Dizziness, constipation, premature graying of hair, and spleen-stomach deficiency… these minor ailments are often encountered in our daily lives. In addition to following medical advice, we can also use dietary therapy to adjust our health. Below are 10 recipes that can be kept for future reference!
Tonify Liver and Kidney, Moisten the Five Organs
Black Sesame Porridge
Source:“Compendium of Materia Medica”
Effects:Tonifies the liver and kidney, moistens the five organs, used for premature graying of hair, dry and wrinkled skin, etc.
Ingredients:25g black sesame, 100g japonica rice.
Preparation:Crush the black sesame and cook it with the rinsed japonica rice in a pot with an appropriate amount of water to make porridge.
Black sesame can tonify the liver and kidney, nourish essence and blood, moisten dryness in the intestines, darken hair, and improve vision. It is a good remedy for anti-aging. It is commonly used in beauty treatments for premature graying of hair, hair loss, dry and wrinkled skin, and is suitable for those with dizziness, tinnitus, constipation, and weakness.
Tonify Qi and Blood, Darken Hair
Xianren Porridge
Source:“Zunsheng Banjian”
Effects:Tonifies Qi and blood, benefits liver and kidney, darkens hair, anti-aging, used for premature graying of hair, pallor.
Ingredients:10g prepared He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), 25g jujube, 100g japonica rice, appropriate amount of brown sugar.
Preparation:In a clay pot, add prepared He Shou Wu and an appropriate amount of water, simmer for 30 minutes, strain to keep the broth. Add jujube and rinsed japonica rice to the broth, cook for 30 minutes until the porridge thickens, and add brown sugar to taste.
This porridge is a good recipe for maintaining youth and preventing aging, often making one radiant with a healthy complexion and shiny hair. It is suitable for those with premature graying of hair, hair loss, dry hair, dull skin, pale or sallow complexion, early aging, and constipation. Those with diarrhea should not consume it excessively.
Strengthen the Spleen and Stop Diarrhea
Three Grain Porridge
Source:“Folk Recipes”
Effects:Strengthens the spleen, thickens the intestines, stops diarrhea, used for children’s spleen deficiency, weak Qi, and indigestion.
Ingredients:30g each of sorghum, millet, and japonica rice, appropriate amount of white sugar.
Preparation:Wash the sorghum, millet, and japonica rice clean, then put them in a pot with an appropriate amount of water to cook porridge. When the porridge is nearly done, add white sugar and mix well.
This porridge is an auxiliary dietary therapy for children with persistent diarrhea, treating diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency and weak Qi, or symptoms like mucus in stool, thin body, yellowish complexion, and abdominal distension.
Strengthen the Spleen and Stop Dysentery
Egg Pancake
Source:“Total Records of Sacred Medicine”
Effects:Clears heat and detoxifies, strengthens the spleen and stops dysentery, used for children’s watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, chronic dysentery.
Ingredients:3 eggs, 300g flour, a pinch of salt.
Preparation:Beat the eggs, mix with salt, and add to the flour to make a thick batter. Heat a flat pan, reduce to low heat, pour in a large spoonful of batter, cook until set, flip, and cook both sides until done, then serve as a staple food.
Eggs can nourish Yin and blood, detoxify and stop diarrhea, commonly used for weakness, fatigue, heat disease, and diarrhea. The white flour made from wheat also has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea. This pancake is suitable for all ages to nourish the spleen and stomach, especially for children with spleen deficiency and persistent diarrhea.
Moisten Dryness, Nourish the Lungs, Stop Cough and Wheezing
Almond Tofu
Source:“Secret of Food and Health”
Effects:Clears heat and transforms phlegm, moistens dryness and nourishes the lungs, stops cough and wheezing, enhances lung immunity, prevents lung diseases.
Ingredients:30-50g sweet almond powder, 500ml milk, 15g agar, 30g white sugar, a little osmanthus sugar.
Preparation:Mix almond powder, milk, and white sugar, boil in a pot, then add the softened agar and cook until dissolved. Pour the cooked almond milk mixture into a container and refrigerate until it solidifies into a tofu-like texture. Cut before serving and drizzle with osmanthus sugar.
This recipe is suitable for everyone without lung disease, can moisten and clear the lungs, and prevent respiratory diseases. Those with abdominal distension or diarrhea should not consume it excessively.
Benefit Qi and Stop Diarrhea
Eight Treasures Cake
Source:“Secret of Food and Health”
Effects:Strengthens the spleen and nourishes the stomach, benefits Qi and stops diarrhea, used for weakness, low appetite, and chronic diarrhea.
