Gingko - Good for Your Lungs & Brain
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Ginkgo biloba’s natural health benefits are recognized by practitioners of traditional medicine. They use the health benefits to treat circulatory disorders and enhance memory.
Western researchers have valued ginkgo leaves as effective prevention and treatment for premature senility, dementia, brain damage and a wide range of cognitive disorders.
TCM classifies ginkgo seeds as neutral in nature, sweet and bitter in taste and is beneficial to the kidneys, heart and lungs. Ginkgo seeds are proven to have therapeutic effects such as being astringent to the lungs and relieving persistent cough and wheezing, they are a strong antioxidant, stabilize brain cells and prevent mental deterioration, treat asthma and tinnitus as well as treat impotence, spermatorrhea, nocturnal emission, white urine and frequent urination. Ginkgo seeds are used as a general drug as well as food. However, ginkgo seeds are known to be slightly poisonous if taken in large quantities with symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. **The recommended daily limit is around 10 seeds per person.
Gingko seeds are commonly used in Chinese cuisine in soup, stew, congee, stir-fries and dessert. The following is a dessert recipe which is my personal favourite. It is easy to make and is good for people of all ages including children. Just prepare the ginkgo seeds ahead of time, keep them in the freezer and they can come in handy. This dessert is especially good in winter months because it is warming, soothing to the respiratory system and helps to moisturize skin to combat the dry heat in most households due to the heating system.
Gingko and Bean Curd Pastry Dessert
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS:
Clear heat and phlegm, moisturizes lungs and skin, and soothes the throat.
INGREDIENTS
(for two to three servings)
- Bean curd sheets 腐竹皮 - 2 sheets of fresh or 1 bag of dried sheets
- Gingko seeds白果- 20
- Rock sugar – to taste
- One egg
- Milk – half cup
1. Remove gingko shells with a nutcracker, cut into halves and put in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat, drain and let cool for a few minutes. While the water is still warm, remove membrane and while/green kernel in the middle if any. Rinse and put aside.
2. Cut bean curd sheets into tiny pieces if fresh one is used. If using dried ones, crush the sheets inside the plastic bag into fine pieces.
3. Bring 4 to 5 cups of water in a pot to boil and add in ginkgo seeds and bean curd. When the water comes to a boil again, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bean curd is mostly dissolved. Do not cover the cooking with a lid because it will boil over.
4. When ready, add sugar and milk. When it boils again, beat the egg and stir it in and immediately remove from heat to serve.
USAGE:
Limit not more than 10 ginkgo seeds per day per person. : )
Gingko - Good for Your Lungs & Brain
Chayote for Soothing the Respiratory Tract
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Chayote, also known as closing-palm gourd, is very popular in Chinese cuisine for making soups and stews. It is because the gourd is neutral in nature, mild in taste and is very soothing to the internal respiratory tract and lungs. Especially during the winter months when most people easily catch cold or flu and end up with prolong cough, dry mouth and throat, and lots of phlegm; a soothing chayote soup can help to give some relief and speed up the healing process.
Chayote is a good source of vitamin C. It is also widely grown in Mexico and Latin America. It is used mostly in cooked forms but can also be eaten raw in salads and salsas though the raw ones are often regarded as unpalatable and tough in texture. Whether chayote is eaten raw or cooked, the skin has to be peeled because it is slightly toxic. Here is an easy recipe that puts together all the best ingredients to make a winter soothing soup for the whole family.
Chayote, Snow-Ear Mushroom and Pork Soup
Therapeutic Effects
- Soothes throat and lungs
- Clears phlegm
- Promotes vital fluids
- Lubricates skin
Ingredients
(4 to 6 servings)
- Lean pork/pork with bone - 250gm (chopped into smaller pieces)
- Chayote 合掌瓜 - three
- Carrot – 3 to 4
- Snow-ear mushroom - 2
- Ginger – 3 slices
- Apricot kernel – one handful
- Mandarin Peel – one piece (soaked with white tissue removed)
- Honey dates 蜜棗 – 4
1. Rinse pork and put in boiling water to cook for a few minutes, remove and rinse.
2. Soak snow-ear mushroom for about 10 minutes, cut and remove stem at the bottom and separate mushroom into smaller pieces and rinse.
