2010-07-17 2226
Shen Jianhua, a member of the Guangdong Medicinal Diet Therapy Professional Committee and the director of the Liwan District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangzhou.
Dry evilness tends to invade the human body and easily damages the body's fluids. Insufficient Yin fluid leads to internal heat, which disturbs the mind and heart. Symptoms such as palpitations, irritability, insomnia, and hot flashes may be observed.
Recipe: Citrus aurantium (3g), floating wheat (10g), Dendrobium (3g), sliced chicken with bamboo strips (150g), ginger slices (as needed).
Analysis: Citrus aurantium has a slightly bitter and cool taste, nourishes Qi, nourishes blood, and nourishes Yin while clearing deficient heat. Floating wheat has a sweet and cool taste and belongs to the heart meridian. It can nourish Qi and Yin, nourish the heart, and eliminate heat. Dendrobium has a sweet and neutral taste, nourishes stomach Yin, generates body fluids, nourishes kidney Yin, moistens the lungs, and replenishes the spleen while eliminating deficient heat. Chicken with bamboo strips can nourish Qi, nourish blood, and be used to treat symptoms such as deficiency syndrome, excessive thirst, slippery stools, diarrhea, excessive menstruation, and leukorrhea.
Preparation: Remove the feathers and internal organs of the chicken with bamboo strips, wash and blanch it, and cut it into pieces. Wash and steam the Citrus aurantium until soft, then slice it. Put the sliced Citrus aurantium, washed floating wheat, Dendrobium, and ginger slices into a stewing pot, add 300ml of water, and stew it over high heat for 2 hours.
Suitable for: Those with excessive internal heat, restlessness, insomnia, dry mouth and tongue, excessive thirst, and dry throat. It can also be used for those with concurrent blood deficiency symptoms such as sallow complexion.
Precautions: Not suitable for those with weak spleen and stomach.
Baimai Anshen Decoction:
Ingredients: Wheat (25g), lily bulb (25g), lotus seed (15g), jujube (2 pieces), licorice (6g).
Analysis: According to the "Ling Shu • Five Flavors," wheat is recommended for heart diseases. Wheat has a sweet and cool nature, nourishes the liver, supplements the heart, and clears irritability and heat. Licorice has a sweet and mild nature, nourishes the heart Qi, harmonizes the middle, and relieves urgency. Jujube is sweet, warm, and moistening, it supplements Qi, harmonizes the middle, and relieves dryness and urgency. The combination of these three herbs nourishes the heart, regulates the liver, nourishes the heart, calms the mind, and harmonizes the middle to relieve urgency. Lily bulb nourishes the heart Yin, and lotus seed nourishes the heart and benefits the kidneys. This decoction is beneficial for nourishing Qi, nourishing Yin, clearing heat, and calming the mind.
Preparation: Wash the wheat, lily bulb, lotus seed, jujube, and licorice separately, soak them in cold water for half an hour, pour them into a pot, add water up to 750ml, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Filter the decoction, stew it twice, mix them together, and it can be consumed at any time.
Suitable for: Those with restlessness, irritability, insomnia, restlessness of the mind, palpitations, shortness of breath, and excessive sweating.
Precautions: Not suitable for those with weak spleen and stomach, abdominal fullness, and loose stools.
Mai Dong Lotus Seed Congee:
Ingredients: Lily bulb (15g), lotus seed (15g), polished glutinous rice, salt (as needed).
Analysis: Lily bulb has a sweet and slightly cold nature and belongs to the lung and heart meridians. It can nourish Yin, moisten the lungs, stop coughing, and calm the mind. Lotus seed has a sweet and astringent taste and a neutral nature. It belongs to the spleen, kidney, and heart meridians and has the effects of nourishing the kidney and spleen and benefiting the heart. When cooked with polished glutinous rice, it has the functions of nourishing the heart, replenishing Qi, and strengthening the spleen and stomach.
Preparation: Wash the lily bulb, lotus seed, and polished glutinous rice, put them in a pot, add 1000ml of water, cook until the rice opens and the lotus seeds are cooked, season with salt to taste, and it can be consumed.
Suitable for: Those with restlessness, easy irritability, insomnia, and dreaming.
Precautions: Not suitable for those affected by external pathogens or damp-heat.