1. Blood Deficiency (Xue Xu): Key to Nourishing Blood is to Regulate the Spleen
Symptoms of Blood Deficiency: Pale complexion, lack of color, sensitivity to heat in summer, sensitivity to cold in winter, palpitations, dizziness, insomnia.Dietary Remedies for Blood Deficiency: Angelica and Astragalus Tea (Dang Gui Huang Qi Cha)Preparation of Angelica and Astragalus Tea: Use a ratio of 5:1 for Astragalus (Huang Qi) and Angelica (Dang Gui), for example, 30 grams of Astragalus and 6 grams of Angelica; simmer and boil them three times, then combine the water and drink. Astragalus nourishes Qi, while Angelica nourishes Blood, achieving both Qi and Blood replenishment simultaneously. Those with Blood Deficiency can drink the prepared Angelica and Astragalus tea daily as water; it is suitable for those with weak Qi and Blood, those recovering from illness, and the elderly. However, those with Yin Deficiency and excess heat, or those with a weak constitution should limit their intake of Angelica and Astragalus tea, and it should not be consumed during major illnesses or colds. For blood replenishment, Angelica can be used to cook eggs, and for health maintenance, a whole Angelica can be used to cook eggs, which is beneficial for both men and women.
2. Blood Stasis (Xue Yu)
Symptoms of Blood Stasis: Dark complexion, deep purple lips, localized body pain. Those with Blood Stasis are prone to cardiovascular diseases and obesity.Dietary Remedies for Blood Stasis: Longan and Walnut Tea (Gui Yuan He Tao Cha)Preparation of Longan and Walnut Tea: One portion of longan (do not shell if experiencing dizziness) plus two portions of walnuts boiled in cold water; after boiling, simmer for 20 minutes. Drink this water as tea daily, and consume the longan and walnuts. This tea can help treat insomnia, anxiety, anemia in postpartum women, dysmenorrhea, and high blood lipids.
3. Blood Cold (Xue Han)
Symptoms of Blood Cold: Sensitivity to cold, cold pain in the abdomen and legs, cold hands and feet.Dietary Remedies for Blood Cold: Ginger and Red Date Tea (Sheng Jiang Hong Zao Cha)Preparation of Ginger and Red Date Tea: Take five to six red dates and slices of ginger, boil them in water, and add brown sugar before serving as tea.
Ginger and Red Date Tea is best consumed in the morning and should not exceed noon; it must be drunk hot. The best time to drink Ginger and Red Date Tea is from the beginning of summer until the day before the start of the hot season, every day.Effects of Ginger and Red Date Tea: Treats chin acne in women, aids digestion, alleviates wind-cold colds, and harmonizes the digestive and respiratory systems.
4. Blood Heat (Xue Re)
Symptoms of Blood Heat: 1. Body heat, bleeding phenomena such as nosebleeds, gum bleeding, blood in urine, coughing blood; 2. White hair, irritability, unstable emotions.
Dietary Remedies for Blood Heat: Cold Dishes with Purslane (Liang Ban Ma Chi Xian)
Preparation of Cold Dishes with Purslane: Blanch in hot water, add seasonings, and serve cold. It is not advisable to eat raw purslane regularly, but it can be consumed raw when treating diseases. Purslane can prevent and treat hand-foot-mouth disease in children; it treats and prevents abdominal pain caused by enteritis and dysentery; it can brighten the eyes and treat premature graying of hair.
80% of people have deficient heat, thus cooling medicines should not be used as they can harm the vital energy; it is crucial to return fire to the source and warm the kidneys. Only excess heat can be treated with cooling medicines.Symptoms of Excess Heat: Overall heat, excessive sweating, extreme thirst, yellow and scanty urine, dry stools.
Symptoms of Excess HeatCommon Symptoms of Deficient Heat: 80% of people experience deficient heat, one cause of which is Yin Deficiency.
Symptoms of Yin Deficiency: Hot palms and soles, night sweats, irritability.
Symptoms of Deficient Heat Rising: Mouth sores, oral ulcers, acne on the face.Dietary Remedies for Deficient Heat Rising: Pepper Stewed Egg (Hua Jiao Dun Ji Dan)Preparation of Pepper Stewed Egg: Boil an egg, sprinkle with pepper, and it is ready to eat.
Further Reading (The following is very useful)
Methods to Alleviate Oral Ulcer Pain: Sprinkle a small piece of dried persimmon cake and apply persimmon frost to the ulcer.Methods to Treat Chronic Oral Ulcers: 3 grams of Asarum (Xi Xin) with a bit of sesame oil, apply to the soles of the feet and tape securely, leave on overnight.
Qi Stagnation is one of the causes of excess heat.
