Herbal jelly, often called grass jelly, is made from the boiled leaves and stalks of a plant called Mesona chinensis, a member of the mint family native to Southeast Asia and southern China. The leaves are simmered in water for hours, releasing a natural polysaccharide (a type of plant starch) that sets into a soft, dark jelly when cooled. In its simplest form, the ingredient list is remarkably short: dried leaves, water, and a small amount of alkaline solution to help the extraction along.
The Plant Behind the Jelly
Mesona chinensis is an annual herb that goes by several names depending on where you encounter it: Hsian-tsao in Mandarin, Mesona blume, or simply “grass jelly plant.” It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, the same botanical group as basil, mint, and lavender. The plant has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a cooling, heat-clearing ingredient, and it remains a staple in herbal teas and gel-based desserts across China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
There are actually two distinct types of grass jelly. Black grass jelly, the most common variety, comes from Mesona chinensis (also classified as Mesona palustris). Green grass jelly uses a different plant entirely, Cyclea barbata Miers, and has a lighter color and slightly different texture. When people refer to “herbal jelly” without specifying, they almost always mean the black version.
How It’s Made
The traditional process starts with dried Mesona leaves. About 125 grams of dried leaves are typically boiled in roughly 4.5 liters of water for two and a half to three hours. This long simmer draws out the plant’s natural polysaccharides, the compounds responsible for the jelly’s ability to gel. A small amount of alkaline water (historically made from wood ash, now usually a food-grade potassium carbonate solution) is added during extraction. The alkaline environment helps break down the plant material and release more of the gelling compounds.
After boiling, the liquid is strained to remove leaf fragments, then left to cool. As the temperature drops, the dissolved polysaccharides link together and form a gel, no added gelatin or pectin needed. The result is a soft, slightly wobbly jelly with a mild, faintly herbal flavor and that distinctive dark brown-to-black color.
The gelling mechanism is different from most desserts you might be familiar with. Fruit jellies rely on pectin and sugar. Gelatin desserts use animal protein. Grass jelly sets through its own unique polysaccharide, which forms a gel structure without requiring sugar or acid to work. This is why unsweetened grass jelly has almost no calories or sugar on its own.
What’s in Store-Bought Versions
Plain, unsweetened grass jelly is extremely low in calories. A 100-gram serving (about 3.5 ounces) contains roughly 8 calories and 1.8 grams of carbohydrates, with zero sugar. That changes quickly once sweeteners and toppings enter the picture.
Canned and pre-packaged grass jelly often includes additional ingredients beyond the basic extract. Common additions include sugar or honey for sweetness, starch or carrageenan (a seaweed-derived thickener) to firm up the texture, and sometimes potassium chloride to help the gel hold its shape. Some brands add preservatives for shelf stability. If you’re buying grass jelly from an Asian grocery store, check the ingredient list. The simplest cans contain just Mesona extract, water, and a small amount of starch. More processed versions may list several thickeners and sweeteners.
Instant grass jelly powder is also available, which lets you make the dessert at home by dissolving the powder in boiling water and letting it set. These powders are made by spray-drying the concentrated leaf extract, sometimes with added carrageenan or cornstarch to ensure consistent results.
How It’s Typically Served
Grass jelly is almost never eaten completely plain. It’s usually cubed or cut into strips and served in a sweetened liquid. The most traditional option is a simple sugar syrup, served cold over ice in hot weather. In Chinese medicine traditions, it’s valued as a cooling food, which is why it shows up most often as a summer dessert or snack.
Beyond the basics, grass jelly appears in a wide range of drinks and dessert bowls across Asia. Common serving combinations include:
- With milk or coconut milk sweetened with condensed milk, similar to a parfait
- In bubble tea as a topping alongside or instead of tapioca pearls
- In shaved ice desserts layered with cooked red bean, mung bean, taro, or sweet potato
- With fresh fruit like mango, papaya, or dragon fruit
- In coffee or milk tea mixed with sweetened condensed milk
Other popular additions include boiled peanuts, lotus seeds, tapioca pearls, sweet rice balls, mochi, black sticky rice, and ice cream. The jelly itself has such a mild flavor that it works as a neutral, slightly herbal base that takes on whatever you pair it with. Think of it more as a texture element than a flavor driver.
Why It Gels Without Gelatin
One of the more interesting things about grass jelly is that it’s naturally vegan. The Mesona polysaccharide responsible for the gel is entirely plant-based, which sets it apart from gelatin desserts (made from animal collagen) and even from most fruit jellies (which need added pectin and sugar in specific ratios to set properly). The polysaccharide in Mesona chinensis forms its gel through a different chemical process that doesn’t depend on sugar concentration or acidity.
This is also why grass jelly has a texture unlike other jellies. It’s softer and more fragile than gelatin, with a slightly grainy quality. It breaks apart easily rather than bouncing back, which is why it’s typically cut into cubes and served in liquid rather than molded into shapes.