🌿 Folk Prescriptions

It's once again time for winter supplementation. The folk saying goes, “Three Nines Supplement One Winter, Stay Healthy Next Year.” Professor Deng Wei, Director of the Department of Nephrology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminds everyone: choose your supplementation method based on individual constitution. Those with very weak constitutions may safely consume warm stews, but average people should avoid overconsumption. Otherwise, excessive calorie intake may lead to stagnation and internal heat, potentially causing new illnesses.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes, “Spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal life.” If digestive function is poor, supplements won’t be digested properly and instead burden the gastrointestinal system, causing indigestion. Therefore, prior to supplementation, one must first regulate the spleen and stomach. For those with weakened digestive function after illness, start with a period of guilong red date porridge. Even those with normal digestive function should include qi-moving, bloating-relieving ingredients like tangerine peel or coix seed during supplementation to prevent blockage of Qi flow, avoiding abdominal distension and reduced appetite.
Longan Lotus Seed Porridge
Place 10 grams of longan, 20 grams of lotus seeds, and 4 red dates in a pot. Add 100 grams of glutinous rice and sufficient water, cook until soft and fragrant. This porridge nourishes blood and calms the spirit, suitable for those recovering from illness. For loose stools, add fresh yam; for dry cough, add lily.
Chicken Soup for Cold
One 1000-gram flower cock (or yellow hen), cut into large chunks, placed in a clay pot. Add 2000 ml of water, place several rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, a crushed piece of ginger, and several cloves of Sichuan peppercorns, along with a little salt. For those with cold extremities and persistent weakness from colds, add a bit of astragalus and angelica. Boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about an hour. Generally, avoid supplementation during common colds. But this soup, combining chicken and mushrooms, can be used alongside cold medication for those with lingering colds to expel pathogens and restore vitality. Chicken soup boosts immunity, ideal for those with wind-cold exterior syndrome (clear nasal discharge) and fatigue. Chicken warms the spleen and stomach, mushrooms resolve phlegm and regulate Qi, astragalus and angelica tonify Qi and activate blood. Those with cold-sensitive, weak constitutions can consume this soup regularly. Note: Yellow hen has strong warming properties; not suitable for non-elderly or non-weak individuals. Avoid if feverish during cold.
Angelica Ginger Lamb Soup
1000 grams of lamb, blanched in boiling water to remove blood, cut into cubes, placed in a clay pot with sufficient water. Add 30 grams each of angelica and ginger, plus several grains each of goji berries and Sichuan peppercorns. Boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 1.5 hours. Lamb tonifies Qi and treats deficiency, angelica nourishes blood and enriches blood. Combined, they complement each other, forming an excellent remedy for blood and Qi deficiency, ideal for those with Yang deficiency who feel cold in winter. These individuals often experience cold sensitivity, fatigue, preference for warm food, reduced libido, and cold extremities in winter. Adding red and white radish cubes, 3 grams of cardamom, and tangerine peel enhances spleen-strengthening and appetite stimulation.
By Zhan Jianliu and Ya Min, First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine