and foremost a Chinese doctor, many of my projects follow the philosophy of preventive medicine. Young people don’t know anything, so it’s all about educating them slowly.That’s why my CheckCheckCin Instagram pageI give simple health facts to educate people about symptoms and what they mean so they can know a little more about their bodies.
I have published two books about soup. I have given a seminar before.I The app has just been launched. It shows your body type and lists dishes and ingredients that are suitable for you, or those that you should avoid. I don’t want to use too much jargon, but people won’t understand. Instead of saying, “Apples have a cooling property, so don’t eat them too much,” say, “This is your body type, so it’s okay to eat more apples.”
What do you hope others can gain from your practice?
Chinese medicine is actually very logical. Although very comprehensive, it is symptom-based and the treatment is systematic. I hope people can pay more attention to their bodies. Many symptoms are actually screaming at you, such as feeling thirsty or tired. You should listen to it. Also, information has become easier to obtain these days. I hope people learn to be critical of the information they receive. You often see Instagram celebrities selling things like dried citrus peels. Cempi It’s Hyomon powder tea, but they recommend it even if it doesn’t suit your physical condition. These people don’t have a license to practice Chinese medicine. It’s the same way Western doctors don’t like people relying on Dr. Google.
Drinks at CheckCheckCin start from HK$26. Find out which rice water and herbal drinks suit your condition. G/F, Kai Fung Building, 4-6 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, +852 2833 5508, facebook.com/CheckCheckCin
