I prefer to have drinks that provide me health benefits but it must taste good and not make me feel that I am drinking medicine. It needs to be enjoyable and I like to have a selection of hot or cold drinks, all as natural as possible. I prefer to avoid refined or white sugar.
After working on my recipes and combinations, I have now come up with the SHL line of drinks and concentrates, with some being served hot, some cold and some either way. Some of the drinks and concentrates can be combined to produce a different drink. All the drinks and concentrate contains no preservatives, colouring, artificial flavouring, food additives or stabilisers hence it needs to be stored refrigerated and the recommended shelf-life of 3 months.
The purpose of this article is to share briefly the information on the drinks.
The Bentong Ginger and Turmeric Range
The Bentong Ginger and Turmeric Concentrate (RM 20.00) is made from organically grown Bentong ginger and turmeric to produce a concentrate that can be diluted with water or added to other beverages and served either hot or cold. A serving size is around 40-50ml a day although some have consumed larger servings. It depends on
the person. In some people, when they consume higher servings, they find that they get a stomachache or diarrhoea so it is best to start slow and observe how you body reacts to it. It makes a drink that is rich with antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It can also be used to flavour dishes such as soups, as a marinate for chicken, beef or seafood and for flavouring when cooking rice.
The Bentong Ginger and Turmeric Drink (RM 3.00) produced by SHL is sweetened with either pure cane sugar or pure palm sugar. It too can be consumed either hot or cold.
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, some of my customers take it for their joint pains as well as for gout. This is my go-to drink when I have had a workout or lots of physical activity. It also has the properties for helping in digestion and bloating. Often, the fastest effect is to "pass gas" as well as better bowel movement.
The Soursop Leaves Range
The source leaves are organically grown and processed to produce a tea concentrate. The Soursop Leaves Concentrate (RM 20.00) can be diluted with water or added as a flavouring to other drinks like tea or fruit juices. It is best to avoid white sugar and when sweetened, it is often done with honey or pure cane sugar or organic sugars. Based on various research, no known adverse reactions have been found.
The SHL Soursop Tea drink (RM 3.00) is sweetened with pure cane sugar.
Soursop leave tea is often used as a complementary or alternative therapy for cancer. The soursop leave is rich in iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins A, B and C. Thus it has been taken for overall health, improving skin conditions, anaemia amongst others.
The leaves also contain nutrients that help to strengthen the immune system hence the tea is often drank as a preventive measure. With its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it can be used for skin treatments as well as for cough and colds.
In some traditional therapies, it is used to treat diseases related to the gall bladder and liver.
The Cat's Whiskers (Misai Kuching) Range
The Misai Kuching Concentrate (RM 18.00) is made from organically grown leaves and flowers. No woody parts of the plant are used. The concentrate is diluted with water and generally drank unsweetened, similar to Chinese tea and with floral undertones. It can be consumed hot or cold.
This tea is often taken as an alternative treatment or complementary therapy for diabetes and high blood pressure. In traditional Chinese Medicine, it is used to cleanse the kidney and the gall bladder as well as treating kidney stones. It has antibacterial , antioxidant as well as anti0fungal properties. In traditional medicine and alternative therapies, it is used to flush out metabolic wastes as well as a diuretic flush in helping cleanse the urinary tract and kidneys. Amongst its other uses in traditional or alternative therapy is for reducing high blood pressure, for reducing cholesterol, improving blood circulation and cleansing of toxins from the body.
This is my favourite drink when I eat durians or rich, sweet desserts. It helps to re-balance my blood sugars and seem to reduce the "heaty-ness" or the durians.
The Mangosteen Range
This Mangosteen Tea Concentrate (RM 20.00) is made from the various part of the fruit, excluding the seeds. It can be diluted with water or added to other drinks like tea and fruit juices. It is best to avoid white sugar and when sweetened, it is often done with honey or pure cane sugar or organic sugars. It can be served hot or cold.
The SHL Mangosteen Tea (RM 3.00) drink is lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar. It is also available unsweetened.
It is rich in vitamin C as well as has a good amount of vitamin B-complex along with various other minerals. It is also rich with Xanthines, which has antioxidant properties which heals damage by free radicals, slow down raging and ward off degenerative diseases and physical and mental deterioration.
Apart from being an antioxidant, it also has anti-inflammatory properties and in alternative therapies is used to treat people with sciatic pain.
The Mangosteen Nectar (RM 5.00) is a seasonally produced drink that comprises of the fruit without the seeds. It is lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar and contains fruit pulp. It is most often consumed cold.
The mangosteen nectar has similar benefits to the mangosteen tea with the added benefits of fiber from the fruit pulp thus making it a delicious fiber source that will help in the digestive process and bowel movements.
I like to enjoy it as a breakfast drink, providing me with vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.
