The "Pure" Companion to Spicy Hot Pot and Boiled Fish
Event: After eating spicy hot pot, half of face swelled up
Recently, at the emergency department, Mr. Chen was seen receiving IV fluids. Although a native of Guangdong, he has always loved spicy food. During spring and summer in Guangzhou, where the weather is hot, Mr. Chen remembered his mother’s advice: “Guangzhou’s climate is dry and hot, prone to internal heat.” He avoided overly spicy foods. But recently, as Guangzhou entered winter, various Chongqing-style and spicy hot pots appeared on the market. Encouraged by friends, Mr. Chen couldn’t resist indulging in two consecutive meals of spicy hot pot. On the third day after eating, his gums began swelling and hurting, and his entire left cheek became swollen, so painful he couldn’t sleep, forcing him to go to the hospital urgently.
Winter Diet Should Be Cautious About Spicy Foods to Prevent "Blood Heat Running Wild"
According to traditional Chinese medicine, winter is indeed an ideal time for tonifying. However, Guangzhou’s climate this year is unusually special: although winter has begun, there is no chill at all, instead feeling as if summer heat hasn’t fully dissipated. With two months without rain, the weather is extremely dry, leading to reduced saliva secretion, dry respiratory tract, and increased vascular fragility—making bacterial infections more likely. If one consumes tonics or spicy, stimulating foods under these conditions, it accelerates blood circulation, referred to in TCM as "blood heat running wild," spreading pathogens throughout the body and triggering symptoms like gum swelling, nosebleeds, dry cough, and sore throat.
Those who are not chronically ill or physically weak should avoid consuming drying tonics at this stage and certainly refrain from eating spicy, heat-inducing foods. Diet should primarily focus on clearing and moistening foods.
Beware of Cold and Bitter Foods Damaging the Stomach
Contrary to blind tonifying is another extreme: some citizens recognize the prevailing autumn dryness and avoid heat by consuming large amounts of Isatis root, bitter melon, and cooling tea. Unknowingly, those with already cold constitutions may experience symptoms like bland taste and dizziness if they consume too many of these cold and bitter foods. Furthermore, this weakens immunity, leading to recurrent colds, turning prevention into illness.
Therefore, experts recommend that citizens consult a TCM practitioner before tonifying to determine their constitution type and tailor dietary or herbal treatments accordingly.
The Pure Companion to Spicy Hot Pot and Boiled Fish
◇ Snow Pear and Apple Make the Best Soup Ingredients
"Soup-making" can become an excellent remedy against autumn dryness. Among them, snow pears and apples—cheap fruits—are especially suitable for this season. The simplest method is to cook snow pears or apples together with pork belly, providing both clarity and nutrition. Additionally, the well-known "Clear Tonic Soup" in Guangdong is also suitable for current weather.
Several Clear and Moistening Soups
◇ Olive and Snow Pear Stewed Lean Meat:
Ingredients: Olive 15 grams, snow pear 50 grams, lean meat 100 grams, red date 1 piece
Benefits: Clears lung heat, soothes throat, generates body fluids, clears heat, and moisturizes dryness
Preparation: Wash lean meat, blanch briefly in boiling water, cut into chunks. Add snow pear slices, cleaned olives, and red date to a steaming bowl with 250 ml water, steam over water for 2 hours.
Applicable to: Those with sore throat, hoarseness, irritability, thirst, phlegm, or dry cough due to excess heat in the lungs and stomach.
◇ Tremella and Snow Pear Stewed Lean Meat:
Ingredients: Tremella 3 grams, snow pear 50 grams, lean meat 100 grams, red date 1 piece
Benefits: Nourishes yin, moistens lungs, generates body fluids, lubricates intestines, lowers fire, calms the heart
Preparation: Wash lean meat, blanch briefly in boiling water, cut into chunks. Add cleaned tremella and chopped snow pear, red date to a steaming bowl with 300 ml water, steam over water for 1 hour.
Applicable to: Dry throat, dry cough due to lung dryness, phlegm with blood streaks, restlessness, insomnia, constipation.
◇ American Ginseng Stewed Duck:
Ingredients: American ginseng 5 grams, duck 120 grams, ginger 1 slice
Benefits: Strengthens qi and nourishes yin, clears deficient heat, nourishes stomach and benefits qi, promotes diuresis
Preparation: Clean duck, cut into pieces, blanch briefly, slice American ginseng, add ginger, place in steaming bowl with 250 ml water, steam over water for 2 hours.
Applicable to: Qi and blood deficiency, internal heat due to deficiency, poor sleep, afternoon flush, night sweats, edema.
◇ Codonopsis and Ophiopogon Stewed Mountain Bass:
Ingredients: Codonopsis 10 grams, Ophiopogon 10 grams, mountain bass 100 grams
Benefits: Nourishes yin, moistens lungs, benefits stomach, generates body fluids, clears heat
Preparation: Wash mountain bass, cut into segments, add cleaned codonopsis and ophiopogon to a steaming bowl with 300 ml water, steam over water for 2 hours.
Applicable to: Autumn dryness-induced cough without phlegm, hoarseness, dry mouth, irritability, hand heat, multiple or recurring oral ulcers due to yin deficiency and internal heat.