Peony Root

White Peony Root is the dried root of the peony plant (Paeonia officinalis), sold in pale ivory slices. It tastes mildly earthy and gently sweet with a clean bitter edge at the finish, nearer to dried parsnip than to anything floral, and it gives a light straw-coloured infusion.

Known in Chinese herbal tradition as Bai Shao, it has long featured in classical Chinese herbal formulas and holds an established place in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The slices are pale ivory to cream and dry, with a faint, sweet, woody aroma. Peony root is sold under several names, among them white peony root, bai shao and white peony slices. As a tea it is often paired with jujube dates, goji berries or liquorice root, whose sweetness softens its bitter finish.

How to use it

Steep the slices into teas for a delicate, refined flavour, or simmer them into soups and herbal broths, where they add a nuanced depth. It works whole or ground into a fine powder. Technique tip: simmer rather than steep when using it in broth, twenty minutes or more, since the root is dense and gives up its flavour slowly.

Details

Also known as

White Peony Root, Bai Shao, Ood Saleeb, Bai Shao Yao, Paeonia lactiflora, Chinese Peony Root, Radix Paeoniae Alba