China has a long-standing food therapy culture of “food and medicine share the same source”
As early as in the “Huangdi Neijing” (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), the principle of treating diseases was proposed—
“Use medicine to expel it, and food to follow it”
Many foods are both food and medicine
Food, like medicine, can prevent diseases!
肉桂 (Ròuguì) – Cinnamon
As winter approaches and temperatures drop sharply, many people often feel cold in their legs and feet. Even with protective measures, the effect is not ideal. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers this to fall under the category of “Yang Deficiency”. Appropriate food therapy methods can alleviate the coldness in the lower limbs. Today, we recommend several medicinal dishes centered around cinnamon. Cinnamon is the dried bark of the Cinnamomum cassia plant. It has a spicy and sweet flavor, and is considered very warming. It has the effects of warming the Yang, assisting Yang, dispelling cold, relieving pain, and warming the meridians. It is used for conditions such as impotence due to cold in the womb, cold pain in the lower back and knees, cough due to kidney deficiency, floating Yang, dizziness, red eyes, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cold vomiting and diarrhea, cold hernia abdominal pain, and dysmenorrhea with amenorrhea.
Medicinal Dishes with Cinnamon01Stewed Lamb with Cinnamon
15 grams of cinnamon, 500 grams of lamb, 3-5 slices of ginger, salt to taste.
Wash the lamb, blanch it in boiling water, remove and wash again, then cut into pieces. Wash and slice the ginger. In a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, lamb, and ginger slices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the lamb is tender. Add salt to taste.
This soup has the effects of strengthening the spleen and appetite, warming Yang and tonifying the kidneys, nourishing Qi and blood, dispelling cold and relieving pain. It is used to treat abdominal pain due to spleen and stomach deficiency, indigestion, as well as cold fatigue, kidney deficiency, and impotence. It can also be used as a dietary dish for patients with leukopenia, and regular consumption can reduce diseases and prolong life.
02Cinnamon Tea
3 grams of cinnamon, place the cleaned cinnamon in a thermos, add boiling water (above 90°C) and steep for three to four minutes before drinking. For better taste, you can add apples to cook together. Cinnamon warms Yang and dispels cold, while apples strengthen the spleen and aid digestion, making it a perfect hot drink for winter.
03Cinnamon Paste
6 grams of cinnamon, 6 grams of cloves, grind into a fine powder, place in a plaster, and apply to the navel of a child to treat diarrhea.
04Cinnamon, Aconite, and Egg Soup
3 grams of cinnamon, 9 grams of aconite, 1 egg, decoct the cinnamon and aconite, strain, then add the egg, cook until done, and consume the egg and drink the broth, twice a day. It can treat excessive leukorrhea.
Suitable Population:Suitable for those who are usually afraid of cold, have cold hands and feet, cold pain in the stomach, poor appetite, vomiting clear water, hidden abdominal pain that prefers warmth, and diarrhea; women with postpartum abdominal pain, cold pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation, and cold-type amenorrhea; those with cold pain in the lower back and knees, and wind-cold-damp arthritis.
Unsuitable Population:Cinnamon is a warming herb, and should not be consumed if there are symptoms of heat such as thirst, dry throat, sore throat, nosebleeds, or any acute inflammation. Those with dry syndrome, lupus, cancer, tuberculosis, menopausal syndrome, chronic liver disease, bleeding disorders, constipation, hemorrhoids, or red eyes should avoid it. Those with significant internal heat, excessive internal fire, Yin deficiency with excessive fire, red tongue without coating, dry syndrome, menopausal syndrome, habitual constipation, hemorrhoids, and bleeding disorders should not consume it.
Consumption Precautions
1. Cinnamon is warming and suitable for consumption in cool weather; avoid consuming cinnamon in summer.
2. Due to its warming and blood-activating properties, pregnant women should consume it with caution.
3. Those with Yin deficiency and excessive heat, or blood heat and bleeding should also avoid it.
4. Those with excessive menstruation, pelvic inflammation, sore throat, and other heat-related illnesses should avoid it, as well as those with a history of bleeding and nocturnal emissions.