Ideal Time for Nourishing Yin at White Dew
Timely Dietary Therapy
"Yin energy gradually increases, dew condenses and turns white." Today marks the White Dew solar term. In the Yangtze River Basin and northward, dew truly condenses and appears white. Even in southern regions where autumn chill is not yet strong, signs of yin energy are already evident, with cool mornings and evenings. At this time, soups served with meals gradually shift toward nourishing yin. Moreover, this year’s summer was particularly hot, causing significant depletion of body fluids and yin. It is now timely to adjust accordingly.
Therefore, we recommend a soup — Lotus Seed and Oyster Duck Soup
Lotus Seed and Oyster Duck Soup has excellent taste and offers nourishing yin, tonifying the kidneys, strengthening the spleen, and enriching blood. It is also suitable as a soup for the Mid-Autumn Festival, effectively addressing kidney yin deficiency presenting as weak waist and knees, dizziness, blurred vision, thirst, seminal emission, hot flashes, or spleen deficiency with edema, chronic diarrhea; or frequent urination in elderly individuals with kidney deficiency; or weakness after illness, spleen deficiency, insomnia, and irritability.
*[Ingredients] 60 grams lotus seeds, 250 grams oysters, one whole young duck (about 600–700 grams), 3 slices of ginger.
This soup is truly nourishing for yin and tonifying for the kidneys. Lotus seeds are neutral in nature, sweet and astringent in taste, known for tonifying the kidneys, consolidating essence, strengthening the spleen, and stopping diarrhea—commonly used in traditional medicine for kidney and spleen tonification and controlling seminal emission. Ancient herbal texts once said lotus seeds are “a nutritious food that strengthens infants and prolongs the lives of elders.” Oysters are neutral in nature, sweet and salty in taste, possessing nourishing yin and enriching blood properties, widely recognized as a nutritional delicacy, suitable both for soups and cooking. Rich in various trace elements, they enhance children’s intellectual development, earning them the nickname “intelligence-enhancing seafood,” and in some areas they are called “sea milk.” The duck nourishes the five zang organs’ yin, clears internal heat caused by exhaustion, replenishes blood, promotes water metabolism, and generates body fluids and saliva. Ginger aids digestion and removes fishy odors. Combined into a soup, it nourishes the kidneys, strengthens the spleen, and enriches yin and blood—ideal for all ages and commonly used in households as a mild tonic.
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*[Cooking Method] Soak oysters in clean water until soft, then wash them. Rinse lotus seeds and soak them for half an hour. Clean the duck, cut into pieces, then place all ingredients into a clay pot with 120 milliliters of water (about 12 bowls). Boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Add appropriate salt and a little vegetable oil. This quantity serves 4–6 people. The oysters and duck meat can be mixed with soy sauce and used as side dishes. By She Ziqiang (Pharmacist, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine)