Chapter 5

CHINESE HOME REMEDIES FOR COMMON HEALTH CONDITIONS

Chinese medicine does not generally make clear distinctions between home remedies and official pharmacopoeia. Drugs and food merge in many preparations; however, drugs on their own can never take the place of food.

Most of the remedies in this chapter are food cures. They can be taken over long periods of time for daily nutrition as well as for curing ailments. Many can be taken regularly, even every day, for the rest of your life. If you tend to suffer from constipation, for example, there is no harm in eating two soft, very ripe bananas every morning and evening from now to eternity. However, although none of the remedies will produce ill side effects, a few are nonetheless best taken for short periods only. It would be rash, for example, to eat twenty egg yolks every day (a remedy for dysentery) or to consume bitter apricot kernels (a medium-grade drug in Chinese terms; see page 38) for more than two weeks at a time. Some remedies by nature are not to be taken for too long. This fact will be pointed out both in the written text and by means of the symbol .

At all times, simply use common sense and maintain a generally balanced diet for your body type and the time of year. Don’t stick to a hot ginger cure for asthma, for example, if it’s the middle of summer and you have a heat rash. The ginger will only make matters worse. Cure the acute problem first and return to your long-term therapy afterward.

When curing problems, one danger that you must always beware of is that of “treating the head when the head aches, treating the foot when the foot hurts,” that is, treating the symptoms but not the disease. As you diagnose your condition, don’t be superficial. Take a little time to wonder why you are suffering from something as seemingly innocuous as indigestion: was it the cold, too much to eat, or something specific in your food? What brought on your latest asthma attack? See a doctor first and listen to his or her diagnosis, then decide upon an appropriate Chinese food cure.

Occasionally you may come across recipes containing some particularly unpleasant ingredient—nothing toxic or dangerous, but not particularly palatable either. These recipes are described more for their authenticity than for practical purposes, although there is no harm in trying them if you wish to. As well, while traditional Chinese medicine tends toward ingestion of food or herbs as the primary remedy, sometimes massage, skin applications, or insertion of medicaments into orifices (such as garlic drops in the nostrils to cure a runny nose) are suggested. Where feasible, we have included these under the appropriate health problem.

Don’t expect miracles. A natural cure always involves a slow process of fine adjustments. It takes time for the body to get out of balance, and time to get back in balance again. Patience is of the essence.

Most of the remedies described in the following pages are straightforward and simple to prepare. No special expertise is necessary. Nevertheless, a few traditional aspects of preparation may be helpful to define.

COOKWARE

In China we traditionally steam rice and vegetables in earthenware, and stir-fry in an iron guo (in English, a “wok”). While these are still considered to be the best utensils, today enameled and stainless steel vessels are used as well. As far as we know there are no health hazards in using any of this cookware. Aluminum, however, may be less safe. Medical evidence links aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease (senile dementia); heavy deposits of this metal are found on the brain synapses of Alzheimer’s patients. It is not yet known whether aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease or whether the disease encourages the mineral to deposit. Until we know more conclusively, it may be preferable to stay away from aluminum foil and cooking utensils altogether, especially for preparations using acid foods, such as lemon, onion, tomato, or vinegar.¹ The acid tends to corrode, and thus carries more aluminum molecules into the body.

METHODS OF PREPARATION

Chopping

Chop your ingredients manually. Traditionalists claim that if you use a blender, the cutting speed and the heat generated will destroy many of the food’s essential characteristics. The point is arguable, but there is, we believe, a psychological advantage to manually preparing your ingredients, as it involves time and attention and active care for the process of healing. If it is true that half our battles with illness are won or lost on psychosomatic grounds, spending time to wash, prepare, and concoct our medications by hand will put us in a more receptive frame of mind for taking them than if we simply swallow what an appliance machinates.

Grinding

Grind manually using a stone pestle. An alternative would be to grate the raw food, if appropriate.

Crushing

You can crush garlic, ginger, and onion by pressing down firmly on the food with the blade of a wide knife. Crushing makes the juice of the food more available.

Shredding

Shredding meat makes it more tender when cooked. To shred, first cut the meat into wide slices against the grain of the long muscle fibers. Then stack the slices and cut in the opposite direction. The pieces should end up being about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long and ¼ inch (6 millimeters) wide.

Squeezing Juice

While using a juicer is obviously the easiest way to obtain a food’s liquid, it has the same drawbacks as using a blender for chopping. The traditional way to squeeze juice out of fruits, roots, and vegetables is to first either grate or chop the raw food into small pieces, then put it in a thin, clean cotton cloth. Squeeze by forming a bundle and tightening the cloth, twisting it in a viselike manner to extract the liquid.

Steaming

In China we have been steaming food for at least eight thousand years: the oldest cooking pots found in Neolithic villages in the Yellow River basin are terracotta steamers.² Steaming is one of the healthiest ways of cooking food. Frying alters a food’s chemical composition, and boiling it causes many of the minerals and vitamins to be lost in the water. Steaming, on the other hand, best retains the food’s color and nutritional value.

In order to steam you will need a large pot and a bamboo (or metal) steamer. Traditional Chinese steamers are round bamboo baskets that fit one on top of the other, thus enabling you to steam several dishes at the same time. If one or more of your ingredients are liquid, you will also need a ceramic bowl that fits into the steamer.

Place the food that you want to steam inside the steaming dish. Pour enough water into the bottom of the pot to produce steam for as long as your food cooks, then place the steamer containing your ingredients inside the pot. The steamer must fit comfortably, as there needs to be enough room for steam to circulate freely around the food; make sure, however, that the steamer is seated high enough that the boiling water will not come in contact with the food. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.

In order to steam successfully, the water in the pot must actively boil. The steam from anything less than rapidly boiling water will not be sufficient to cook your food. You generally know the food is ready when you can smell it in the steam escaping from the lid.

Stir-frying

Although not generally a mode of preparation for food remedies, stir-frying is a common means of Chinese food preparation. Use a guo, referred to in English as a wok, or an ordinary frying pan. The guo or frying pan should be large enough to make stirring easy.

