Kudingcha
ingredient / ingredient-kuding-tea
苦丁茶 / Kuding tea
Kudingcha is a strongly bitter tea "kudingcha" consumed in China. Plants from different families—large-leaved types (the genus Ilex) and small-leaved types (the genus Ligustrum)—are distributed under the same product name.
On this page (8 sections)
Reading the bitterness
A review states that kudingcha has been used in China for approximately 2000 years as a tea to relieve thirst, remove phlegm, clear the head, and improve the eyes. However, the name 「苦丁茶」 (in translation: "kudingcha") does not refer to a single plant: the review's Introduction explicitly divides kudingcha on the Chinese market into 2 groups from different families, large-leaved types (Ilex latifolia and Ilex kudingcha) and small-leaved types (Ligustrum robustum, synonym L. purpurascens).
The same review identifies two species, Ilex latifolia Thunb and Ilex kudingcha C.J. Tseng, as source plants of large-leaved kudingcha. For small-leaved kudingcha, a 2009 study analyzing 7 Chinese kudingcha strains included a strain derived from Ligustrum robustum. Those 7 strains also included Ilex cornuta rather than Ilex latifolia; this is one example showing the large-leaved Ilex versus small-leaved Ligustrum division, not a comprehensive survey of source species in commercial kudingcha.
A study comparing the same 7 strains by LC-PDA-APCI-MS reported that the major phenolic composition differs between Ilex-derived and Ligustrum-derived kudingcha. Mono- and dicaffeoylquinic acids were major phenolics in the Ilex group, while phenylethanoid glycosides and monoterpene glycosides were major in the Ligustrum group, showing that the chemical entities are distinct even when sold under the same name 「苦丁茶」 (in translation: "kudingcha"). The sensory bitterness itself was not compared.
The major metabolites of large-leaved kudingcha are listed as triterpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and essential oils. A compound table in the review shows that epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and epicatechin gallate (ECG) were isolated and identified from large-leaved kudingcha. The text collectively calls these "flavones" while also stating that they are major components of green tea. Thus the same catechins (flavan-3-ols) as in green tea are present in large-leaved kudingcha, but this is an organization of cited primary-isolation literature; the review gives no content amounts or degree of contribution to bitterness.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: The description of 2000 years of traditional use for relieving thirst and similar purposes was confirmed. / The quoted Introduction passage describing the division into 2 groups, large-leaved and small-leaved types, was confirmed. / The description explicitly identifying Ilex latifolia as a source plant of large-leaved kudingcha was confirmed. / The description of 4 categories of major metabolites in large-leaved kudingcha was confirmed. / The verbatim identification of EC, EGCG, and ECG as individual compounds in the compound table was confirmed.
Checked for this overview: The description including a Ligustrum robustum-derived strain among the analyzed samples was confirmed. / The limitation that I. cornuta is included among the 7 strains and that this is not a comprehensive survey was confirmed. / The comparison showing that major phenolics differ completely between the Ilex and Ligustrum groups was confirmed.
Follow the connections
Ilex latifolia →is used as→ Kudingcha
Ilex kudingcha →is used as→ Kudingcha
Ligustrum robustum →is used as→ Kudingcha
Kudingcha →contains→ tea catechins →are main contributors to→ astringency
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (4)
Scope: Kudingcha as sold in China
Note: A typical case of a single name shared by multiple referents: the name 「苦丁茶」 (in translation: "kudingcha") alone does not fix the source plant.
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ingredient-kuding-tea —is_divided_into→ "Two groups of source plants belonging to different families: the large-leaved group (Ilex latifolia, Ilex kudingcha, and other Ilex species) and the small-leaved group (Ligustrum robustum)"Scope: Large-leaved kudingcha (Ilex group)
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ingredient-kuding-tea —contains→ "The main metabolites of the large-leaved group are triterpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and essential oils"Scope: LC-PDA-APCI-MS analysis of 7 Chinese lineages (Ilex kudingcha, I. cornuta, L. robustum)
Note: Grounds for treating the chemical substance as different even under the same name 「苦丁茶」 (in translation: "kudingcha").
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ingredient-kuding-tea —has_phenolic_profile_dependent_on→ "By source genus: the Ilex group's main phenolics are mono-/di-caffeoylquinic acids, while the Ligustrum group's are phenylethanoid glycosides and monoterpene glycosides — the profiles are entirely different"Scope: Large-leaved kudingcha (Ilex latifolia, Ilex kudingcha)
Note: This review groups them under the term "flavones", but the compounds in the table are actually flavan-3-ols (catechins) (EC/EGCG/ECG). A new cross-entity connection showing these are compounds shared with green tea (ingredient-green-tea). The review does not state the content or contribution to bitterness. The primary isolation literature is citation [61], not data from this review itself.
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ingredient-kuding-tea —contains→ compound-catechinsHow processing and cooking change it (3)
Scope: China
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organism-ilex-latifolia —is_used_as→ ingredient-kuding-teaScope: China
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organism-ilex-kudingcha —is_used_as→ ingredient-kuding-teaScope: China
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organism-ligustrum-robustum —is_used_as→ ingredient-kuding-teaCulture (1)
Scope: China
Note: The number of years is an approximate figure as stated in the review.
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ingredient-kuding-tea —is_documented_as_having→ "A history of use in China spanning roughly 2,000 years, as a tea to quench thirst, remove phlegm, refresh the mind, and improve eyesight"