Tremella
银耳 · Yín Ěr
Hydrates dry skin from the inside out
What it does
Tremella mushroom hydrates dry skin from the inside, soothes dry coughs, and supports a thirsty, depleted gut. In TCM, it nourishes lung yin and stomach yin, the cool moistening sides of those systems. The polysaccharides in tremella hold up to 500 times their weight in water, which is why beauty brands now use them as a hyaluronic-acid alternative. One trial covers cognitive support.
How to take it
Soak 10–20g dried tremella in cool water for 1–2 hours until it expands. Simmer with rock sugar, goji, and red dates for 30+ minutes into a sweet dessert soup.
Try tremella, goji, and red date dessert soup once a week for skin glow
Simmer 9–15g dried tremella with 4 cups water for 30 minutes. Drink the gelatinous broth warm or chilled. Best as a sweet evening tonic.
Try a chilled tremella broth in summer for a hydrating reset
Look for skincare products listing 'tremella fuciformis' or 'tremella polysaccharide.' Apply as a serum or sheet mask. Patch test first.
Try a tremella-based serum for a hyaluronic-acid alternative
Safety
- Generally very safe as food
- Skip if you have weak digestion or chronic loose stools
- Tremella in raw form can cause severe allergic reactions in rare cases. Always cook
- Don't eat tremella that's been rehydrated for over 8 hours (bacterial risk)
- Talk to your doctor before starting medicinal use, especially if you take medication
Where it comes from
Tremella (Tremella fuciformis), also called silver ear or snow mushroom, was once a luxury food reserved for Chinese imperial courts. The white, gelatinous fungus grows on rotting wood and was famously favored by Yang Guifei, a Tang Dynasty consort known for her beauty. Cultivation has since made tremella widely available. Modern Korean and Japanese skincare have re-popularized it as 'beauty mushroom.' One clinical trial explores its cognitive effects.