Use very little oil when stir-frying. In China we use peanut, corn, rape, or sunflower oil. Olive oil has recently become popular as well. Traditionally, sesame oil is considered high-quality oil, and black sesame oil is considered to be the best of all. Sesame oil is precious however, and these days is expensive. It was traditionally used only as a condiment in any but the imperial kitchens of old.

For vegetable dishes you may dispense with oil altogether. Use a nonstick guo, or use a little water instead of oil.

Cut your ingredients into pieces small enough to be cooked in 1 to 3 minutes. Use high heat and stir constantly.

Roasting

Roasting is a process of heating foods in a frying pan or wok without using either oil or water. Heat until the ingredient is dry and begins to brown on the outside. This procedure is frequently required for ingredients that need to be ground into a powder.

Decocting

To this day, medicinal decoctions are prepared exclusively in earthenware pots. These are specially designed crocks with a handle and spout. No household in China is complete without one.³

To prepare a decoction, wash and chop the ingredients. Add water and boil over a low to medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. (Specific measurements and times will be given in the recipes.) Unless otherwise instructed, always cover the pan to keep the essential oils and other active ingredients from escaping into the air. Allow to cool, then drink the decoction warm or at room temperature. If you wish to, you may eat the boiled ingredients.

Storing

Unless specified in the recipes that follow, no preparation should be kept for more than a few days. Freshness assures that all the food’s healing properties are intact. You may extend the life of your food remedy by putting it in the refrigerator (but not the freezer). Make sure, though, that you do not consume it refrigerator-cold; always allow it to reach room temperature before ingesting. Reheat gently if the remedy is to be taken hot.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS

Vinegar

The traditional vinegar of Chinese medicine and cuisine is derived from rice. (Rice vinegar can be found these days in most health food stores.) Any vinegar made from fruits or cereals will do, however apple cider vinegar or red grape wine vinegar are among the best.

Wine

In China, wine usually refers to “rice spirit,” or sake as it is generally known in America.⁴ Sorghum or bamboo spirit is also used. What is important in Chinese recipes is not so much the flavor or origin of the wine but its light warming and rising effects. Many liquor stores stock sake and Chinese rice wine, though if you cannot find it, any wine or spirit will do.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the most important ingredients in Chinese healing cuisine. Although ginger has been exported to the West since the first century A.D., this pungent rhizome is native to southeast Asia and China, where it has been used as a flavoring, a spice, a food, a mouth cleanser, and a medicine since ancient times. The medicinal uses of ginger are many. Ginger stimulates the lungs, the stomach, and the spleen. Ginger has sweat-inducing (diaphoretic) qualities that render it a useful remedy for the common cold and influenza. It relieves nausea. A slice of ginger or some ginger juice will suppress motion sickness. Ginger combats indigestion and flatulence. It is also a strong anticoagulant; a few slices of this rhizome can guard against blood clots, and thus help prevent heart attack or thrombosis.

Ginger may be taken either fresh or dry.^*3 Most of the recipes in this book that include ginger state that it should be fresh. Raw, fresh ginger exerts a milder effect than the dry rhizome; it is also easier to come by in supermarkets. Except when the remedy calls for squeezing the ginger for its juice, you may, if you wish, use dry ginger instead. Where fresh ginger only warms, dried ginger is stronger, more pungent, and has a heating and diaphoretic effect on the body. You may therefore want to take dry ginger for the extra punch, and in winter.

Rice

Rice grows all over China; each area has its own favorite variety. The most commonly used Chinese rices are similar to basmati or Thai jasmine rice. You can use either of those rices for all the recipes in this book. Both basmati and Thai jasmine rice can be found at natural foods stores.

Rice congee is simply overboiled white rice. To prepare a congee, put 1 cup of rice and 5 cups of water in a saucepan, over a medium-high flame. No salt, stock, or spice of any kind is added. When the water boils, turn the heat to medium; cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally lest the rice stick to the bottom of the pan. The rice is boiled until it is soft and mushy. If necessary, add water every now and then so that you end up with a watery gruel.

Dried Flowers and Leaves

Several medicinal remedies in this chapter use dried chrysanthemum flowers, rose petals, and other plant parts. What you can’t collect in the outdoors close to your home you can likely pick up at a Chinese grocer. Such plant preparations will sometimes be packaged as tea.

Bitter Apricot Kernel

As discussed on page 38, bitter apricot kernel is somewhat toxic and is thus considered a medium-grade drug in Chinese pharmacology. Bitter apricot kernel is used to relieve cough, and as a treatment for asthma and acute or chronic bronchitis. It should not be eaten raw, or consumed for more than ten consecutive days. You can find bitter apricot kernel in Chinese pharmacies.

Bitter Melon

Bitter melon looks like a cucumber, but the color of the skin is much lighter. You can find bitter melon in Chinese groceries and in some supermarkets. Before cooking, split the melon lengthwise and discard the white part in the middle of the fruit.

Rock Sugar

Rock sugar, sometimes called rock candy, is sold in Chinese groceries. It is light brown in color and is less refined than the white rock sugar sold in candy stores.

Having discussed the special ingredients and basic methods of preparation, we are now ready to look at many common ailments and health conditions that can be successfully treated with Chinese food and home remedies. We have listed these health conditions alphabetically. After a brief discussion of the problem from the point of view of both Chinese and Western medicine, we describe the remedies—the remedies are loosely grouped according to their main ingredients. The ingredient lists use standard measures, with approximate metric equivalents following in parentheses. We show the relative ease of preparation of the remedy, and the availability of the ingredients, by means of the following symbols.

Key to Symbols

		Easy recipe; can be prepared in a matter of minutes.
		Medium difficulty; takes a little time to prepare.
		A complex recipe that takes time and a little effort to prepare.
		All ingredients can be purchased with ease.
		Some of the ingredients may be difficult to find. You may have to go to a Chinese merchant in your area, or mail order the ingredients. An address list of select Chinese grocers willing to fill mail orders is given in appendix 2.
		Not recommended over long periods. Some ingredients are either bad for the health if taken for too long, or are slightly toxic (a second- or third-grade drug according to the Chinese classification of toxicity; see page 35).

