What is your top choice for basic health maintenance?
I vote for Shan Yao (Yam).
Yam is the universal remedy in the realm of strengthening the body and expelling pathogens.
It is often used to complement the strong expelling properties of tiger and wolf medicines, while it calmly and steadily builds up the body’s vital energy, ensuring no pathogens remain.
Whether you have been harmed by strong medicines, or by external pathogens such as wind, cold, dampness, dryness, heat, influenza, antibiotics, or simply have a slightly weak constitution…
When the external pathogens have been expelled but the fortress of vital energy has not yet been established, it is time to invite Yam to strengthen the body.
One Yam nourishes three organs: Spleen, Lung, and Kidney.
It has a sweet and neutral flavor, with a gentle effect, entering the Spleen, Lung, and Kidney meridians, serving as a harmonizing tonic for the three burners. It can both tonify Qi and nourish Yin, being neither cold nor dry, tonifying without stagnation, making it an excellent tonic for the Spleen and Stomach.
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For the upper burner respiratory tract, if there is a persistent cough and weakness of the lungs, it should be used;
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For the middle burner Spleen deficiency, it should be used;
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For the lower burner Kidney Qi deficiency, where the Kidney cannot hold Qi, it should be used;
Do not think that Yam only tonifies the Spleen; it nourishes all three organs together.
Children often have a constitution characterized by Spleen and Lung deficiency, and insufficient Kidney Qi, making them susceptible to external pathogens and prone to colds. Yam is naturally a guardian for children.
Thus, the following common uses of Yam are not surprising.
Yam Porridge: Can Treat Children’s Diarrhea
In winter, if feeding time is too long, food can become cold, and children may crave coolness, unknowingly suffering from cold pathogens, harming the Spleen and Stomach, leading to diarrhea.
Zhang Xichun often used Yam to treat such gastrointestinal dysentery, suggesting cooking fresh Yam porridge for a few days to tonify the Spleen, strengthen the Stomach, and strengthen the body while expelling pathogens.
Using mild medicinal foods to harmonize the Spleen and Stomach, treating various conditions encountered in children’s growth and development, only Yam can tonify without being greasy, tonifying while also eliminating.
If children dislike the bland taste of Yam water, Zhang Xichun also provided a small method: adding a little sugar can enhance absorption, acting as a medicinal guide, directly entering the Spleen and Lung.
Yam Decoction: For Early and Late Stages of Cold
In the early stages of a cold, if it is due to external wind-cold, and there are initial signs such as clear nasal discharge and sneezing, immediately drink Yam decoction to replenish the Qi of the Spleen and Lung, quickly calming the cold and easily preventing it.
Yam Decoction:
Adults use 50g, children use 30g to decoct in water, drink while hot, and immediately sleep to induce sweating; a slight sweat is sufficient, generally, after getting up, they will be lively.
▲ Friends often ask, must it be 30g? Yes, because Yam’s properties are neutral, a larger dosage is advisable; a smaller amount may not yield noticeable effects.
In the later stages of a cold, many people feel there are no symptoms and think they have recovered, but often the vital energy is still weak, and a slight breeze can easily invite external pathogens again.
At this time, continue to use Yam decoction for another 3 days to cultivate vital energy and prevent the cold from returning.
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For children who have just recovered from a cold, with a bit of cough and lung deficiency, Yam decoction should be used;
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For children with phlegm cough or thick tongue coating, use fresh Yam and dried Yam in a 1:1 ratio, add to soup and try it out.
Protecting Pregnant Mothers Who Are Afraid to Take Medicine
Quick Recovery
Pregnant women are a very sensitive group, often afraid to take Western medicines or Chinese patent medicines, and must endure when they catch a cold or fall ill.
Yam decoction is a very safe method. Pregnant women, whether suffering from cold, cough, or other ailments, should quickly brew a cup and drink it hot to cultivate their self-healing power, enhance vital energy, and resist external pathogens.
After Drinking, Belching, or Vomiting,
Boil a bowl of thick Yam water for quick recovery.
After a hangover, feeling pale, dry eyes, dry throat, and feeling drained?
The best remedy is to immediately boil a bowl of Yam water, making it a bit thicker than usual; drink it a few times, and your condition will quickly return to normal.
Yam decoction can restore the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach while nourishing the Yin of the Spleen and Lung, which is exactly what is needed after drinking.
Yam is inherently sticky, emphasizing the nourishment of Spleen Yin
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Spleen Yin deficiency: heat in the palms and soles, irritability, dry eyes, dry mouth, craving cold drinks, red lips, thin tongue, and dry tongue coating…
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Spleen Yang deficiency: pale tongue with teeth marks; loose stools, not formed; easy to swell; sweating with movement, shortness of breath, weakness in limbs, little speech, not fond of talking…
For those with Spleen Yin deficiency, eating Yam will yield quick and good results.
However, for those with Spleen Yang deficiency, the effects may not be as pronounced; when the tongue coating is thick and greasy, dampness is heavy, and using Yam may actually exacerbate dampness.
So, for those with Spleen Yang deficiency who want to use Yam to tonify Spleen Qi, but also have some dampness, what should be done?
They can use fried Yam, which has a much stronger effect of drying dampness.
How to Fry Yam
Place dried Yam in an iron pan and dry fry on low heat until the surface is golden brown. When using fried Yam to make decoction, the flavor will be stronger.
In summary, the best uses of Yam:
Generally, fresh Yam is suitable for tonifying the Spleen, while fried Yam is suitable for dampness and phlegm.
There is a kind of bodily imbalance that is both Yin deficient and has dampness
In many cases, the human body is this complex.
To expel dampness? It will deplete Yin;
To nourish Yin? It will promote dampness.
In such cases, you must think of Yam.
Yam nourishes Yin and fluids while tonifying the Spleen and Qi, promoting urination and expelling dampness. It is also very useful in this situation.
Fresh Yam, harvested in autumn and winter,
is best eaten in winter, helping to conceal Kidney Yang.
Fresh Yam, just dug from the ground, is best eaten during the winter season, as it helps to conceal Kidney Yang, rooting downwards; it also nourishes Spleen Yin, neither moving nor rising excessively.
This obedient and low-key seasonal food, grows deep in the soil, understanding the nature of preservation.
Fresh Yam is suitable for consumption during autumn and winter, and must be eaten with the skin and roots; Teacher Xu Wenbing says that Yam can promote hair growth, so for those who experience hair loss or receding hairlines, steaming Yam with the skin is recommended.
How to Identify Good Quality Dried Yam?
Many people are attracted to the white and smooth appearance of dried Yam when buying it at the pharmacy, but this is often due to the use of sulfur for preservation.
▲After being treated with sulfur, the structure becomes denser and whiter (like the one behind), but it will taste sour and have a strong heat property.
We must choose naturally sun-dried Yam.
Fresh Yam, after being sun-dried, will become wrinkled and may have some black or yellow spots, but it will taste sweet and fragrant.
I have eaten countless pieces of Yam every year, so I prefer to sun-dry my own.
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