Basic Introduction to Ruo Luo Tea of Shaya
Shaya County is home to 350,000 mu (approximately 23,333 hectares) of wild Ruo Luo. Since ancient times, Ruo Luo has been known for its remarkable medicinal value. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, Ruo Luo possesses a variety of medicinal and Health benefits, including balancing blood pressure and lipids, and enhancing overall health.
The tea is named after the Robuzhuang area. The entire Ruo Luo plant is valuable: the stalk can be used as raw material for papermaking, the leaves and juice can be made into beverages, and rubber can be extracted from the roots, branches, and leaves. Ruo Luo, also known as wild hemp, wild tea, tea flower, red flower, red willow seed, and marsh hemp, is a rare wild plant that primarily grows in desert saline-alkali lands or sandy areas along riverbanks, mountain ravines, and slopes. It is widely distributed across most northern provinces of China, with the highest quality found in the desert regions of Xinjiang. Since ancient times, Ruo Luo has been regarded by the Chinese as “the herb of immortality.”
Geographical Scope
Shaya County is located in the southwest of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in the southeast of Aksu Prefecture. To the southeast, it borders Yuli County in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture; to the west, it neighbors Aksu City; to the south, it adjoins the Taklamakan Desert and is connected to Minfeng and Yutian Counties in Hotan Prefecture through the desert; and to the north, it meets Kuqa and Xinhe Counties at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. It was an important passage on the ancient Silk Road. The geographical protection scope of Ruo Luo Tea of Shaya includes one ranch, two ranches, Yangtashexihaier Township, Toyburgale Town, Yingmaili Town, Hailou Township, Tarim Township, and Gazi Kumu Township—eight townships and ranches, comprising 64 administrative villages. Geographical coordinates: 81°45'–84°47'E, 39°31'–41°25'N, with an altitude ranging from 950 to 1020 meters. The protected total area is 23,000 hectares, with an annual production of 200 tons.
Nutritional Value
Since ancient times, Ruo Luo has played an extremely special role in promoting health among the Chinese people. According to ancient pharmacopoeias such as the Compendium of Materia Medica and the Herbs for Famine Relief, Ruo Luo has functions including calming palpitations, stopping dizziness, relieving coughs, strengthening the heart, and promoting diuresis.
Product Characteristics
The Ruo Luo Tea of Shaya is tightly curled and compact in structure, with a green appearance. When first brewed, the tea has a slightly yellowish-green color, which quickly turns golden-yellow when left to stand for a few seconds. Its taste is fragrant with a slight saltiness, a unique characteristic of Ruo Luo Tea of Shaya. The tea contains rutin at 0–5 mg/100 g, quercetin at 4.5–6.5 mg/100 g, catechins at 0.5–0.5 mg/g, potassium at 0.5–0.5%, and glutamic acid at 0.5–0.8 g/100 g.
Preparation Method
1. The boiling water used to steep the tea should not be repeatedly reheated;
2. Brewed tea should be consumed promptly;
3. Do not drink before or immediately after meals;
4. Do not consume low-quality or spoiled tea.