ABDOMINAL PAINS

Abdominal pains are the physician’s nightmare. They can have as many causes as there are diseases, ranging from cold to cancer. They may arise from the muscles of the abdomen, or from the diaphragm, the stomach, the spleen, the gallbladder, the large or small intestines, the appendix, the kidneys, the liver, or the nervous system. Consequently we cannot offer any remedies for abdominal pains without the risk of treating one problem for another, and thus bypassing the real cause altogether.

What we can do, and what the Chinese do before resorting to professional medical help, is to attribute the pains to the simplest possible causes and to take appropriate remedial action. If the pain persists, then you go to the doctor.

The simplest causes for abdominal pain are pathogenic cold (in Chinese terms), blocked digestion of food, and psychological distress.

Pathogenic cold can take hold of the body by two means: by simply catching cold, or by overeating raw or cold food (“cold” in both senses of the word: either direct from the refrigerator, or cold by nature). The symptoms of pathogenic cold are strong, cramplike pains; scanty and runny stools; cold feet and hands; and feeling repulsed by anything cold. A condition arising from pathogenic cold is relieved when the abdomen is covered and warmed.

Abdominal pains from blocked digestion are accompanied by heartburn, indigestion, and lack of appetite; you may also have diarrhea. Going to the toilet relieves the abdominal pain. Poor digestion may also be due to a weak stomach and/or spleen. If this is the case, it manifests as abdominal cramps that grow worse when you are overtired or hungry.

Psychological distresses—such as anger, worry, and frustration—block the free flow of zheng qi through the body. This is said to weaken the liver, spleen, and stomach, with consequent bloating and tummy pains.

Remedies for cold-syndrome abdominal pains require the ingestion of hot or warming foods. It also pays to cover the affected area with woolens.

Salty Wine

3 tablespoons (45 mililiters) rice wine, or sake

5 teaspoons (25 grams) salt

In a small saucepan, heat the wine with the salt until the salt melts.

Drink hot—a single shot is generally sufficient.

Garlic and Ginger Broth

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 teaspoons (10 grams) minced fresh or dry ginger

4 teaspoons (20 grams) brown sugar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Boil for 15 minutes over a low flame.

Drink the broth hot to warm, as often as you’d like. Eat the garlic and ginger pieces.

Garlic Tea

5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar or molasses (15 mililiters)

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Boil for 15 minutes over a low flame. Remove from heat.

Drink 1 cup three times a day, following a meal. Prepare fresh on each occasion.

Ginger Vinegar

In many Chinese homes, a bottle of ginger vinegar is always at hand for emergency treatment of abdominal pains.

½ cup (100 grams) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 cup (250 milliliters) rice wine vinegar

Place the ginger and vinegar together in a bottle. Cap the bottle and store. (The longer the vinegar is stored the better. Ideally you should leave it for a month, but a few hours will do in an emergency.)

Take 2 teaspoons every morning on an empty stomach.

Sometimes garlic is added for a richer brew: the proportions are ½ cup (100 grams) of ginger, ½ cup (100 grams) of garlic, and 2 cups (500 milliliters) of vinegar. The garlic cloves should be whole when added to the vinegar. Besides curing abdominal ailments caused by cold, ginger and garlic vinegar counteracts abdominal pains resulting from eating too much fruit.

Garlic Vinegar

12 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup (250 milliliters) rice vinegar

Place the garlic cloves and vinegar together in a bottle. Cap tightly and store. Take 2 teaspoons every morning on an empty stomach, or as needed.

In the Chinese countryside some people store vinegar for two or three years before consuming. For a “fast food” version, however, one month is adequate. Garlic vinegar remedies cold pains as well as those due to psychological distress and an irregular lifestyle. (One wonders whether it is the garlic vinegar that cures the pains or just waiting for it that cures the lifestyle.)

Peach Kernel and White Pepper Pills

5 peach seeds

5 jujube (Chinese date)

8 white peppercorns

Break open the peach seeds and remove the kernels. Using a stone grinder or a pestle, manually crush the kernels together with jujube and peppercorns. Compress into swallowable pills.

Ingest with warm rice wine or warm red wine.

Cinnamon Water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon

1 glass warm water

Dissolve the cinnamon in the water. Drink slowly.

To be effective, this remedy should be taken three times a day.

Cinnamon exerts a warming effect that is also useful in alleviating abdominal pains after childbirth. Again, drink 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon dissolved in warm water three times a day.

 

For cramps and muscular pains in the abdominal region, whatever the cause, the following remedies are recommended.

Sesame, Walnut, and Ginger Paste

³/₄ cup (150 grams) sesame seeds

³/₄ cup (150 grams) walnut meats

³/₄ cup (150 grams) dried ginger, chopped

³/₄ cup (185 milliliters) honey

Grind the sesame seeds, walnuts, and ginger into a medium-grained powder. It is preferable to use either a stone grinder or a pestle. Roast the powder in a dry frying pan or wok for 2 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Transfer the powder to a small bowl. Mix with the honey while still hot.

Take ½ cup (100 grams) of paste on an empty stomach whenever you suffer from abdominal cramps and pains.

Hot Salt Compress

When suffering from abdominal pains due to cold syndrome it is best to warm the affected area—the Chinese recommend wearing woolen clothes or wraps. You can also press a hot towel or muslin bag containing heated salt over your abdomen. You might want to try this when it is very cold, or if your pains are particularly bad.

1 cup (250 grams) rock salt

Dry cloth towel or muslin bag

Heat the salt in a dry frying pan or wok. When the salt starts to crack, transfer it to a dry towel or cloth bag. (If you are using a towel, fold it to create a pouch for containing the salt.)

Apply to your abdomen for five to ten minutes while lying down. Repeat three times a day. (You can use the same salt.) See also the salt and onion application recommended for diarrhea, page 132.

ACNE

Acne, an inflammation of the skin, affects 80 percent of people during adolescence and early adulthood. Acne occurs when oil from the sebaceous glands gets trapped under the skin, causing bacteria to multiply. The result is inflammation and pustules. Contributory factors to acne are oily skin (which may be hereditary), excessive male hormones, allergies, oral contraceptives, stress, alcohol, sugar, and junk food.

