The weather is humid and hot, which is truly unbearable.
Humidity and heat not only make one feel sticky and uncomfortable externally, but can also create dampness within the body, trapping the spleen and stomach. Therefore, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that during this time, people must prioritize the task of “clearing heat and eliminating dampness.”
Today, I will recommend four formulas for clearing heat and eliminating dampness~
Regularly drinking these two teas can effectively strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness.
1Spleen-Strengthening and Dampness-Eliminating Health Tea
Ingredients: 20g Coix Seed (Yi Ren), 12g Codonopsis (Dang Shen), 5g Gardenia (Zhi Zi), 12g Astragalus (Huang Qi), 10g Artemisia (Yin Chen), 10g Atractylodes (Cang Zhu), 10g Dried Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi).
Effects: Clears heat and relieves summer heat, dries dampness and strengthens the spleen.
Method: Add 3 slices of ginger, decoct, cool, and drink as tea three times a day.
Formula Explanation: At the turn of spring and summer, people in the south are prone to symptoms of damp heat. This tea formula has both dampness-eliminating and heat-clearing effects.
Coix Seed, also known as Job’s Tears, is mainly produced in Fujian, Hebei, and Liaoning. It is sweet, bland, and slightly cold, entering the lung, spleen, and kidney meridians, with the two main functions of draining dampness and strengthening the spleen.
The “Compendium of Materia Medica” states that Coix Seed “strengthens the spleen and benefits the stomach, nourishes the lungs and clears heat, dispels wind and drains dampness, beautifies the skin, and prolongs life.” As a commonly used diuretic and dampness-draining herb, Coix Seed is essential for eliminating dampness.
Combined with the qi-tonifying Astragalus and Codonopsis, the damp-heat clearing Gardenia and Artemisia, and the dampness-dispelling Atractylodes and Dried Tangerine Peel, this is an excellent health tea formula for those with an internal “damp” constitution.
This formula has a slightly bitter taste; if you are not used to it, you can add a little sugar or honey.
Note: Those with dry stools, frequent urination, or pregnant women should avoid this during spring and summer. If there are diarrhea issues, roasted Coix Seed can be used to eliminate dampness and stop diarrhea.
2Dampness-Dispelling and Spirit-Enhancing Health Tea
Ingredients: 2g Angelica Dahurica (Bai Zhi), 1.5g Peppermint (Bo He), 1.5g Chamomile (Gan Ju), 1.5g Notopterygium (Qiang Huo), 1.5g Gardenia (Zhi Zi).
Effects: Clears the head, sharpens the senses, and enhances spirit.
Method: Add 3 slices of ginger and a small amount of tea leaves (black tea is best), decoct and drink (add peppermint last, decoct for 5 minutes), three times a day.
Formula Explanation: Angelica Dahurica is pungent and warm, entering the lung, spleen, stomach, and large intestine meridians. It can dispel wind, relieve the exterior, scatter cold, stop pain, eliminate dampness, open the orifices, reduce swelling, and drain pus, making it a key herb for dispelling dampness in TCM. This tea formula utilizes Angelica Dahurica’s function of eliminating dampness and opening the orifices.
Peppermint refreshes the mind, disperses wind and heat, increases appetite, and aids digestion.
Chamomile is slightly bitter and fragrant, can treat chronic constipation, relieve inexplicable tension, alleviate eye fatigue, nourish the lungs, and promote health. Additionally, Gardenia clears damp heat, and Notopterygium dispels wind and dampness.
Regularly drinking these two soups can strengthen the spleen, open the appetite, eliminate dampness, and stop diarrhea.
1Codonopsis and Poria Bone Soup
Ingredients: 20g Codonopsis (Dang Shen), 15g Poria (Fu Ling), 6g Dried Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi), 6g Amomum (Sha Ren), 20g Atractylodes (Bai Zhu), 150g Pork Backbone, 5 slices of ginger.
Method: First, remove the fat from the pork backbone and blanch it in boiling water to remove the odor; wash Codonopsis, Poria, Dried Tangerine Peel, Atractylodes, and ginger with clean water;
Then place all ingredients in a soup pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for half an hour, adding Amomum for the last 15 minutes.
Effects: This soup strengthens the spleen, opens the appetite, and is particularly suitable for those with abdominal distension, poor appetite, and indigestion.
2Dried Tangerine Peel and Lotus Seed Duck Soup
Ingredients: 6g Dried Tangerine Peel (Chen Pi), 50g Lotus Seed (Lian Zi), 50g Coix Seed (Yi Ren), 50g Chinese Yam (Huaishan), 3 slices of ginger, 250g Duck Meat.
Method: First, wash the duck meat to remove blood stains and cut into pieces;
Roast the Coix Seed in an iron pan until slightly yellow, wash the Lotus Seed, soak the Chinese Yam in water, and wash the Dried Tangerine Peel and ginger;
Then place all ingredients in a soup pot, add clean water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 2 hours, and season to taste.
Effects: This soup can tonify the spleen, strengthen the stomach, eliminate dampness, and stop diarrhea, particularly suitable for those with heavy dampness and loose stools.
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