Symptoms of Qi Stagnation: Chest and abdominal tightness, abdominal pain and cramping, tendency to sigh.Dietary Remedies for Qi Stagnation: Rose Tea (Mei Gui Hua Cha), Lemon Tea (Ning Meng Cha)
Qi Deficiency is one of the causes of excess heat.
Symptoms of Qi Deficiency: Tendency to sweat, shortness of breath with exertion, fatigue.
Dietary Remedies for Qi Deficiency: Astragalus Porridge (Huang Qi Zhou)Preparation of Astragalus Porridge: 30-60 grams of Astragalus simmered three times, then add rice to cook porridge. It is best to drink Astragalus porridge in the morning, and continuous consumption for a week can yield results. Those with Qi Deficiency should avoid excessive exercise, heavy sweating, and sauna.
Blood and Sweat Share the Same Source: Excessive sweating is equivalent to blood loss. Qi and Blood are a pair of Yin and Yang in the body; when Yin and Yang are balanced, diseases do not arise. After exercise, one should not bathe immediately; rest for at least 30 minutes.
Dietary Misconceptions: Removing scales when cooking fish. Eating fish with scales will prevent excess heat. Cooking Method for Fish Scales: First, pan-fry the fish on both sides, then stew it. Adding hawthorn and dried tangerine peel when cooking fish is beneficial for health. Overcooked fish skin can produce carcinogens.
Dietary Misconceptions: Eating too much fermented bean curd can cause cancer. Fermented bean curd is like cheese for Chinese people; its nutrition is better than tofu. The golden mold that appears on fermented bean curd is beneficial, acting like an antibiotic in our lives. Eating fermented bean curd can alleviate mild gastrointestinal discomfort.
Dietary Misconceptions: Eating salted duck eggs is unhealthy.
Salted duck eggs can nourish kidney Yin. Benefits of Eating Salted Duck Eggs: Treats lung dryness and cough, helps with children’s indigestion.Simple Method to Make Salted Duck Eggs: Soak duck eggs in white liquor, coat both ends with salt (for a saltier taste, coat the entire egg), seal the eggs in a container (after two weeks, the salted duck eggs will be ready; the longer they are soaked, the oilier the yolk).
Health Misconceptions in Daily Life: Everyone should drink 8 cups of water daily.
People should hydrate according to their individual constitution; improper hydration can burden the spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
How to Properly Hydrate:
1. Lard can protect vitamins in vegetables and lock in moisture; drinking oil can also hydrate. Adding salt later when stir-frying vegetables can better absorb the natural water in the vegetables.
2. Eating good fruits and vegetables such as: Sugarcane, water chestnut, kiwi, lotus root (lotus root powder), kudzu root (kudzu root powder).
Symptoms of Bad “Water” in the Body: Edema.
Three Types of Edema: 1. Wind-Cold Edema (Sudden Facial Swelling); treatment focuses on dispelling wind-cold. 2. Spleen Damp Edema (Lower Eyelid Swelling, Generalized Swelling); treatment involves Winter Melon and Dried Shrimp Soup (the winter melon should be unpeeled, add pepper). 3. Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency Edema (Swollen Feet, Swollen Legs); treatment involves cooking small fennel seeds with eel.
Symptoms of Bad “Water” in the Body: Phlegm-Dampness (Obesity). Methods to Treat Phlegm-Dampness Obesity: Dried Tangerine Peel and Lotus Leaf Tea, drink daily as tea. Symptoms of Phlegm-Dampness Obesity: Phlegm, gaining weight from drinking water, heavy body, heavy burden on the heart, tendency to sleep. Symptoms of Qi Deficiency Obesity: Soft flesh, not heavy in weight, large volume, tendency to sweat, prone to colds. Those with Qi Deficiency Obesity should not drink Dried Tangerine Peel and Lotus Leaf Tea; dietary remedies include Astragalus Porridge and Broad Beans. Symptoms of Blood Stasis Obesity: Obesity, dark complexion, deep lips, difficulty losing weight. Dietary remedies for Blood Stasis Obesity: Hawthorn and Licorice Tea. Preparation: 30 grams of hawthorn and 6 grams of licorice boiled in cold water for 10 minutes.
Different individuals should choose the correct weight loss method based on their constitution.
Dietary Remedies for Special Groups:1. Night Owls: Cuttlefish Soup. When stewing cuttlefish soup, do not remove the bones; during blood heat, the bones have a solidifying effect on blood. Those with allergies should especially stew with bones.2. Gallstones: Golden Egg Custard. Effects of Golden Egg Custard: Alleviates food stagnation, aids digestion, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and helps treat gallstones and cholecystitis.3. Those prone to frequent nosebleeds: Vegetarian Braised Eggplant. Preparation: Slice tomatoes and marinate with salt, pan-fry the eggplant with skin until soft, then stir-fry with tomatoes and garlic.