According to Chinese traditional medicine, acne is usually due to one of two possible causes: excessive heat in the lungs and stomach, or external cold interacting with too many alcoholic beverages. (Many Chinese are sturdy drinkers.) In the latter case the blood is said to “silt up”; the nose and the cheeks redden. Finally, the face erupts with acne. The complaint is worsened by psychological tension.

To treat acne, Western and Chinese doctors alike recommend that you avoid fat foods, sweets, and alcohol, and that you wash your face morning and evening with a mild, alkaline-free soap. Do not overwash—this will stimulate an overproduction of sebum as the body tries to replenish its lost oils. Lemon or lime juice can also be used for cleansing. In China, where lemons are not common, other ingredients are used for washing. These include:

• Mix celery and apple juice together in equal quantities. Apply to the face morning and evening.
• Cut a water chestnut in half. Rub the inside cross-section over your face two or three times a day.
• As soon as you wake up, apply your own saliva to the area affected by acne. When the saliva dries, apply again. Repeat throughout the morning.

Two simple food remedies for acne include eating plenty of raw cucumber, which exerts a cooling effect on the stomach and lungs, and drinking large quantities of hot green tea.

To finish, a simple recipe follows.

Walnuts and Orange Pips

2 walnuts, shelled

1 tablespoon (15 grams) dried orange seeds (you might wish to roast the orange seeds slightly in order to hasten the drying process)

Using a stone grinder or pestle, grind the walnuts and orange seeds into a fine powder. Roast in a dry wok for 2 or 3 minutes over low flame, or until the powder begins to brown. Remove the wok from the heat and allow the powder to cool.

Take all the powder with a small amount of rice wine twice a day.

ALCOHOLISM

Although it has been demonstrated that small doses of alcohol have dilative and cholesterol-cleansing effects on the arteries and veins, large quantities of alcohol are poisonous.

Short-term alcohol poisoning—otherwise known as inebriation—may cloud the intellect with temporary euphoria. Other effects such as slower reaction times, speaking incoherently, unsteadiness, and the morning-after hangover may be less welcome.

Long-term alcohol poisoning causes metabolic damage to every cell in the body. It brings about rapid aging, increases susceptibility to disease, and generally shortens one’s life span by several years. Alcohol is broken down in the liver, where it is converted into fat; ironically, at the same time as it is being broken down by the liver it is destroying the cells of the liver. A damaged liver impairs metabolism and the processes of digestion and absorption of proteins and vitamins. In short, dependency on alcohol, be it physical or psychological, kills.

Although short-term alcohol abuse in China is fairly common, chronic alcoholism is not. People drink in short, hard bursts rather than out of habit. Liquor—usually rice wine—is quaffed at banquets and during celebrations. People drink when reciting poetry, or as a competitive game to see who gets drunk first. As a consequence, Chinese culture has many popular remedies for drunkenness, but none, besides sheer willpower, for chronic alcoholism.

There are several food cures in China for recovering a modicum of lucidity when drunk.

• The most common remedy for inebriation is to drink a cup of strong black tea; strong jasmine tea also works. Brew the tea as usual; just put more leaves in the pot. Strong tea tastes quite bitter. The sobering effect is enhanced if you do not add sugar.
• Radish juice and vinegar is another common remedy for inebriation. Squeeze ½ cup (125 milliliters) of fresh radish juice, then add 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of vinegar. Swallow the mixture in one gulp.
• An easy remedy is to crush 1 raw sweet potato and add sugar. Mix with hot water and drink.
• A quick remedy, if you happen to live in the tropics, is to drink a glass of green sugarcane juice.
• As a preventive measure, it is alleged that eating a persimmon before going on a drinking binge will prevent the ill effects of alcohol.
      Some recipes requiring a little more preparation follow.

Mung Bean Soup

¼ cup (50 grams) green mung beans

1 cup (250 milliliters) cold water

Grind the mung beans into a fine powder using a stone grinder or a pestle. Transfer the powder to a glass.

Add water and mix. Drink immediately.

Tea and Mung Beans

¼ cup (50 grams) mung beans

1 teaspoon (5 grams) green tea leaves

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Roast the mung beans in a dry frying pan or wok until they begin to brown. Allow the beans to cool, then grind them into a powder using a stone grinder or a pestle.

Bring the water to a boil. Put the mung bean powder into a teapot or large cup. Add tea leaves and hot water. Cover the teapot or cup, and steep for 10 minutes.

Drink hot, without sugar.

Black Bean Soup

4 cups (800 grams) black beans

8 cups (2 liters) water

In a soup kettle or large saucepan, boil black beans and water for 45 minutes. Keep the pan uncovered. The mixture will become quite thick as it boils. Check occasionally to make sure that it is not so thick that it begins to dry and burn; add a little water if necessary.

When the beans are done, take the pot off the stove and allow the mixture to cool. Drain, reserving the beans for another use.

Drink the soup, continuing until you throw up.

Orange Peel Soup

The peel of 1 organic orange

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

¹/₃ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt

In a dry frying pan, roast the orange peel over medium heat until it turns light brown. Cool and grind to a powder.

In a small saucepan, combine orange peel powder, water, and salt. Boil for thirty minutes, covered.

Drink hot to warm.

Ginger Soymilk

2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh or dry ginger, minced

1 cup (250 milliliters) soymilk

2 tablespoons (30 grams) rock sugar

Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Drink warm.

ANEMIA

Anemia results from a reduction of red blood corpuscles and, as a consequence, of the amount of oxygen that the blood is able to carry. Its early symptoms are poor appetite, dizziness, constipation, irritability, ringing in the ears, and headaches. Anemia is characterized by general fatigue and debility, and by pallid nails and inner eyelids.

Anemia is not a common ailment in China. Indeed, one quite surprising fact to emerge from a 1991 survey of Chinese diet, lifestyle, and mortality was that iron intake is much higher in China than in the United States.⁵ The reason for the difference puzzled the researchers, as the intake of iron-rich foods seems no higher in China than in America. Leaching of iron from food containers was not considered likely because such containers are not generally used in food storage. A tentative suggestion put forward by the researchers was that iron may simply be absorbed through dust; another possibility is the use of the traditional iron guo (wok) in food preparation. Nothing has been steadfastly agreed upon.

