With the arrival of summer, sour plum soup has become popular, and many hospitals in the traditional Chinese medicine category have also become popular check-in points. But in fact, what hospitals usually offer is called Wumei Drink, with only different versions and formulas. Experts say that although both drinks are mainly made of black plum, they are not the same type of beverage. Sour plum soup and dark plum drink are more suitable for people who sweat a lot, have a dry mouth, and have a bad appetite in summer. However, those with solid evil should avoid taking them, while those with excessive stomach acid should take them with caution. People with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, as well as pregnant and postpartum women, should not drink too much. As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, ancestors had already used plums to extract sour flavors as a beverage. The sour plum soup, which is now popular in the streets and alleys, was once a palace drink, and its formula was finally finalized in the Qing Palace Imperial Tea House. Xu Ke, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, wrote a detailed record of sour plum soup in his book "Clear Barnyard Grass Banknotes": Sour plum soup, consumed in summer, is made from ice and dried with crushed plums, with a sour taste. Those who sell sour plum soup in the capital often hold two copper cups in their hands and shake them upside down, making a resounding sound. It is called knocking on an ice cup, and those who walk the way often stop and drink it. The dried plum used here is Wumei. Wumei is the dry and immature fruit of the rose family plant plum. When it is first picked, it is still green plum. After being roasted on a small fire bed at around 40 ℃ for 2 to 3 days, the flesh turns yellow brown and wrinkled when the plum is 60% dry. After being simmered for 2 to 3 days, the color turns black, and the "green plum" becomes "Wumei". Why do traditional Chinese medicine hospitals often prescribe "Wumei Drink" instead of "Sour Plum Soup"? If placed in ancient times, although both drinks were mainly made of black plum, they were not really the same type of beverage. Yan Yanfeng, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and director of Nanjing Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, explained that those who have prescribed traditional Chinese medicine know that the formulas prescribed by traditional Chinese medicine are generally called decoctions, and are rarely referred to as drinks. Drinking soup medicine is usually done twice or three times a day. But drinking is designed for thirst, like drinking tea, so it is often referred to as tea drink. Generally, in summer, it is most suitable to drink beverages. In fact, in the Song Dynasty, "sour plum soup" and "dark plum soup" were very similar. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, scholar Chen Yuanliang recorded in his compiled "Shilin Guangji" the method of "Wumei Tang": first crush the Wumei, add various Chinese herbs, spices, etc., boil it into a paste, and store it in a porcelain bottle. When drinking, it can be rinsed with hot or cold water to form a strong and refreshing summer drink. Sugar can also be replaced with honey for a better taste. Until now, the "Wumei Drink" launched by various traditional Chinese medicine hospitals has inherited the customary language of ancient Chinese medicine. Compared with the sour plum soup sold in restaurants, the formulas of the two are very similar, but the hospital version is more sophisticated. Taking the "Wumei Drink" from Nanjing Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital as an example, it is mainly a tea bag drink composed of Wumei, licorice, hawthorn, tangerine peel, and mint. It has the effects of promoting diuresis, quenching thirst, dispelling dampness, and relieving restlessness. The seasonal medicinal herb peppermint from summer has replaced the traditional sour plum soup with osmanthus, which is mainly collected in autumn Yan Yanfeng introduced that peppermint has a spicy nature and a cool taste. Its main functions are to dispel wind and heat, clear and benefit the head, promote swallowing, penetrate rashes, and soothe the liver. Clinically, it is mainly used for diseases such as wind heat, cold, initial onset of wind temperature, rubella, measles, chest and rib distension and stuffiness. Mint is also suitable for pain caused by stagnation of liver qi, gallbladder fire, or internal movement of liver wind, which can cause headaches, eye pain, nasal congestion, sore throat, and limb cramps. (Lai Xin She)