Spring Health Preservation: Try Liver-Nourishing Porridge
Spring is a season of renewal. According to TCM, the liver resembles growing plants—just as plants sprout and grow in spring, the liver becomes more active. Therefore, spring health preservation prioritizes liver care. Below are several liver-nourishing porridges—try them according to your condition.
Celery Porridge: 150g celery, 100g glutinous rice. Wash celery including roots thoroughly, boil with water, extract juice, then combine with rice to cook into porridge. Celery porridge helps calm liver yang, reduce headaches, dizziness, and eye redness—beneficial for those with such conditions or elderly people, aiding liver regulation, lowering blood pressure, and reducing irritability.
Spinach Porridge: 250g spinach, 250g glutinous rice, salt and monosodium glutamate to taste. Wash spinach, blanch briefly in boiling water, chop. Rinse glutinous rice, place in aluminum pot, add water, simmer until rice is soft, add spinach, continue cooking until porridge forms. Then add salt and MSG. Spinach porridge effectively prevents and treats hypertension, dizziness, anemia, and diabetes caused by liver yin deficiency.
Chrysanthemum Porridge: 15g chrysanthemum, 100g glutinous rice. Wash chrysanthemum and rinse rice. Place both in pot, add water, cover, bring to boil over high heat, then simmer until porridge forms. This porridge disperses wind-heat, clears liver fire, and lowers blood pressure—suitable for dizziness, headache, eye redness, carbuncles, and primary hypertension.
Plum Blossom Porridge: 5g white plum blossom, 80g glutinous rice. First cook glutinous rice into porridge, then add plum blossom, boil for 2–3 minutes. Eat one bowl per meal, continue for 3–5 days. Plum blossom is neutral in nature, helping soothe liver and regulate qi, stimulating appetite. Especially effective for those with poor appetite; healthy individuals feel more energetic.
Mulberry Porridge: 30g mulberries (60g fresh), 60g glutinous rice,适量 ice sugar. Wash mulberries, cook with glutinous rice until done, then add ice sugar. Mulberry porridge nourishes liver yin and blood, brightens eyesight. Suitable for dizziness, blurred vision, insomnia, tinnitus, lower back pain, premature graying hair due to liver-kidney deficiency.
Chinese Foxnut Porridge: 10g chrysanthemum seeds (available at herbal shops), 60g rice, small amount of ice sugar. First boil chrysanthemum seeds, extract juice, then use juice to cook rice into porridge, add ice sugar after completion. This porridge clears liver, brightens eyes, and promotes bowel movements—effective for red eyes, photophobia, lacrimation, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and habitual constipation.