Despite its rarity, anemia is divided by traditional Chinese medicine into three categories:

1. Anemia resulting from a lack of iron in the diet.
2. Anemia brought on by loss of blood from wounds, heavy menstruation, an ulcer, or hemorrhoids.
3. Anemia caused by bone marrow disease, a damaged liver, a thyroid disorder, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Given these variations, whenever anemia is suspected a professional consultation to discover the underlying cause is mandatory.

Temporary, nonpathological anemia can be easily cured by increasing the intake of iron. Iron makes hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Good natural sources of iron are apricots, jujube (Chinese dates), beets, grapes, lettuce, cashews, honey, blackstrap molasses, soybeans, and spinach. Liver and raw liver extract contain the elements essential for reconstituting the red blood cells. Iron tablets, an effective cure for temporary anemia, tend to cause constipation. Tannic acid, present in tea and coffee, and dairy products inhibit the absorption of iron. Vitamin C assists its absorption.

Some food remedies for anemia are quite simple.

• You can take 2 or 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 milliliters) of honey a day in any form: in warm water, with your breakfast cereal, on toast, or on its own.
• Another remedy is to tear 1 small fig leaf into strips, then decoct in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of boiling water. Drink the tea.
• You can also grind peanut husks into a powder; take 1 heaping teaspoon twice a day with warm water.
• Mix 2 or 3 tablespoons (30 or 45 milliliters) of raw carrot juice with the same amount of molasses. Take twice a day.
• It is also widely believed that boiled eggs with tomatoes taken as a salad two or three times a day, and 1 apple, 1 tomato, and 3 teaspoons of sesame seeds taken as a salad once or twice a day, will both cure anemia.

Recipes involving a bit more preparation include the following.

Soybeans and Jujube

1 tablespoon (15 grams) soybeans

Water for soaking

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) jujube (Chinese dates)

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

Soak the soybeans overnight in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Drain.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1½ cups (325 milliliters) of water to boil. Add the drained beans and boil them for approximately 20 minutes. In a separate saucepan, bring the remaining 1½ cups (325 milliliters) of water to boil. Add the jujube and brown sugar. Boil for 10 minutes.

Add the jujube and their water to the black beans. Stir to mix.

Consume the entire soup warm, in one sitting. Take once a day; a full course of treatment lasts two weeks.

Tofu and Egg White

1 pound (500 grams) tofu, frozen

5 cups (1.25 liters) warm water

2 egg whites

Water for steaming

Place the frozen tofu in warm water. (Freezing tofu changes its texture, rendering it spongelike and thus capable of absorbing the egg white.) When the tofu has become soft, remove it from the water and transfer to a bowl holding the egg whites.

Soak the tofu in the egg whites for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large ceramic bowl. Put the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pot deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pot and cover. Steam the tofu for 15 minutes.

Remove from the steamer. Eat warm.

Liver and Spinach Stew

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

4 ounces (125 grams) calf’s liver, cubed

½ pound (250 grams) fresh packed spinach

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. When the water boils, add the liver and spinach. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan.

Stew the mixture for 45 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure that the stew is not too dry; if necessary, add a little water.

Consume hot; eat the stew all at once. Take this remedy as often as you want.

Wood-ear Mushrooms and Jujube Dessert

¼ cup (50 grams) wood-ear mushrooms (also known as tree ears)

Water for soaking

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

30 jujube (Chinese dates)

Brown sugar to taste

Soak the mushrooms in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of hot water for 1 hour, or until soft. Drain.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Boil the mushrooms and jujube until the jujube are soft, approximately 20 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar.

Consume in a single sitting, either warm or at room temperature.

ARTHRITIS

Arthritis, one of the most common diseases in China, is characterized by an inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis attacks the synovial membranes of the joints, while osteoarthritis affects the bones. Both diseases are degenerative and deforming, and eventually affect the mobility of the limbs and joints. Their causes are hereditary, although cold, humidity, a faulty diet, stress, and emotional repression contribute to worsening the effects of these problems.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, arthritis is caused by the exogenous pathogens, specifically those of feng (wind), han (cold), and shi (dampness). These enter the main and collateral channels of qi circulation, thereby disturbing normal functions. The results are pain or numbness, and swelling in the joints and limbs.

Chinese remedial therapies for arthritis are based on correcting the effects of cold and dampness in one’s food intake and in the environment. A person with arthritis should thus stay away from cold and damp foods and environments, and refrain from consuming too much red meat, sugar and sugar products, milk, fats, acid fruits (oranges and lemons), salt, and tobacco. Direct therapies on the affected areas of the body consist of heat and drug application. Movement exercises focused on the affected area are also beneficial. In fact, the most common treatment in China for arthritic disease is qi gong combined with massage and, if possible, acupuncture. See chapter 7 for detailed instruction in qi gong. You should prepare for your exercises by breathing deeply in the qi gong standing position, arms outstretched, for ten to fifteen minutes. Qi gong exercises that specifically loosen the joints are the Eight Brocade ba duan jin series and tai ji quan. Hot baths and massage are also useful.

Theory alleges that you can cure a disease in your own body by eating the same body parts from a healthy animal. The classic Chinese remedies for arthritis consist of animals and animal parts, the consumption of which is not only abhorrent to most people in the Western world but is also cruel to the animals concerned. Some of the animals whose bones are so prized by many of China’s arthritis patients are endangered; first and foremost of these endangered animals is the tiger.

Tiger and leopard bone and sinew have always been considered the prime remedy for arthritic diseases. Lip service is paid to protecting the animals, yet many Chinese texts still extol the virtues of tiger bone as a cure for arthritis. Tigers continue to be poached, their body parts openly sold in crowded markets.⁶

Because of the difficulty and expense involved in obtaining the prized tiger, it has now become common to use dog bones as an arthritis remedy instead. Sometimes the dog bones are sold fraudulently as tiger; however, most often there is no deception involved. People eat dog meat and consume dog-bone preparations in the belief that these products warm the body and rid it of the external pathogens responsible for arthritis.⁷ (Lest some of our readers start getting ideas about their neighbor’s bothersome dog, we shall not go into details of how these particular remedies are prepared.)

