龟苓膏， Chinese Herbal Jelly

Well, I bet most of us know what is " Gui ling gao, 龟苓膏"  and most of my friends are the supporter for this bitter-sweet jelly like dessert. However, how many of us know exactly what it is?? Honestly, I do not know much about it as well....

Let's do some research then...... 

Gui ling gao (龟苓膏), also known as Chinese Herbal Jelly or Tortoise Jelly is a type of jelly like dessert, traditionally made from the turtle’s pastron from the critically endangered turtle Cuora trifasciata/ three-lined box turtle/  (金钱龟) and a variety of herbal products such as smilax (to fook ling, 土茯苓), dried rehmannia (gon di wong, 干地黄), honey, ginseng, wolfberries, licorice root (kam cho. 甘草) and divaricate saposhniovia (fong fung, 防风)

Cuora trifasciata/ three-lined box turtle/  (金钱龟)

 divaricate saposhniovia ( 防风)

 licorice root (kam cho. 甘草)

dried rehmannia (gon di wong, 干地黄) 

smilax (to fook ling, 土茯苓)

The tortoise jelly has always been revered for its universal tonic effect as a traditional Chinese Medicine. According to Chinese medical classics, the jelly is not only good for detoxification, but it is also effective for problems like damp-heat, yin deficiency, dry skin, pimples, insomnia, lack of appetite (what a horrid sickness!), and etc.


Usually, commercially available Chinese Herbal Jelly sold as dessert does not really contain turtle shell powder, despite the product name and the prominent turtle images on most brands' labels.  The reason is that the Golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata), commercially farmed in modern China is extremely expensive.  They do, however, share the same herbal additives as the medicine and are similarly marketed as being good for skin complexion!! 

As a food however, if you like grass jelly, the texture of this herbal jelly is akin to grass jelly; you eat this at your own peril because the taste of it, whether you judge from your front, mid or back palate, is bitter -- mildly but bitter nonetheless.  The best way to remedy this snag, like most of we Chinese do, is to find honey served alongside in order to adjust the level of bitterness to your own liking.