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Dizziness is a common symptom in our daily lives. Poor sleep, colds, low blood sugar… many of these seemingly insignificant “minor ailments” can lead to dizziness. Therefore, we often overlook dizziness, thinking that a good sleep will alleviate it.
However, dizziness is actually a very dangerous signal. With improved living conditions, we often eat a lot of meat at home. Regardless of whether it is fatty or lean meat, overeating can easily lead to the production of phlegm, which can cause dizziness.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), “phlegm” is a type of body fluid. Generally, we refer to solidified forms as phlegm. One characteristic of phlegm is that it is ubiquitous; it arises when there is an excess of waste, classified as one of the five evils (wu xie) in TCM. Phlegm can manifest in various parts of the body, such as in the brain, where it can develop into a brain tumor; or in the blood vessel walls, potentially leading to atherosclerotic plaques; it can also exist in the heart and lungs.
Phlegm in the body can be categorized into phlegm-dampness and phlegm-heat. However, when the heat becomes severe, it can develop into phlegm-fire. Once it reaches the phlegm-fire stage, symptoms such as dizziness may occur. If phlegm-fire is accompanied by an increase in plaques on blood vessel walls, it can easily lead to a stroke, which is very dangerous.
According to our usual understanding, individuals who are overweight and consume a high-fat diet are considered to be at risk for phlegm-dampness. However, those who are thin can also be at risk for phlegm-dampness, albeit with smaller volumes of phlegm. This is similar to how many thin individuals can also have high cholesterol levels.
In fact, there is a well-known herb that is excellent for resolving phlegm-dampness, which is Fu Ling (Poria). Fu Ling is known for its ability to generate fluids in the lungs and kidneys, not only promoting urination and resolving dampness but also eliminating phlegm. Fu Ling has a sweet flavor, which can tonify the spleen; when the spleen’s qi is abundant, phlegm-dampness can be effectively transformed. Additionally, Fu Ling enters the heart channel, which can open the heart orifices and benefit the heart spirit.
Fu Ling has a sweet and bland taste, is neutral in nature; it enters the heart, lung, spleen, and kidney channels; it has the effects of promoting urination and resolving dampness, strengthening the spleen, and calming the heart; it is used for edema, reduced urination, phlegm-dampness causing dizziness, spleen deficiency with poor appetite, diarrhea, and anxiety or insomnia.
As early as the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi had to deal with military affairs daily, which caused her heart and spleen to become deficient. Therefore, many of her court dishes included Fu Ling, such as the well-known Fu Ling Cake. However, making Fu Ling Cake is quite complex, so today we will teach you a very convenient medicinal dish for daily life: Lotus Seed and Fu Ling Cake.
Lotus Seed and Fu Ling Cake
Ingredients:200g lotus seeds, 200g Fu Ling (Poria), appropriate amount of osmanthus, appropriate amount of white sugar
Instructions:
1. Grind the lotus seeds and Fu Ling into fine powder in a food processor and mix well;
2. Add osmanthus and white sugar to the mixed fine powder according to personal taste and mix well;
3. Add an appropriate amount of water to form a batter, and use a mold to shape it into a cake (you can also directly shape it into thin pancakes);
4. Steam the cake in a pot for 20 minutes.
Effects:
Tonifies the heart and spleen, secures essence and qi, nourishes yin and benefits fluids.
Produced under the supervision of Guo Yi Wu Shuang
Images sourced from the internet
Supervised by Guo Yi Wu Shuang AT Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
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