Deer antlers and tendons are other prized alternatives to tiger parts, as are pig, sheep, and monkey bones.

One recipe that, although unusual, we have few qualms about describing is snake soup. Although frequently seen in small countryside restaurants, particularly in the south of China, snake is not a common dish. It is considered something of an expensive delicacy, to be resorted to only for purposes of restoring good health. Snake meat has a delicate flavor, somewhere between that of chicken and fish. It is highly prized in China. Fresh snake blood and snake bile are drunk with rice spirit; they are said to augment qi and to reinforce the internal organs of digestion. Snake meat is normally eaten in a soup, with the bones included as part of the broth.

Dragon and Phoenix Soup

5 ounces (150 grams) snake meat, cut into 2-inch-long pieces

3½ ounces (100 grams) chicken breast, cut into narrow, 2-inch-long pieces

³/₄ ounce (20 grams) ham, cut into narrow, 2-inch-long pieces

3½ ounces (100 grams) bamboo shoots, optional

4 cups (1 liter) water

5 slices fresh ginger

2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) cooking wine, optional

2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) sesame oil

Pepper and salt to taste

Place the meat and bamboo shoots in soup pot. Add water, ginger, and cooking wine (if desired). Cook over a low flame, covered, for 1 hour, or until the snake meat turns white. Add sesame oil, pepper, and salt.

Serve warm.

Snake and Black Bean Soup

1 adult snake, the more venomous the better

¹/₃ cup (65 grams) black beans

5 slices fresh ginger

10 jujube (Chinese dates)

Water to cover

Salt to taste

In order not to risk snakebite, it is probably preferable to have a professional catch, kill, and skin the snake for you. If you must do it on your own, hold the snake firmly behind the head and away from your body. Cut its head off, being careful not to touch the severed head—the venom is still present and the snake can still bite through muscular contraction. Most people in China collect the snake’s blood in a glass, add rice spirit, and drink it in a single gulp.

Skin the snake and clean out the innards. Chop the snake meat into 2-inch-long segments.

Place all the ingredients into a soup pot. Add enough water to cover. Put the lid on the pot. Cook on a medium flame for 1 hour, or until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally. Add salt according to taste.

Serve as part of a several course meal.

Silkworm Excrement Wine

Perhaps the main problem with this recipe is obtaining silkworm excrement. If you do not live close to a silk-producing area, it is unlikely that you will come by any very easily. However the recipe is interesting, and if you ever happen to go to China, or to where silkworms are abundant, you might wish to try it. Silkworm excrement is said to rid the body of evil wind and dampness.

3 to 4 tablespoons (45–60 grams) silkworm excrement

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 shot rice wine, or sake

Place the silkworm excrement in a cloth bag.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the cloth bag. Cover the pan and continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Add the rice wine, cover the pan, and allow to boil for another minute. Remove from heat.

Divide the wine into three cups. Drink one cup in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening for as long as the pain persists.

 

A few more practical recipes for our less adventurous readers follow.

White Bean and Jujube Congee

4 tablespoons (60 grams) white black-eyed peas

10–15 jujube (Chinese dates)

2 tablespoons (30 grams) minced fresh ginger

Scant ½ cup (100 grams) rice

4 cups (1 liter ) water

Salt or honey to taste

Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over a high flame. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the rice is soft and mushy. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat. You may, if you wish to, add either salt or honey for flavor.

Eat whenever your joints are swollen or numb, either for breakfast or before bed.

Fresh Cherry Wine

2 cups (400 grams) fresh cherries

4 cups (1 liter) rice wine, or sake

Wash the cherries. When they are dry, place cherries in a bottle with rice wine. Seal the bottle.

Let stand to macerate for at least 15 days. When aged, take 2 teaspoons twice a day.

Tofu and Scallion

3½ ounces (100 grams) tofu

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (20 grams) minced scallions

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) sesame oil

Soy sauce to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Drop the block of tofu into the water and cover the pan. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain.

Cut the boiled tofu into cubes. Season with scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Consume warm.

This remedy should be eaten as part of a meal. Take as often as you want.

Stir-fried Bean Sprouts

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) peanut oil

1 cup (200 grams) bean sprouts

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) cooking wine

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the bean sprouts. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then add the wine and a little salt according to taste. Continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve.

This dish is generally served as part of a several course meal, and is eaten with rice.

Bean-thread Noodles and Cucumber

1 cup (200 grams) bean-thread noodles

Water for soaking

2 cups (400 grams) cucumber, sliced

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) minced scallions

3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vinegar

1–2 pinches white pepper

Salt to taste

Soak the bean-thread noodles in 2 cups (500 milliliters) of hot water for 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain.

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber slices with 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of salt. Let stand for 10 minutes to extract the cucumber juice. Drain.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Drop the bean thread in the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain.

Mix the bean thread and cucumber with the scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, and salt.

This dish may be eaten whenever your joints are swollen or feel hot.

 

The following are recipes for compresses to be used on inflamed joints.

Ginger and Vinegar Compress

4 tablespoons (60 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1 cup (250 milliliters) rice vinegar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to boil over a high flame. Turn the flame to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Soak flannel cloths in the hot liquid. Remove the cloths; keeping the liquid simmering in the pot, let the cloths cool to the point that they can be handled. Apply the cloths to the affected body areas.

After the flannel cools, soak and apply again. After 5 or 10 minutes of compress application, massage those same areas of the body to which the cloths have been applied.

Apply twice daily—once in the morning and once in the evening.

Scallion and Vinegar Compress

4 tablespoons (60 grams) chopped scallions, white heads only

4 cups (1 liter) rice vinegar

In a medium saucepan boil the vinegar over a medium flame, uncovered, until half of it has evaporated. Add the chopped scallions to the vinegar and boil for another five minutes.

Turn the flame to low. Soak flannel cloths in the hot liquid. Let the cloths cool to the point that they are possible to touch, all the while keeping the liquid simmering in the pot. Apply the cloths to the affected body areas.

After the flannel cools, soak and apply again. After 5 or 10 minutes of applications, massage those same areas of the body.

Apply twice daily—once in the morning and once in the evening.

Ginger and Honey Compress

2 tablespoons (30 grams) minced fresh ginger

¹/₃ cup (65 grams) taro root, peeled and sliced

¹/₃ cup (65 grams) white flour

2–3 tablespoons (30–45 milliliters) honey

Using a pestle, mash the ginger and the taro root into a fairly smooth paste. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the flour and 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of honey, mixing the ingredients by hand. Continue adding honey until you have a smooth paste.

Use a clean, dry cloth to collect the paste. Press to the painful joint or limb, and wrap.

Keep the wrap in place all day and night. Use for ten days to one month, changing the compress every 24 hours.

Chili Pepper and Ginger Compress

2 tablespoons (30 grams) chopped dried chili peppers

2 tablespoons (30 grams) chopped fresh or dried ginger

2 tablespoons (30 grams) white flour

2–3 tablespoons (30–45 milliliters) rice wine, or sake

In a small bowl, mix the chili peppers, ginger, and flour. Slowly pour the rice wine, or sake, over the dry ingredients, mixing to form a paste.

Apply the paste to the distressed joint or limb by means of a clean cotton cloth. Wrap or hold in place for half an hour, then wash with warm water and dry.

This compress may be applied twice a day, morning and evening, for as long as the discomfort persists.

ASTHMA

Asthma is generally hereditary in nature. It is characterized by attacks of coughing, wheezing, and gasping for breath. It is usually brought on by an allergic reaction to pollen, animal dander, mold spores, or foodstuffs. The only immediate remedy at the moment of an asthma attack is the administration of antihistamines such as epinephrine, and, in the most acute cases, of oxygen.

Chinese medicine tends to regard asthma as a weakness of the lungs brought about by climatic factors and worsened by poor eating habits and a stressful lifestyle. The first remedy, therefore, is to correct your errors.

The next obvious thing to do is stay away from the source of your allergy. If you are allergic to pollen or house dust, however, there is not a great deal you can do about it. In this case you should simply adopt the Chinese line of defense: get plenty of exercise; practice qi gong; stop smoking; do not fatigue yourself, either at work or in bed; and eat properly.

The latter advice includes eliminating unnecessary toxins from your diet by cutting down on (or dispensing altogether with) coffee, alcohol, strong tea, and fried and greasy food. Eat plenty of greens, fruits, beans, and cereals; eat less meat and few fats. Avoid hot, spicy, sour, salty, and very sweet foods. You should eat regular meals, never overindulging—get up from the dinner table knowing that you could eat a little more without stuffing yourself. Have dinner at least three hours before bedtime; eat slowly and chew properly. Drink plenty of water and fruit juices.

There are eight traditional Chinese remedies for asthma. Five are straightforward food remedies. One contains bitter apricot kernels (see page 69), which are slightly toxic; it must therefore be classified as a medicine rather than a food, and be taken for not more than ten days at a stretch. Another of the remedies for asthma involves the application of garlic to the sole of the foot. The last, involving fourteen eggs, has been practiced in China for centuries. We do not expect many people to try it, but have included it here because of its authenticity.

Many of the remedies for asthma use ginger as a main ingredient. Ginger is a warm and pungent tuber of the Jin (Metal) element. It is an outward- and upward-moving Yang ingredient that directly affects the lungs.

Fresh Ginger Juice

This remedy is particularly effective for older people with asthma.

16–20 ounces (500+ grams) fresh ginger, peeled and grated

8 tablespoons brown sugar

Place the grated ginger in a thin cotton towel. Squeeze to extract ½ cup of juice.

In a small saucepan, heat the ginger juice. Add the sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Bring the mixture just to the boiling point, then remove from heat and transfer to a cup.

Take this preparation while it is still hot, sipping slowly. Take it as long as the asthma persists.

Daikon Juice with Ginger and Honey

1 4-ounce piece (125 grams) fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 large fresh daikon, grated

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

Place the ginger and the daikon in separate thin cotton towels. Squeeze to extract 2 tablespoons of ginger juice and 1 cup of daikon juice.

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat but do not boil.

Drink hot once a day.

Ginger and Rice Wine

Rice wine enhances the warming properties of ginger by making them rise toward the Yang (higher) regions of the body.

2 cups (400 grams) fresh ginger, sliced thin

2 cups (500 milliliters) rice wine, or sake

3 cups (600 grams) rock sugar

Place the ginger in a medium saucepan with the rice wine. Bring to boil over a low flame. Add the sugar. Stir continuously as you simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the mixture is a creamy paste.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Younger people can take 1 tablespoon with warm water every morning before breakfast during asthma season. Older adults and chronic asthma sufferers should increase the dosage to 1 tablespoon twice a day, before meals.

Ginger, Walnut, and Bitter Apricot Kernel Pills

This recipe uses bitter apricot kernels (see page 69), which are toxic when raw. It is therefore defined as a medium-grade drug in the Chinese classification of toxicity (see page 35). We have included it because of its efficacy in treating asthma. Be sure not to take it for more than ten days, and to wait at least three weeks before resuming the cure. The prescription should be taken during periods in which you normally suffer from asthma.

¼ cup (50 grams) walnut meats

¼ cup (50 grams) bitter apricot kernels

Water for soaking

¼ cup (50 grams) fresh ginger

¼ cup (60 milliliters) honey

Soak the walnuts and bitter apricot kernels in water overnight, so as to be able to peel them with ease. Drain.

Peel the skin from the walnuts and the apricot kernels. Chop into fine pieces, together with the ginger. Transfer to a dry bowl. Mix with the honey to make a thick paste.

Roll the paste into 100 round pills. Take 10 pills a day for ten days, before going to bed.

Mud Orange

1 pound (500 grams) powdered clay (use soil if clay is not available)

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 orange

In a bowl, mix the clay or soil with water to form a thick paste. Pack the orange in the paste. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Wash the paste off the orange by holding it under running water. Split the orange open and eat the fruit while it is still warm.

To be taken once a day for seven days.

