🌿 Folk Prescriptions

In many parts of China, there is a custom of eating duck during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Regardless of the cultural background behind this tradition, from the standpoint of duck’s nutritional value and its impact on human health, eating duck during Mid-Autumn makes perfect sense. Autumn is the fattest season for ducks, and more importantly, duck is a cooling food with properties that nourish yin, benefit the stomach, promote urination, and reduce edema—making it ideal for nourishing yin and moisture to counteract autumn dryness.
Duck meat is highly nutritious, containing proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins B1, B2, E, riboflavin, thiamine, potassium, sodium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other components. The protein content in edible duck meat ranges from 16% to 25%, significantly higher than that of livestock meat. Duck fat content is moderate at around 7.5%, higher than chicken but lower than pork. Its fatty acids include unsaturated fats, which are easily digested and absorbed.
Besides its rich nutrition, duck soup has anti-fatigue effects. Duck oil contains relatively low cholesterol levels compared to other animal oils, with a favorable ratio of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Duck blood has functions of replenishing blood and clearing heat and toxins.
Traditional Chinese medicine regards duck as a “medicine” and a premium tonic. Duck meat is sweet in taste and cold in nature, benefiting yin, nourishing the stomach, tonifying the kidneys, eliminating weakness, reducing swelling, and relieving cough and phlegm. It can assist in treating conditions such as yin deficiency edema, weakness, summer heat exhaustion, constipation, anemia, and chronic nephritis. Those who are physically weak, recovering from illness, or prone to internal heat—especially individuals with low-grade fever, poor appetite, dry mouth, constipation, or edema—are particularly benefited by eating duck meat. Elderly and children, who commonly suffer from yin deficiency, should also eat duck meat regularly.
Although duck is beneficial to health, one must avoid overconsumption, as excessive animal protein can lead to arteriosclerosis and other adverse outcomes. Duck meat has high energy content; fried duck can result in excessive caloric intake, which is detrimental to cardiovascular patients. Additionally, different constitutions absorb food differently—those with cold constitution should avoid consuming too much cooling duck. Individuals with cholecystitis should also limit duck intake, as high-fat, greasy duck can trigger gallbladder inflammation.