Go to Dong Giang to enjoy ra zeh tea

In the middle of the Dong Giang (Quang Nam) mountains and forests, where the mountains and forests still retain their pristine and pure beauty, there is a precious medicinal herb that grows naturally under the forest canopy. It is tea vine or as the Co Tu people affectionately call it, ra zéh.

This slender tree grows on hillsides and forests regenerated after slash-and-burn farming, as if silently contributing to the health and livelihood of many generations of mountain people.

Lên Đông Giang thưởng thức chè ra zéh - Ảnh 1. — Tea rope has a fairly large stem.

Ra zéh is not just a forest leaf. For the Co Tu people, it is a treasure of nature, a delicious drink that they have passed down for generations through pots of hot tea on cold rainy afternoons.

Razeh leaves are small and slender, with serrated edges. They have a slightly sweet taste mixed with a slight bitterness. They are cooling and help clear heat and detoxify. The Co Tu people use it to treat stomachaches, digestive disorders, and insomnia – common ailments when living in the harsh mountains and forests.

Village elder Y Kong, who is a hundred years old, still remembers clearly the times he brought zéh to participate in the fair. "Kinh people came back to order more after drinking it, some even introduced it to their friends in the lowlands" - he said, his eyes shining with pride.

Scientists have proven that zeh is truly valuable. According to the Institute of Medicinal Materials - Ministry of Health, tea rope has the ability to kill bacteria, reduce stomach acid, support the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers more effectively than some Western medicines, and is non-toxic and has no side effects. This is a testament to the long-standing indigenous knowledge that the Co Tu people have silently preserved.

One day, going to Dong Giang, visiting the Co Tu village, sitting and sipping a cup of ra zeh tea in the middle of the forest, I could see the love and preciousness of a forest tree. And from that, a desire arose: to do something to preserve ra zeh - so that the soul of the mountain, the soul of the people, would not be lost over time.

( Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 3rd time, 2025 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).