Home / Chinese Culture / Food & Drink / Alcohol /

Chinese Snake Wine - the Mysterious Ancient Chinese Remedy

Snake wine, that is, strong wine soaked with snakes, is a kind of wine which has a long history of treating diseases in China. Modern pharmacology also proves that snake wine has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and sedative effects. It is said it also can enhance the body’s immunity and treat rheumatoid arthritis. Snake wine is considered as the king of Chinese medicine by some.

Medicinal Effects of Chinese Snake Wine

Snake wine has a medicinal effect on rheumatic disease, rarefaction of bone, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, dispelling coldness and can nourish and strengthen the body. Snake wine contains a variety of elements required by the human body and is a high-level tonic for the human body.

Drinking Tips

1. Snake wine is also a kind of wine, and moderate consumption is beneficial to the human body. Drinking too much is also harmful. The moderate amount is 10 to 30 ml per drink. People who are not used to drinking alcohol should start with a less drink. They can also be diluted with water and taken.

2. For women, it is generally not advisable to drink snake wine during pregnancy and lactation. Old and infirm people are slower in metabolism, and the amount of snake wine should be appropriately reduced. The metabolism of young and middle-aged people is relatively strong, and the amount of snake wine can be relatively more.

How to Make Snake Wine – 3 Ways

Soak snake alive in wine

Soak the snake alive directly in the grain alcohol over 50% vol, and finally seal it for storage. The ratio of snake to wine is 1:10, that is, 500 grams of live snake can be soaked with 5 kilograms of luquor. Generally, you can drink the wine after two months of storage. If soaked for half a year or more, the medicinal effect is better.

Soak fresh snake meat in wine

Rinse fresh snake meat with water, disinfect it with white wine for about 5 minutes, and then put it in the prepared high-quality Chinese alcohol with high degree. The ratio of snake to wine is around 1:5, and seal it for three months to drink.

Soak scaled dry snake in wine

Take scaled dried snake, weigh it and soak it in a grain wine over 50% vol like Beijing Erguotou, Hengshui Laobaigan and Wuliangye with a weight of 5-10 times the weight of the snake. Seal it and store for 3-6 months.

Tips on Making Snake Wine

1. Some may add the Chinese herbal medicine in it. If the Chinese herbal medicine is added when making, the quantity of the wine can be lowered.

2. The wine for making snake wine should be distilled liquor or mixed liquor. Sorghum and other cereal-based wines are the most suggested wine which can make the snake wine has a rich and long-lasting aroma.

3. It should be noted that poisonous snakes are not suggested to make snake wine. The poisonous snakes such as cobras, bamboo leaves and green snakes are very toxic, and the snake wines made from them may bring harm or even threaten the life of drinkers.

4. The container should be glass bottle or China bottle, plastic bottle is not suggested.