🌿 Folk Prescriptions

China has long had the tradition of winter tonic supplementation. With the arrival of Winter Solstice, winter nourishment routines are once again prioritized.
But how to supplement scientifically? Why must supplementation be personalized? How can women scientifically supplement based on age, constitution, and physiological characteristics? Many people remain unaware.
Thus, products like ginseng tablets, kidney-tonifying capsules, and deep-sea fish oil are increasingly common. Women’s bags and office desks are filled with various supplements. In reality, winter supplementation should begin with “knowing how to supplement”—mastering the secrets of scientific female supplementation. Experts suggest focusing on three keywords:
【Keyword One】
Herbal supplementation is less effective than dietary supplementation
Experts remind: Instead of taking large quantities of supplements, start with dietary supplementation. Only dietary supplementation truly strengthens the body’s resistance. Women can tailor their dietary approach based on different constitutions into four methods:
Neutral supplementation refers to foods with mild nature—suitable for both healthy and sick individuals, helping maintain health and life. Examples include grains, legumes, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. These foods have balanced properties and can be consumed by individuals with yin deficiency, yang deficiency, qi deficiency, or blood deficiency.
Warming supplementation includes foods with warm nature, such as beef, lamb, eel, sweets, red dates, longans, lychees, and spicy items like scallions and ginger. Cold-sensitive women often consume these to raise body heat, alleviate cold sensitivity, and strengthen constitution.
Cooling supplementation involves foods with cold nature, such as pears, raw lotus root, celery, lilies, mung beans, cucumbers, soft-shelled turtles, and snails—effective for clearing internal heat.
Warming dispersion includes foods with pungent, hot nature, such as chili peppers, cinnamon, mustard, coriander, and Sichuan pepper. These foods warm and dispel cold and dampness, commonly used in winter for warmth and dehumidification.
【Keyword Two】
Winter supplementation must follow medical advice
Dr. Qiu Yongshu, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Medical Expert Consultation Center, emphasizes: Women must supplement wisely during winter—personalized and under medical guidance. If suffering from gynecological diseases, seek professional treatment promptly. In an era of increasing specialization, only specialized physicians, technologies, and equipment can effectively relieve women’s ailments and promote health.
【Keyword Three】
Supplementation must be personalized
To achieve maximum benefit from winter supplementation, target specific constitutions precisely. Here are several recommended formulas:
Women engaged in desk work or long hours on computers
Common symptoms: eye strain, dizziness, dry eyes
Supplementation tips: Animal livers are rich in vitamin A. Regular consumption of pig, cow, sheep, chicken, or duck livers benefits eye health. However, women with high cholesterol or triglycerides should eat sparingly or avoid.
Carrot-rich vegetables: Eat three carrots weekly to maintain daily vitamin A levels. Other sources include sweet potatoes, oranges, pomelos, persimmons—consume in moderation.
Milk and egg products: Such as milk, eggs, duck eggs, pigeon eggs—all contain rich vitamin A in the yolk.
Goji berries: Rich in carotene, excellent for eye health. Best consumed as tea during winter.
Recommended Tonic Dish:
Clear Vision Greens and Cassia Seed 6g, Scrophularia 6g, tea leaves 6g, steep or decoct, one dose daily. Clears liver heat, improves vision, prevents blurred sight.
Women working late nights
Common symptoms: extreme fatigue, reduced efficiency, memory decline
Supplementation tips:
Fish—especially cod and sardines—are vital for brain cell development and neurotransmission.
Milk and yogurt contain protein and tryptophan, beneficial for brain health.
Sesame and walnuts contain B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and amino acids, with fat content over 40%. Unsaturated linoleic acid, lecithin, and alpha-linolenic acid are structural materials for the brain.
Grains like wheat, millet, and corn contain protein, fat, calcium, iron, and vitamin B1—help prevent neurasthenia and promote cerebral microcirculation via plant fiber.
Fruits like tangerines, pomelos, oranges, lemons are alkaline foods. Regular consumption helps eliminate acidic metabolic waste from the brain.
Recommended Tonic Dish:
Intelligence-Enhancing Brain Cake: 30g walnut kernels, 20g lotus seeds, 10g black sesame, 10g goji berries, 200g cornmeal, 200g yam flour, add moderate rock sugar to make cake. Consuming this cake enhances intelligence and brain function.
Women with pale complexion, pale lips and tongue
Common symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, numbness in limbs, dry stools, delayed menstruation
Supplementation tips:
Lamb: Sweet and warm in nature, tonifies qi and replenishes deficiency. Nutrient-rich, containing protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and tender, delicious meat.
Recommended Tonic Dish:
Angelica, Ginger, and Lamb Soup: 30g Angelica, 60g ginger, 500g lamb. Wash and slice angelica and ginger. Remove tendons from lamb, blanch briefly in boiling water, cool, then cut into suitable-sized pieces. Place lamb, ginger, and angelica in a clay pot with water, stew until lamb is tender. Drink the soup and eat the lamb. This formula nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, disperses cold, and relieves pain.