3. Peel chayote, cut into halves, remove pit and cut into pieces. Peel carrot and cut into pieces. Rinse other ingredients.
4. Bring half pot of water in a soup pot to boil and put in all ingredients to boil for about 15 minutes. Reduce heat and let it simmer for at least 2 hours.
5. Add salt to serve and eat content with soup.
Usage
No restrictions. Suitable for the whole family.
Chayote for Soothing the Respiratory Tract : NourishU
Chestnut for Kidney Health
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
According to TCM, winter is the season for promoting kidney health. Kidneys have astringent and active storage functions which help in preserving energy. In winter, our body is also designed to better absorb rich and nutritional foods to stay warm and healthy. For people who have a cold constitution with cold hands and feet, weak kidney health with frequent urination, cold and stiff body and constant pain in their lower back and ankles, winter is the best time to correct these health problems as it is when the body is most responsive to nutritional treatment. Winter food should be eaten with less salt to reduce work burden on the kidneys. Elderly people in particular should take winter/kidney tonics which can greatly improve their body constitution and promote better resistance to illness.
Winter/kidney tonics include superior warming herbs, fatty and meaty foods. Warming herbs such as dang shen, ginseng, astragalus, reishi mushroom, longan fruit and deer horn are most popular for promoting yang energy. Warming foods include chive, chicken, mutton, shrimp, ginger, garlic, walnut, mushroom, chestnut, mustard, vinegar, wine, gingko, red pepper and spring onion.
Chestnut is plentiful in winter and is best for making hearty soups and stews. Chestnut is warm in nature, sweet in taste and acts on the spleen, stomach and kidney. The following is my favourite winter recipe with chestnut which is very delicious but needs some work for preparing the chestnuts. It is well worth the effort!
Pork Ribs, Shiitake Mushroom
and Chestnut Stew
Therapeutic Effects
- Strengthens spleen
- tonifies kidney
- strengthens tendons
- promotes blood circulation and stops bleeding
- cures asthma, cough, back pain and diarrhea
- promotes weight loss
- protects the heart
- lowers blood pressure and cholesterol
- combats cancer
Ingredients
(3 to 4 servings)
- Chestnuts – about 20
- Pork ribs or chicken pieces – about 400gm
- Dried shiitake mushrooms – 6 to 8
- Carrot – one
- Minced ginger – 2 spoonfuls
- Minced garlic – 2 spoonfuls
- Spring Onion – 3 pieces
- Dark soy sauce – 3 spoonfuls
- Light soy sauce – 3 spoonfuls
- Sugar – 2 spoonfuls
- Sesame oil – one spoonful
- Cooking oil – about 3 spoonfuls
- Cooking wine – 2 spoonfuls
- Potato starch – one spoonful
Directions
- Prepare chestnuts ahead of time by cutting a few crosses on the outer shell by using scissors. Then put chestnuts in a toaster oven (a few at a time) to bake on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Use a small knife to remove the shell and membrane together while still hot (please wear gloves!). The alternative method is to remove the hard shell first with a small knife, then put chestnuts with membrane in boiling water to cook for about 8 minutes. Strain and remove membrane while warm.
- Soak mushrooms for 30 minutes or until soft, rinse and slice into halves. Peel carrot and cut into pieces.
- Wash ribs/chicken pieces. Put them in boiling water to cook for a few minutes to remove foam and fat. Retrieve, rinse and strain.
- Warm one spoonful of oil in a skillet. Put chestnuts in, stir to brown for a few minutes (so chestnuts will not be so easily disintegrated when cooked), remove and put aside.
- Add one spoonful of oil to the skillet, put in half of the ginger and garlic to stir briefly and put in the mushrooms. Stir, add one spoonful of sugar to mix well and follow by one spoonful of cooking wine and half a cup of water. Cook for a couple of minutes and put aside.
