A high proportion of water in the human body is a source of illness. According to TCM principles, toxins are classified into four main categories - qi and blood stagnation, accumulation of phlegm, indigestion, and build-up of internal heat. How to cook: Wash all dried herbs and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes. Tuchong & VCG). Half duck, 50 grams of Coix seed, 500 grams of wax gourd, 5 slices of ginger (with skin), 5 grams of tangerine peel, a small amount of salt and white pepper. Keep steeped in boiling water and drink throughout the day. Strengthen Spleen and Remove Dampness Soup. Wash black beans and pork bone. Place in a tea bag or tea sieve. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer for 1 hour and add salt for seasoning. Incorporate foods for spleen qi deficiency, with the addition of foods that dry dampness: celery, lettuce, scallion, pumpkin, turnip aduki beans amaranth, rye Foods to avoid: raw, cold foods and drinks sugar dairy wheat, grains in general, and starchy carbohydrates: This pattern is … Humidity is one of the downsides to life in Hong Kong. These can also balance the cooling effect from job’s tears and bring up the yang energy to promote water metabolism (or move water to where it should be going to). The growing popularity of lo foh tong over the past several decades is closely entwined with China’s appetite for so-called yangsheng, a diverse set of wellness ideas vaguely grounded in traditional Chinese medicine. The probabilities for a yang person to develop a tumour are very high. While other examples dampness manifestations are less obvious to those unfamiliar with Chinese Medicine. Wang, a 53-year-old businessperson in Guangzhou, told me that she continues to make lo foh tong, even though her doctors warned her it could exacerbate her uric acid levels. If our intestines and stomach are not working properly, our ability to eliminate dampness is weak. The very name, lo foh tong, which literally translates to “old fire soup,” conjures images of traditional Chinese medicine and so-called food therapies. Lower heat and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar for about 30 minutes or until the lily bulb is soft 4. Chinese medicine suggests detoxing and strengthening the spleen so as to increase the body’s ability to dispel water. Since 1999, articles have periodically popped up in Chinese outlets warning diners that the soups may be carcinogenic. Tip: To remove the bitter taste, salt some cold water and allow eggplant slices to … But she’s cut down on the number of pots she makes a week from seven to two or three, and shortened the simmering time by half. A yang person feels hot, is prone to muscle and joint aches, and is more susceptible to skin conditions. Dampness can come from both internal and external factors. In TCM, it is widely believed that a great combination of herbs can work wonders. Bring to a boil then simmer on a low heat for two to three hours. Starting with the “reform and opening-up” period, material conditions began to improve, especially along the coast, and residents started paying more attention to nutrition and health. Whether or not this specific business model is sustainable in the long term remains to be seen. Please confirm your email address by Already have an account?Sign in to Sixth By NourishU Symptoms Weak digestion, lack of appetite and loose bowels. (Header image: A bowl of “lo foh tong” (left) and cooking pots in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. In this article, a description of various food and herbal substances that assist in the alleviation of Dampness conditions will be discussed in reference to those conditions in the skin, chest (upper jiao), abdomen (middle jiao) and pelvic region (lower jiao). Within Guangdong, however, lo foh tong continues to be seen as a symbol of Cantonese tradition and cultural identity. Ingredients: 20g Zhen Jiao 15g Fang Feng 15g Du Huo 15g Qiang Huo 76g black bean 300g pork bone. Lo foh tong thus not only emphasizes the slow cooking and rich flavor of the soup, but also naturally calls to mind the healthful effects of TCM medicinal cuisine and yangsheng. To keep it simple, I will share about “Internal Dampness” which is one of the most common presentations of this pathology. It wasn’t until the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and the early Republican period that so-called slow-cooked soups — which split the difference between stews and broths — became a daily staple of southern urbanites, especially in the commercial center of Guangzhou. Please wait until the The aromatic, slow-cooked stew is a staple in Cantonese-speaking communities, and migrants from the region have popularized the dish not just across China, but around the world. But lo foh tong as health food is largely a