Ingredients:500g glutinous rice flour, 50g yam, 50g fried white lentils, 30g each of coix seed, lotus seed, fox nut, and poria, 100g white sugar.
Preparation:Grind yam, white lentils, coix seed, lotus seed, fox nut, and poria into powder, mix with glutinous rice flour and white sugar, add appropriate amount of water to form a dough that can be shaped. Pack the mixed powder into a mold, press firmly, and steam for 40 minutes.
This recipe is a traditional dietary therapy. The eight ingredients, glutinous rice, yam, white lentils, lotus seed, fox nut, coix seed, poria, and white sugar, are all good for strengthening the spleen and stomach, benefiting Qi, and treating spleen deficiency diarrhea, collectively known as the “Eight Treasures”.
Warm the Middle, Strengthen the Stomach
Benefit Spleen Cake
Source:“Medical Records of Traditional and Western Medicine”
Effects:Strengthens the spleen and stops diarrhea, warms the middle and strengthens the stomach, used for food intake issues and chronic diarrhea due to spleen and stomach deficiency.
Ingredients:20g Bai Zhu (Atractylodes), 6g dried ginger, 10g chicken inner golden, 50g jujube, 150g flour.
Preparation:Steam the jujube until cooked, mash into a paste; grind Bai Zhu, chicken inner golden, and dried ginger into powder. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, add water to mix into a batter. Heat a flat pan, place a mold, pour in the batter, and cook both sides until done.
The above ingredients combined with flour can replenish the spleen and stomach, transform stagnation, stop diarrhea, and increase appetite, especially suitable for daily maintenance of the elderly and children with spleen and stomach deficiency. Those with Yin deficiency and internal heat should not consume it excessively.
Warm the Middle, Disperse Cold, Regulate Qi and Alleviate Pain
Ginger, Tangerine Peel, and Pepper Fish Soup
Source:“Food and Medicine Heart Mirror”
Effects:Warms the middle, disperses cold, strengthens the spleen, opens the appetite, regulates Qi, and alleviates pain, used for stomach cold pain, poor appetite, and indigestion.
Ingredients: 1 crucian carp (about 300g), 15g dried ginger, 15g tangerine peel, a little coriander, 20g green onion, salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:Put dried ginger and tangerine peel in a spice bag and seal. Clean the crucian carp, remove scales, gills, and internal organs, place in a pot, add appropriate water, boil, skim off the foam, add green onion and spice bag, simmer for 20 minutes, add salt, and cook briefly. Finally, sprinkle with pepper and coriander to finish.
The combination of crucian carp with ginger, pepper, tangerine peel, green onion, and coriander enhances the effects of strengthening the spleen, warming the stomach, dispersing cold, alleviating pain, and stimulating appetite.
Disperse Wind, Clear Heat, Open the Lungs, Stop Cough
Almond, Mulberry, and Chrysanthemum Drink
Source:“Differentiation of Warm Diseases”
Effects:Disperses wind, clears heat, opens the lungs, and stops cough, used for wind-heat invasion, wind-heat cold, lung heat, and dry cough, sore throat, etc.
Ingredients:6g mulberry leaves, 6g chrysanthemum, 10g almonds, appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Preparation:Put mulberry leaves, chrysanthemum, and crushed almonds in a cup, pour in boiling water, cover and steep for 15 minutes, then add appropriate rock sugar to drink. Take one dose daily, replacing tea frequently.
This drink primarily clears heat; those with spleen and stomach deficiency, chronic cough, or phlegm should not consume it.
Generate Fluids, Quench Thirst, Transform Phlegm, Stop Cough
Five Juice Drink
Source:“Differentiation of Warm Diseases”
Effects:Sweet, cold, clears heat, generates fluids, quenches thirst, transforms phlegm, stops cough, used for warm disease thirst, heat injuring fluids, lung heat, and dry cough, can also prevent and treat heat colds, lung diseases, and throat diseases.
Ingredients:20g reed root, 15g ophiopogon, 100g each of pear, water chestnut, and lotus root. Lotus root can also be replaced with sugarcane for good heat-clearing effects.
Preparation:Wash, peel, and dice the pear, water chestnut, and lotus root. Boil reed root and ophiopogon in a pot with appropriate water, strain to obtain 150ml of broth. Blend the diced pear, water chestnut, and lotus root with appropriate water into a juice. Mix the juice with the reed root and ophiopogon broth, stir well, and drink.
This recipe is a classic heat-clearing formula for warm diseases. All five ingredients are sweet and cold, nourishing Yin, generating fluids, and moistening dryness. Pear, water chestnut, and lotus root focus on clearing lung heat, while reed root and ophiopogon also clear stomach heat, working together for enhanced heat-clearing effects.