- Add one spoonful of oil to the skillet, put in remaining ginger and garlic and ribs/chicken to stir for a couple of minutes. Add in remaining sugar, cooking wine and stir for a couple of minutes more and then add mushrooms, carrot and enough water just to cover everything. Add soy sauce, bring to a slow boil, cover with lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add chestnuts and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes to just a little sauce is left. Add water if necessary.
- When the meat and chestnuts are cooked to the desired softness, add salt to taste if necessary. Wash and cut spring onion into sections and add to the cooking. Mix potato starch with 2 spoonfuls of water and sesame oil, add to the cooking and cook for another minute and serve.
USAGE
Serve with rice. No restrictions.
Chestnut for kidney health
* Featured image from paleohacks.com
Job’s Tears and Red Beans For Longevity
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Job’s tears are commonly known as Chinese pearl barley or coix. They are the seed of a grass, grown mostly in Asia and are well known for their many health benefits.
Chinese Medicine classifies the nature of Job’s tears as slightly cold and sweet and they are attributive to spleen, stomach, lungs, liver, and large intestine. They are known to promote diuresis and invigorate the spleen; relieve dampness obstruction and eliminate phlegm. They can also clear away heat and drain pus. Job's tears are a superior herb, proven and safe and commonly used for treating babies with heat rashes, children with smallpox and skin allergies and adults with arthritis, high cholesterol, obesity, scanty urine, swelling and pain in joints and sinews, rheumatism, lung infections, cough with blood in sputum and dry scaly skin. They are almost like an all-encompassing herb which can do so much good for our health.
Modern scientific research has confirmed the anti-allergic effect and cholesterol lowering properties of Job’s tears. Some research suggests that the chemicals in Job's tears might interfere with cancer cell growth, has antioxidant effects and might also decrease the growth of bacteria and parasites. Other research has found that the fiber contained in Job's tears might decrease how much fat and cholesterol the body absorbs.
In order to get the best results from Job’s tears, it is recommended to eat them regularly. There are many ways and recipes incorporating Job`s tears in our everyday diet. They can be made into tea, soups, desserts or stews. Please search our website (www.nourishu.com) to see many recipes using Job’s tears to cure many different health problems.
With many middle age people nowadays suffering from high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease, one common root cause of their problems is internal dampness or water logging in cells. The following recipe of using Job’s tears and red bean is the best natural cure to solve their health woes. In many Chinese Medicine literatures, this recipe is highly praised as the one thing to take daily for health and longevity. The basic recipe can be extended depending on one`s needs by adding one or two extra ingredients to give added benefits. This is the healthiest breakfast replacement to the unhealthy food that most people are eating daily such as milk and cereals, instant oatmeal, bread and baked goods.
And it is very easy to make. You just need to put the ingredients in a slow cooker and start the cooking before you go to bed and then you have this healthy hot breakfast waiting for you when you get up in the morning. It is especially comforting during winter time to have a hot breakfast before heading out into the cold. You can make it as thick or as watery as you like. You may drink the liquid as a beverage and strain the grains to eat separately at lunch by adding them to a salad or eat them together as a hot thick cereal. You can make a batch good enough for up to two to three days if it is easier for you. Please note: never add rice to this recipe because it will defeat the purpose of using it as a diuretic because rice is bonding and will do the opposite!
Job’s Tears and Red Bean Soup
Symptoms
Overweight, water retention, poor digestive health.
Therapeutic Effects
Releases water retention, promotes energy circulation and reduces body fat and overall body weight.
Ingredients (for 2 to 3 servings)
- Job’s tears (yi yi ren) 意米 – half cup
- Red beans – half cup
Optional Ingredients
- add pumpkin – to treat diabetes, stomach pain, constipation or diarrhea
- add yam – to treat underweight and lack of appetite
- add fox nut – to treat weak constitution, weak kidney functions and frequent urination
- add ginger – to treat cold stomach syndrome with cold hands and feet
- add black bean – to strengthen kidney
- add soy bean – to treat water retention in lower legs and feet
- add pear – to treat cough
- add longan fruit – to treat lack of energy and over sleeping
- add lily bulb and lotus seed – to treat insomnia
Directions
- Rinse all ingredients and put in a pot with adequate water. If using a slow heat cooker, start off the cooking with hot boiling water.
- Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and cook for one hour or to desire softness.
- When ready to eat, add honey or organic sugar to taste if preferred.
Usage
No limitations and suitable for all ages.
Goji Berries For Health and Longevity
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Gougicai / Goji Berry
Gougi / Goji berry is one of the most popular Chinese herbs used in Western countries since the beginning of the 21st century. It is commonly known as wolfberry. Goji is the modern name, the direct translation from the Chinese name枸杞.
The gougi plant is a perennial scrub which can produce large amount of berries after a couple of years and can grow to as tall as two meters. The health benefits of the berries are well known to the West, but not so much for the leaves of the young plant and the root of the very old plant.
The gougi leaves are called gougicai which means gougi vegetable in Chinese. They are cool in nature and bitter in taste. They can strengthen the body's constitution, promote essence (Jing in Chinese medicine), clear internal heat and wind, improve vision, and promote liver, lung and kidney health. It is a very popular summer vegetable in the southern provinces of China.
Gougicai can be easily grown in a backyard or container garden. You can start from transplanting some strong stems by just sticking them into the soil. By keeping the soil moist for the first 10 to 15 days, new roots will come out and give life to the plant. When the plant grows to about 1.5 feet tall, you can harvest it by cutting the stem, leaving 3 to 4 inches above ground and it will grow back again. In time, the root will spread out to give life to more new plants. The best thing is that once you have started growing them, they will come back year after year.
Gougicai is commonly used in making soup. It only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to cook. The vegetable is slightly bitter in taste so using a meat broth or adding thinly sliced meat to the soup can offset the bitterness and make it more delicious.
The following is my favourite gougicai soup recipe. It is best for the whole family, for young children and for people recovering from illness.
Gougicai and Pork Liver Soup
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Promotes liver health, improves vision, reduces liver heat, promotes blood and improves overall health.
INGREDIENTS
(3 to 4 servings)
• Gougicai 枸杞葉 - 320gm
• Pork liver豬肝 – 160gm
• Pork豬肉 – 80gm
• Gogi berries – one handful
• Egg- 2
• Ginger – 3 slices
DIRECTIONS
1. Remove leaves by holding the top of each stem with one hand and put it between the thumb and the index finger of the other and then push leaves downward from top to bottom. The leaves will fall off easily. But be careful to avoid the small spikes on the stem when doing it. You can protect your hand by wearing a glove. Rinse the stems and leaves separately.
2. Put the stem to boil with about 6 to 8 cups of water for 10 to 15 minutes, remove stems and discard.
3. Rinse pork and liver and cut into thin slices. Soak and rinse goji berries.
4. Bring the water to boil again. Add ginger, liver and pork to cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add gogi berries and leaves and bring to boil for another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Beat eggs, turn off heat and add eggs to the soup and stir slowly. Add salt to taste and serve.
USAGE
No limitation. But avoid consuming dairy products at the same time because dairy hinders the effects of goujicai.
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Burdock for Liver Health
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
It is spring again and is a crucial time to pay attention to our liver health according to Chinese Medicine because the liver is most active in spring.
Liver is the detox engine of our body. It is a part of the digestive system for making cholesterol to digest fatty foods and to dispose of waste products from our blood stream. The liver is also responsible for maintaining the equilibrium of our overall health and should be well taken care of to avoid life-threatening diseases.
The most damaging things to liver health are alcohol, medicine and sorrow. Alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs and supplements are all chemicals which can have unhealthy results to the liver. Mixing them can create toxins and can be poisonous. If you have to take drugs, it is best to take them with at least a one hour interval between each one. Toxins cause our liver to overwork and they can also scar and harden liver tissue. Sorrow, sadness and depression can cause stagnation of liver energy which can inhibit proper liver function.
We should also be careful of what we breathe in. When cleaning with aerosol sprays or cleaners, or any other form of spray such as paint or air fresheners or cosmetic products, we must make sure that the room is ventilated and cover our nose with a mask to prevent breathing in toxic chemicals. When using insecticides, make sure the skin is covered because the chemicals can get into the body through our skin. All toxins require the liver to filter them out therefore over-working this important organ.
The liver does not complain until it is too late. We should be aware of symptoms of problems and check our liver through blood tests regularly. The symptoms include lack of energy, lack of appetite, indigestion, acid reflux, milky eyes, dark yellow urine, flaky rash, itchy skin, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and fluid retention. Poor digestion leading to leaky gut syndrome will cause toxins to get into the blood stream, making the liver work harder.
The purpose of a liver supporting diet is first ‘to do no harm’. Avoid alcohol and toxins including drugs. Secondly, eat food made from scratch with good oil and not too much seasoning and sauces and with little and simple cooking so that the food can be easily digested and absorbed. Eat small amounts of high quality protein and increase the intake of green vegetables for fibre and essential minerals. Drinking good clean water will also help the body to flush out toxins and keep the liver healthy.
The following is a soup recipe that is best for our liver in spring, when liver energies are at their peak.
Burdock
Burdock contains a number of nutrients important to liver function. They include vitamins B1, B6 and B12 which are essential for the function of phase 1 liver detoxification's pathways, vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant and sulphur which is essential for a number of important phase 2 liver detoxification pathways in which potent toxins created by phase 1 detoxification are neutralized. Burdock also contains other substances such as arctiin which act to improve liver and gallbladder function.
Burdock has many other health benefits and is believed to be the main reason why the Japanese hold the world record for longevity because burdock is a staple in their diet. Please visit our website www.nourishu.com to find out more information and recipes using burdock.
Burdock, Carrot and Pork Soup
SYMPTOMS
High cholesterol
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
- Lowers cholesterol
- Lower blood lipids
- Detoxifies
- Promotes liver health
INGREDIENTS
(4 to 6 servings)
- Fresh burdock 新鮮牛蒡 - one piece (about 500gm)
- Carrot 紅蘿蔔 – 2 to 3 (250gm)
- Green radish青蘿蔔 – one large (250gm)
- Honey dates 蜜棗 or dried figs - 3
- Apricot kernel 南北杏 – one handful (about 15gm)
- Citrus Peel (chen-pi) 陳皮 – one piece (pre-soaked and with white tissue removed)
- Pork shoulder cut with bone or bone-in chicken breast – 300gm (pre-cut into large pieces)
- Ginger – 2 slices
1. Wash pork, put in boiling water to cook for a few minutes, remove and rinse.
2. Peel carrot and radish and cut by rolling cut into pieces.
3. Peel burdock and cut into thin slices.
4. Rinse other ingredients and put all into a soup pot with about 3 liters of water. Bring to a rolling boil, remove foam and reduce heat to medium low and let it simmers for about 3 hours to about 6 cups of broth left. Add more water (boiling hot) to the cooking if necessary.
5. When done, add salt to taste and serve soup with some meat, burdock and carrot. Burdock is a good source of fibre.
USAGE
No restrictions and suitable for all ages.
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Chinese Cabbage – The King of All Vegetables
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Chinese cabbage is similar is size and shape to a football. There are a few outside leaves that are pale green, but most of the inside leaves are pale yellow with white stalks, thus it is commonly known as “wong bok” (yellow white). Chinese cabbage is a night shade vegetable grown mainly in the northern parts of China in colder temperatures. It is readily available, very inexpensive and keeps a long time, and therefore was a common staple for the peasants. Chinese cabbage is also popular and grown in Japan and Korea where it is known as nappa cabbage and is mostly used in making hot pot and kimchee.
Chinese cabbage is sweet in taste, neutral in nature and has a high nutritional content. For each 100g of cabbage, it has 37mg of vitamin C, 140mg of calcium and 50mg of potassium. It also contains vitamin A and K, and many trace minerals including selenium. Each cup of cabbage juice has as much calcium as a cup of milk and its calcium to potassium ratio is ideal for easy absorption. The vegetable is high in fiber so is good for promoting digestion and can prevent constipation. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can lower internal heat, clear phlegm and cough, is a diuretic, detoxifies and prevents cancer growth. The vegetable is filling but low in calories; therefore is good for people wanting to lose weight. It can also lower blood pressure to prevent heart diseases and muscular degeneration. It is also known for helping to treat skin disorders, eczema and jaundice by using the juice on the affected areas.
