Blood Deficiency (Xue Xu):
The 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 the herbs three times, then combine the water and drink.
In Angelica and Astragalus Tea, Astragalus tonifies Qi, while Angelica nourishes blood, achieving both blood and Qi replenishment simultaneously.
People with blood deficiency can drink the prepared Angelica and Astragalus Tea daily as water; those with Qi and blood deficiency, recovering from prolonged illness, and the elderly can consume it. However, those with Yin deficiency and excess heat, or those with serious illnesses, should avoid it. During a cold, do not consume Astragalus. For blood replenishment, Angelica can be used to cook eggs, and for health maintenance, a whole Angelica can be used to cook eggs, which can be consumed by both men and women and has excellent Qi replenishing effects.Blood Stasis (Xue Yu):
Symptoms of Blood Stasis: dark complexion, deep lip color, 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, boil in cold water, and simmer for 20 minutes. Drink this water as tea daily, and consume both the longan and walnuts. This tea can treat insomnia, anxiety, postpartum anemia, dysmenorrhea, and high blood lipids.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 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, and it should be consumed daily.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.Blood Heat (Xue Re):
Symptoms of Blood Heat: 1. Body heat, bleeding phenomena, such as nosebleeds, gum bleeding, blood in urine, coughing blood. 2. Premature graying of 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 purslane in hot water, add seasonings, and eat cold. It is not advisable to eat purslane raw regularly, but it can be consumed raw when treating diseases. Purslane can prevent and treat hand-foot-mouth disease in children, alleviate abdominal pain caused by enteritis and dysentery, improve eyesight, and treat premature graying of hair.
80% of people experience false heat, thus cooling herbs should not be used as they can harm the vital energy. It is essential to return fire to the source and warm the kidneys.
True heat symptoms include: feeling hot all over, excessive sweating, extreme thirst, yellow and scanty urine, dry stools.Common Symptoms of False Heat: 80% of people with heat symptoms have false heat, one cause of which is Yin deficiency.Symptoms of Yin Deficiency: hot palms and soles, night sweats, irritability.Symptoms of False Heat Rising: mouth sores, oral ulcers, acne.Dietary Remedies for False Heat Rising: Pepper Stewed Egg (Huo Jiao Dun Ji Dan).Preparation of Pepper Stewed Egg: Boil a poached egg and sprinkle with pepper before serving.Practical Treatment for Oral Ulcer Pain: Take a small piece of dried persimmon and apply persimmon frost to the ulcer.Long-term Treatment for Oral Ulcers: Apply 3 grams of Xixin with a bit of sesame oil to the soles of the feet and secure with tape overnight. Qi stagnation is one cause of heat symptoms.Symptoms of Qi Stagnation: chest and abdominal tightness, abdominal pain, tendency to sigh.Dietary Remedies for Qi Stagnation and Heat: Rose Tea (Mei Gui Hua Cha), Lemon Tea (Ning Meng Cha).Qi Deficiency is another cause of heat symptoms.Symptoms of Qi Deficiency: excessive sweating, 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. Astragalus porridge is best consumed in the morning, and continuous consumption for a week can yield results. Those with Qi deficiency should avoid excessive exercise, heavy sweating, and sauna, as 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, do not bathe immediately; rest for at least 30 minutes.Dietary Misconceptions: When cooking fish, do not scale it; eating fish with scales prevents heat symptoms.Cooking Method for Fish Scales: First, pan-fry the fish on both sides, then stew it. When cooking fish, adding hawthorn and dried tangerine peel is beneficial for health. Overcooked fish skin can produce carcinogens.Dietary Misconceptions: Eating too much fermented tofu can cause cancer. Fermented tofu is like cheese for Chinese people; its nutrition is better than tofu. The golden mold on fermented tofu is beneficial, acting like an antibiotic in our lives. Eating fermented tofu 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, alleviates childhood indigestion.Simple Method for Making Salted Duck Eggs: Soak duck eggs in white liquor, coat both ends with salt (for a saltier taste, coat the entire egg), and seal in a container (after two weeks, the salted duck eggs will be ready; the longer they are soaked, the oilier the yolk).Symptoms of Bad “Water” in the Body: Edema. There are three types of edema: 1. Wind-Cold Edema (sudden facial swelling); treatment focuses on dispelling wind-cold. 2. Spleen-Damp Edema (swelling under the eyes, whole body swelling); treatment involves Spleen-Damp Soup (Dong Gua Xia Pi Tang) (the winter melon should be cooked with the skin, add pepper). 3. Spleen-Kidney Yang Deficiency Edema (swelling in the feet and legs); treatment involves cooking small fennel seeds with eel.Symptoms of Bad “Water” in the Body: Phlegm-Damp (obesity). Treatment for phlegm-damp obesity involves Chen Pi and Lotus Leaf Tea (Chen Pi He Ye Cha), consumed daily as tea. Symptoms of phlegm-damp obesity include phlegm, weight gain from drinking water, a heavy body, heart burden, and excessive sleep. Symptoms of Qi Deficiency Obesity include soft flesh, not heavy weight, large volume, excessive sweating, and susceptibility to colds. Those with Qi deficiency obesity should not drink Chen Pi and Lotus Leaf Tea; dietary remedies include Astragalus Porridge and Broad Beans (Can Dou).Symptoms of Blood Stasis Obesity: obesity, dark complexion, deep lip color, difficulty losing weight. Dietary remedies for blood stasis obesity include Hawthorn and Licorice Tea (Shan Zha Gan Cao Cha).Preparation of Hawthorn and Licorice Tea: 30 grams of hawthorn and 6 grams of licorice, boil 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 (Mo Yu Tang). When stewing cuttlefish soup, do not remove the bones; during blood heat, bones have a solidifying effect on blood. Those with allergies should especially stew with bones. 2. Gallstones: Golden Egg Custard (Jin Dan Geng). The benefits of golden egg custard include aiding digestion, strengthening the Spleen and Stomach, and helping treat gallstones and cholecystitis. 3. Those with habitual nosebleeds: Vegetarian Braised Eggplant (Su Shao Shuang Qie).Preparation of Vegetarian Braised Eggplant: Slice tomatoes and marinate with salt, pan-fry the eggplant with skin until soft, then stir-fry with tomatoes and garlic.
| TCM Dietary Therapy and Health Preservation|
The best doctor is yourself, the best hospital is your kitchen.
The best medicine is food, and the best efficacy is persistence.
