Two Summer Dietary Therapy Tonic Recipes
"Winter tonic supplementation" is widely familiar, but "summer tonic supplementation" raises doubts for some. Actually, proper supplementation in summer is essential. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that excessive sweating in summer damages yang, and excessive loss of body fluids harms yin. Coupled with longer days and shorter nights leading to insufficient sleep, the body easily develops "deficiency" symptoms. Supplementation includes medicinal and dietary approaches. According to traditional health principles, in summer one may consume cold-natured poultry like ducks and geese. Those with qi-yin deficiency may use sweet-cold, yin-nourishing herbs; those with yang deficiency may choose warm-natured meats like beef and mutton to warm and tonify the middle burner. Below are two recommended tonic recipes—dishes made from medicinal herbs and food, cooked into delicious meals with therapeutic effects.
One: Salvia and Old Duck Soup
Salvia (also known as Bai Shen, Yang Ru, or Milk Root) has a slightly bitter taste, cold nature, non-toxic. It treats blood stasis, eliminates heat, tonifies the center, nourishes lung qi, relieves stomach, spleen, heart, and abdominal pain, and resolves heat and evil qi. Duck (also called Fu) has a sweet taste, great cold nature, non-toxic, treats qi deficiency, cold water retention, and edema. Main ingredients: one old duck, 50g salvia. Chop the duck into pieces, blanch, stir-fry in oil with cooking wine until fragrant, then place the soaked salvia in a clean cloth bag, boil gently with the duck over low heat until tender. Add seasonings and serve.
Benefits: Tonifies the center, calms the organs, removes blood stasis, quiets agitation, clears heat, and relieves fever.
Two: Ten-Ingredient Great Tonifying Soup
10g each of Codonopsis pilosula, processed Astragalus membranaceus, stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala, wine-soaked white peony root, and Poria; 3g cinnamon; 15g each of Rehmannia glutinosa (prepared), Angelica sinensis; 6g each of stir-fried Ligusticum chuanxiong and processed Glycyrrhiza uralensis; 250g pork stomach, 250g pork shoulder, 30g ginger, scallions, cooking wine, Sichuan pepper, salt, monosodium glutamate as needed.
1. Place all herbs in a clean cloth bag, tie tightly.
2. Put pork shoulder, pork stomach, and herb bag into an aluminum pot, add sufficient water, along with scallions, ginger, Sichuan pepper, cooking wine, salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until pork stomach is tender. Remove the herb bag.
3. Serve the soup with pork stomach in bowls. Eat one bowl twice daily, morning and evening. Avoid if suffering from colds or flu.
"Dual Tonification of Qi and Blood" is suitable for those with dual deficiency of qi and blood, long-term illness, and physical weakness.
[Dietary Therapy Tonic]