🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Deficiency of Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang are collectively known as the "Four Deficiencies," which can lead to various diseases. Deficiency must be supplemented, and medicinal porridge serves as an excellent nourishing remedy. Below are some effective medicinal porridges listed for reference, allowing patients to choose based on their own symptoms.
Qi Deficiency Syndrome
Primary symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, lack of speech, pale complexion, excessive vaginal discharge in women, pale tongue, and weak pulse.
Recommended Qi-tonifying porridges:
Astragalus Glutinous Rice Porridge: Take 15–30g each of Astragalus and Codonopsis, and 50g of glutinous rice. First, decoct the two herbs three times—each time boiling for 20 minutes over low heat after boiling. Combine the three decoctions into 1000ml, then add glutinous rice and cook into porridge. Benefits: Tonifies spleen and boosts qi. Suitable for spleen qi deficiency, poor appetite, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, shortness of breath, and frequent colds.
Coix Seed Glutinous Rice Porridge: 50g of Coix seed and 50g of glutinous rice, plus appropriate sugar. Cook both together until porridge is thick. Add sugar once dissolved. Benefits: Strengthens spleen and removes dampness. Suitable for spleen deficiency with dampness, chronic diarrhea, poor appetite, pale tongue with greasy coating.
Yam and White Kidney Bean Porridge: 100g each of yam, Poria, Coix seed, red adzuki beans, Alisma, white kidney beans, and glutinous rice. Grind into fine powder, then stir-fry over low heat until golden and fragrant. Cool and divide into 10 portions. When consuming, mix with hot water to form a paste, add a little sugar. Benefits: Tonifies qi, strengthens spleen, removes dampness, stops diarrhea. Suitable for spleen deficiency with impaired transportation, internal dampness, presenting abdominal pain, diarrhea, intestinal rumbling, bloating, and edema.
Blood Deficiency Syndrome
Primary symptoms include pale complexion, dizziness, blurred vision, palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, scant menstrual flow, pale tongue with white coating, and deep, fine, weak pulse. Recommended blood-nourishing porridges:
Astragalus and Angelica Porridge: 15g of processed Astragalus, 30g of Angelica, 50g of glutinous rice. Decoct Astragalus and Angelica twice—each time boiling for 30 minutes over low heat after boiling. Combine the decoctions into 1000ml, then cook with glutinous rice into porridge. Benefits: Boosts qi to generate blood. Suitable for qi deficiency leading to blood deficiency, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, and scant menstruation.
Sesame and Peanut Porridge: 15g of sesame, 20g of red-skinned peanuts, 50g of glutinous rice. Toast sesame until slightly fragrant, then cook with peanuts and glutinous rice into porridge. Consume 1–2 times daily. Benefits: Nourishes liver and kidneys, generates blood, prolongs life with long-term use. Suitable for blood deficiency-related dizziness, anemia, premature graying hair, and constipation due to blood deficiency.
Zizyphus and Rehmannia Porridge: 15–20g of Zizyphus seed and Rehmannia, 50g of glutinous rice. Cook all three together into porridge. Benefits: Tonifies kidneys, nourishes blood, calms the spirit. Suitable for blood deficiency-related palpitations, insomnia, infertility, and impotence.
Yin Deficiency Syndrome
Primary symptoms include soreness in waist and knees, night sweats, restlessness, insomnia, hot palms and soles, dry mouth and nose, dry cough with little phlegm or blood-tinged sputum, dry stools, red tongue with little coating, and fine or rapid pulse. Recommended yin-nourishing porridges:
Jujube Skin Glutinous Rice Porridge: 30g of jujube skin, 50g of glutinous rice, appropriate ice sugar. Clean and remove cores from jujube skin, then cook with glutinous rice in a clay pot. Add ice sugar when porridge is done. Consume once daily. Benefits: Moistens lungs, stops cough, nourishes heart, calms spirit. Suitable for lung yin deficiency, dry cough with little phlegm or blood-tinged sputum, restlessness, mental confusion.
Lily Glutinous Rice Porridge: 30g of lily, 50g of glutinous rice, appropriate ice sugar. Wash lily, cook with glutinous rice into porridge, add ice sugar. Consume in one serving. Suitable for lung yin deficiency, dry cough with little phlegm or blood-tinged sputum, restlessness, mental confusion.
Ophiopogon Glutinous Rice Porridge: 20–30g of Ophiopogon (without heart), appropriate ice sugar. Decoct Ophiopogon three times—each time boiling for 20 minutes after boiling. Combine decoctions into 1000ml, add glutinous rice and cook into porridge. Add ice sugar just before serving. Consume in one serving. Benefits: Nourishes lung and stomach yin, generates body fluids, quenches thirst. Suitable for lung and stomach yin deficiency, heart yin deficiency, internal heat due to yin deficiency, hot palms and soles, dry mouth and throat, dry cough with little phlegm, afternoon low-grade fever, night sweats.
Yang Deficiency Syndrome
Primary symptoms include back pain and cold intolerance, cold hands and feet, clear and long urine, low libido, pale tongue with white coating, and deep or slow pulse. Recommended yang-tonifying porridges:
Cistanche Glutinous Rice Porridge: 10–15g of Cistanche, 50g of glutinous rice. First, boil Cistanche in a clay pot until soft, remove residue, then add glutinous rice to cook into porridge. Consume once daily, in one serving. Benefits: Tonifies kidney yang, moistens intestines, relieves constipation. Suitable for kidney yang deficiency, low libido, yang-deficient constipation. Long-term use may extend lifespan.
Astragalus and Leek Porridge: 30g of Astragalus, 50g of glutinous rice, 50–100g of leeks. Decoct Astragalus twice—each time boiling for 30 minutes after boiling. Combine filtrate into 1000ml, then cook with glutinous rice. When porridge is nearly done, add leeks and cook briefly. Consume in one serving. Benefits: Tonifies primordial qi, energizes spirit, warms the stomach. Suitable for yang deficiency edema, spontaneous sweating due to yang deficiency, chronic diarrhea, chronic hepatitis, chronic nephritis, non-healing ulcers, spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, vomiting of clear fluid.
Chicken Broth Glutinous Rice Porridge: 1 hen, 50g of glutinous rice. Clean and gut the chicken, then stew to extract rich broth. Use the broth to cook glutinous rice in portions. Add salt, scallions, monosodium glutamate, and other seasonings. Consume 1–2 times daily. Benefits: Warms the center, tonifies qi, nourishes the five organs. Suitable for physical weakness, post-illness recovery, malnutrition. Regular consumption contributes to longevity.