media and commercial creation, driven by business interests and sold to increasingly health-conscious diners, despite the lack of any scientific evidence that it is effective. Thanks for subscribing! Feeling sticky after sweating. Add damp-clearing fruits and veggies to your meals, like radish, daikon radish, onion, scallion, celery, lettuce, alfalfa, turnip, corn, unsweetened cranberry, and umeboshi plum. Fill with enough water to cover the ingredients. From an ancient book, dampness is described as cotton that has been soaked in oil. There’s no set recipe; instead, cooks whip up different combinations of on-the-bone meat, beans, vegetables, fruit, and medicinal herbs depending on the local weather, season, and the diner’s constitution. How do we know if we’re too damp? When the dampness seeps into the muscles, bones and joints, that’s when the lethargy sets in. The idea of dry pain fry and adding cinnamon or ginger is to add the warm or heat effect to this soup to help disperse dampness in addition to to damp draining effect. clicking the link in the email received from us. With Spring all around us and seasonal allergies sidelining many of my patients, clients and readers I figured it was time to talk about a concept in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) that is near and dear to my heart (because this is the one issue that I struggle with every Spring); dampness in the body. Keep steeped in boiling water and drink throughout the day. As a wave of businesspeople from Hong Kong and Macao began investing in and opening restaurants and hotels in Guangzhou and surrounding Guangdong province, they found they needed signature dishes with catchy names. Time Out is a registered trademark of Time Out Digital Limited. Some examples of dampness are more obvious, such as excess mucus in the form of nasal discharge or phlegm. For yang body types, it becomes ‘toxic’. At first, the patient will feel bulky and sleepy all the time when they are damp. TCM believes that high and frequent intake of raw, cold and spicy foods can damage the spleen and result in dampness accumulation. Yao Limei is a doctoral student of folklore at Sun Yat-sen University. One of the few constants is time: lo foh tong should be simmered for hours in … Eating while stressed, eating at wrong time, over exertion over thinking, congenital predisposition... soup and dampness have little correlation, in general. It can also and commonly exist together with 痰, which is in direct translation known as ‘phlegm’. “The taste of stewed duck with white gourd (soup) and stewed duck with lychee and lotus (soup) are both clear and rich, making them an ideal choice for a hot summer’s day,” the author wrote. And like the thorough practitioner that he is, Dr Lee starts by explaining to us what it all involves... Dr Lee, what is dampness? Homemade medicinal soups were already very common, but TCM shops boosted the trend with premade soup bases supposedly capable of improving kidney function, regulating body moisture, or “dispelling wind and replenishing energy.” With so many choices, customers could find whatever they wanted and the soup bases sold like hot cakes, with shops at some points selling over 50 packs a day. In spring, the soup should be adjusted to help eaters ‘expel dampness’; in summer it should chill; in fall it should moisturize; and in winter it must provide needed nourishment. For simple obesity, it is suitable to drink frequently. On a more severe level, it will transform into blood diseases, like uric acid or even vasculitis. Soak lily bulbs in warm water for about 30 minutes, then drained 2. However, once the body has reached its threshold of dampness, symptoms then begin to surface. Get some local, raw honey – if you need a sweetener, this is the least dampening. DISRUPTED FLOW. Therapeutic benefit: Promoting digestion and expelling dampness Methods: Take lotus leaf 9g and hawthorn 9g (hawthorn should be broken up and stir- fried), 2 cups of water, decoct into 1 cup of soup. “When we from Guangdong talk about slow-cooking soup, we’re talking about (simmered) lo foh tong, not those boiled ones,” said 76-year-old Wei. I would say 60 percent of people in Hong Kong are yang body types. Ginger 生薑 – 3 slices Citrus Peel (chen-pi) 陳皮 – one piece (pre-soaked and with white tissue removed) Try another? Instead, there’ll be pain around the shoulders, neck, back of the head, waist and joints. Food Therapy Food Therapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) There is so much conflicting information about food and diet that it becomes nearly impossible to know what the ‘best food’ to eat really is, or if certain foods are ‘good’ for you or ‘bad’ for you. Weak digestion, lack of appetite and loose bowels in forms such yin! 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