The story of how Chinese cabbage became famous is quite incredible. It was said that the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty at around 1900 became very ill in her old age and was having respiratory failure, high fever, lack of energy and was unable to eat or drink, urinate or move her bowels. No doctor or medicine was able to help her. Upon the advice of a monk she was fed only Chinese cabbage juice and soup which saved her life. She was nursed back to health by eating mostly food made with Chinese cabbage to replace her usual diet of delicate, expensive, highly refined, meaty and rich foods. After her recovery, she praised Chinese cabbage as the king of all vegetables.
The lesson learned was that eating only the “good” food can be deadly and a healthy diet should be balanced with less meat and more vegetables, and a lot of roughage to keep things moving through the body. The value of food cannot be determined just by the price alone because the cheapest food can be so good for our health. In today’s world where many people are being overfed and under nourished, Chinese cabbage is an excellent option. It is also tasty, cheap, and quick and easy to prepare.
There are many ways of preparing Chinese cabbage. You can make it into a soup in less than 15 minutes with thin slices of meat or mushrooms or both. You can add it to a stir-fry, serve it as a side dish, add it to a stew, put it inside a dumpling or make into cabbage rolls. The possibilities are endless.
To make it as a side vegetable dish, you will only need to stir-fry it with some minced ginger and garlic and season it with salt and pepper. If you want to top up the tastes a bit, you can add some cooking wine, sesame oil and oyster sauce. The following recipe is a grand version to demonstrate what else you can add to the vegetable to make it an outstanding dish with additional tastes and health benefits. All the ingredients are optional and the quantity of each ingredient can vary according to availability and your preference. This recipe is also perfect for turning it into a soup by boiling everything in water for about 20 minutes. You do not need to add oyster sauce and potato starch to the soup to keep the soup natural tasting and clear.
Mushroom & Chinese Cabbage Stir-fry
Ingredients (for 4 to 5 servings)
- Chinese cabbage – half (or one small one)
- Dried small shrimp – 1 to 2 spoonfulls
- Goji-berries – 2 spoonfuls
- Ginger – 3 slices (minced)
- Garlic – 3 cloves (minced)
- King oyster mushrooms – 3 to 4
- Shiitake mushrooms – 3 to 4
- cooking wine – 2 spoonfuls
- sesame oil – one spoonful
- oyster sauce – two spoonfuls
Directions
- Cut cabbage into halves lengthwise and then cut the half into sections. Rinse a couple of times and strain.
- Rinse dried shrimp quickly, strain and put aside. Soak goji-berries for 15 minutes, rinse a few times and put aside.
- Remove stems from mushrooms, rinse and cut them into slices.
- Warm 2 spoonfuls of oil in a stirring pan or wok, add ginger and dried shrimp to stir for a couple of minutes until the aroma of shrimp comes out.
- Turn up heat, add cabbage and stir to cook until the leaves are withered (about 5 to 6 minutes). No need to add water because the cabbage will release a lot of juice. Add salt and white pepper to taste and mix well. Put cabbage aside and keep the juice separate in another container.
- Warm 2 spoonfuls of oil in the pan and add garlic to stir for a few moments. Add mushrooms to stir-fry for about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add goji-berries, cooking wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce and about 3 spoonfuls of the cabbage juice to the cooking and stir to mix. Use another 2 spoonfuls of the cabbage juice to mix with one spoonful of potato starch and add it to the cooking and stir.
- Return the cabbage to mix into the mushrooms and put everything on a plate to serve.
Usage
Chinese cabbage belongs to the cruciferous vegetable group so people with hypothyroid (under active) should not eat too much of this vegetable.
Rejuvenating 4 Super Herbs Chicken Soup - Winter Recipe
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
In Chinese Medicine, eating according to the seasons is vital to health and longevity. Eating well in winter is necessary to provide enough reserve and energy to our bodies to fight the extreme coldness. Besides, winter is also the time when our bodies are going through a lot of rejuvenation and renewal processes. Therefore, it is important to feed our bodies with sufficient nutrients as fuel and building blocks in order for them to do a good job keeping us healthy. Remember, it is quality that counts and not quantity, and you reap what you sow.
The traditional TCM nourishing foods which use a combination of high quality foods and herbs makes a significant difference in terms of effectiveness and potency. There are recipes which are very specific in targeting special health needs and can deliver desirable functional health benefits. By combining the synergetic effects of both foods and herbs, there is nothing else that is as effective. That is why there is little wonder why some Chinese people can live long and healthy lives, and look so much younger than their age.
The most popular and effective form of TCM nourishing food is soup. Soup in winter is especially warming and welcome by most people. Besides, soup can be nutrient dense, easy to make, easy to take, easy to digest and absorb, and suitable for all ages. You can make a large batch at a time and serve for more than one meal; therefore soup is very economical and practical. The ingredients for soup can vary according to availability and your liking; therefore it is easy to make and is always delicious as you can customize it to your liking. Recipes are just there to provide general guidelines and its not necessary to follow them precisely.
My personal favourite winter soup is cooking either chicken or pork or mutton with the following four superior herbs. It is the soup that my family enjoys about twice a month throughout the winter and keeps everyone healthy. You don’t have to use all of the four herbs together if they are too much for you. It is very common to use just goji-berries and Chinese yam to make other soups for regular consumption. Please visit our website www.nourishu.com to find other recipes using just the two herbs. Please also note that these herbal soups should not be taken when you have a cold or flu because they will nourish the viruses making them stronger and more difficult to get rid of.
Dang Shen (Codonopsis root)
Is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It improves digestive health, improves blood deficiency, promotes energy, enhances qi, improves overall body functions and improves immune function.
Astragalus (Huang Qi)
Is sweet and slightly sour in taste and warm in nature. It improves immune function, circulation, digestion and overall health. It is used to fight diseases including cancer and to prevent aging. There are researches which have confirmed that astragalus can boost telomerase production.
Goji-berry (Chinese Wolfberry)
Is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It benefits liver and kidney health, improves deficiencies, promotes blood and regulates blood sugar, improves vision and overall health.
Chinese Yam (Shan Yao)
Is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It improves digestive health, lung functions and immune function, and strengthens kidney health and cure related deficiencies.
Rejuvenating 4 Super Herbs Chicken Soup
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Improves blood and qi, promotes energy and circulation, is anti-aging, improves immune functions and benefits our vital organs and improves overall health.
INGREDIENTS (4 servings)
-
Dang-shen 黨參 - 10gm
-
Astragalus (huang qi) 黃耆 - 10gm
-
Goji-berry / Chinese Wolfberry (gou ji zi) 枸杞子 - 30gm
-
Chinese Yam (shan yao) 淮山 - 30gm
-
Skinless chicken breast – one piece (bone in)
-
Ginger - 3 slices
-
Citrus Peel (chen-pi) 陳皮- one piece (pre-soaked and with white membrane removed)
-
Red dates – 5 to 6
Optional ingredients to add more taste and health benefits:
-
Lean pork or pork shoulder blade with bone - 120gm (cut into a few pieces)
-
Dried scallop - 4 to 5 (to promote yin)
DIRECTIONS
- Soak herbs for 5 to 10 minutes and rinse a few times.
- Wash chicken breast and pork, remove obvious fat and put them in boiling water to cook for a few minutes with foam bubbling to the top, remove and rinse.
- Put all ingredients in a soup pot with about 3 liters of clean filtered water. Bring soup to boil for about 5 minutes, remove foam and reduce heat to simmer for 3 hours. Add extra hot water to the cooking if necessary. You should get at least 6 cups of nutrient dense broth.
- When ready, add sea salt (Celtic or Himalaya) to taste and serve. Eat some meat with soup. Goji-berries and Chinese yam can be eaten as well. If you are not intending to eat all of the meat, after finishing the broth, you can break up the meat and add another 4 to 5 cups of water to cook for the second time, for about another 20 minutes over medium high heat. You can get at least two more cups of really yummy broth from it before discarding the ingredients.
USAGE
Not suitable when suffering with a cold or flu.