Garlic and Sugar

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2 tablespoons (30 grams) white sugar

1 small glass warm water

Mix the garlic with the sugar in the glass of warm water. Leave to brew for five minutes.

While the asthma is activated, take every evening before bed.

Garlic Foot Application

In this remedy, a clove of partially squeezed garlic is placed in the center of the sole of the foot, where the toe bones begin. This is an important point associated with the kidney channel. The lungs correspond to the Metal element, which generates Water (kidney) and subjugates Wood (liver). When the lungs are out of balance, as with asthma, the kidneys are directly affected.

2 garlic cloves

2 Band-Aids

Peel the garlic. Crush each clove slightly in order to crack it. Bind a clove to the middle of each sole, in the soft spot where the toe bones begin. Use a fresh clove of garlic every twenty-four hours.

Cured Eggs

14 raw eggs, whole

Your own urine

Soak the raw eggs in the urine for seven days, changing the urine every twenty-four hours. Eat 2 eggs every morning, either raw or soft-boiled for 3 minutes. Continue the treatment for three months.

ATHLETE’S FOOT (TINEA PEDIS)

Athlete’s foot is a fungus that thrives in warm, damp folds of skin between the toes. People who wear open sandals or no footwear at all rarely suffer from athlete’s foot. However, if one lives in a warm, damp area and wears shoes, the perfect environment is created for this bothersome fungus to develop.

The most obvious preventive measures are to keep the feet aired and dry, and to change your socks and shoes every day. You can wear your shoes again five days later—the passage of time allows the shoes to air out. Get into the habit of rapidly passing the toes of your socks through the area when you put your socks on and when you remove them. Make sure that you dry the area with a towel after bathing or showering.

If, in spite of the preventive methods, you do catch the fungus, you can dab or spray perfume between the toes. Over-the-counter medications consist of zinc salt and undecylenic acid; compounds of this acid are present in perfumes.

Alcohol-based perfumes are not, however, common in China. Other methods have therefore been developed for dealing with athlete’s foot.

• Salt renders an environment inhospitable to fungi. Take 6 pounds (2.7 kilos) of common salt. Place the salt in a dry saucepan and roast it for 10 minutes or until hot. Remove from the saucepan and place on a clean, dry towel. Fold the towel over the salt and place on the ground. Stand on the towel until the salt becomes cold. This should be done every day before bed, until you are rid of the problem.
• Apply a small amount of toothpaste between the toes three times a day.
• Take 4 cups (1 liter) of rice vinegar and mix with 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water. Soak your feet in this mixture for one hour twice every day.
• Boil 1 cup (200 grams) of soybeans in 4 cups (1 liter) of water for 30 minutes. Allow the water to cool and use it wash your feet once a day for two weeks. Prepare fresh every two or three days.

According to Chinese medical theory, athlete’s foot is not dependent solely on the damp, humid environment of the foot, but also on a person’s physical health and resistance. During the Tang dynasty athlete’s foot was observed to be a precursor of beriberi, a disease brought on by a vitamin B₁ deficiency. Therefore, food that is rich in vitamin B₁ is prescribed to combat both athlete’s foot and beriberi. Almonds, soybeans, betel nuts, and plantain seed are some of the oldest remedies suggested by the famous long-lived physician Sun Si Miao (A.D. 581–682). Others remedies follow.

Peanuts, Adzuki Beans, and Jujube Decoction

½ cup (100 grams) adzuki beans

Water for soaking

4 cups (1 liter) water

½ cup (100 grams) jujube

½ head (approximately 50 grams) garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

²/₃ cup (130 grams) raw peanuts, shelled

Soak the adzuki beans in water for at least 2 hours, then drain.

Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Place all the ingredients in the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, reduce the flame to low. Cover. Decoct for 20 minutes over a low flame.

Allow to cool slightly. Drink warm, as part of a meal. The quantity is sufficient for two servings.

Liver and Beans Congee

5 cups (1.25 liters) water

1½ tablespoons (20 grams) mung beans

½ cup (100 grams) pork liver, cut into

1-inch cubes 1 cup (200 grams) rice

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the beans and the liver in the water, cover the pan, and boil over a low flame for 20 minutes.

Add the rice. Cover the pan again. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a congee.

Divide the congee into four portions. Eat one portion, warm, two times a day as part of a meal.

BLOODY STOOLS

Blood in the stools can result from several causes. If the blood is red and fresh, it usually denotes either hemorrhoids or a lesion of the anus or rectum caused by difficult defecation. If the blood is black and dry, the cause of the lesion is usually found further up the alimentary canal. In the latter circumstance, it is best to consult a physician.

The rupture of fragile blood vessels in the anus can be prevented by eating plenty of food rich in soluble fiber. This ensures that the stools are soft and sufficiently bulky.

All of the following remedies ensure the intake of plenty of fiber and are quite straightforward.

• Eat 3 or 4 figs twice a day on an empty stomach. If fresh figs are not in season, dried figs will do.
• Eat 2 bananas every day on an empty stomach.
• Consume 6 to 12 raw pine nuts three times a day.
• Cut 1 cup (200 grams) of radish or daikon into ½-inch cubes. Boil in 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water for 15 minutes over a medium flame. Allow to cool, and add honey to taste. Take as a frequent snack.
• Take sunflower seeds frequently as a snack. Sunflower seeds can also be prepared and drunk as a tea.

Sunflower Seed Tea

2 tablespoons (30 grams) raw sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons (30 grams) rock sugar

4 cups (1 liter) water

Using a grinding stone or mortar and pestle, grind the sunflower seeds into a powder. Transfer to a cup or bowl, and mix the powder with rock sugar.

In a medium saucepan, combine the powder with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer over a low flame for 1 hour.

Drink one cup of the tea three times a day, warm.

The following remedies for bloody stools are not based on the intake of a lot of soluble fiber.

Poplar Leaf Tea

12 fresh poplar leaves

Water for steaming

1 cup water

Wash the poplar leaves and place them in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pot deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pot, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the steamer and place them on a flat surface to dry. When they are dry, crumble the leaves.

Boil 1 cup of water. Place 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of the dried poplar leaves in a cup and add boiling water. Cover and steep for at least 5 minutes before drinking.

Drink 1 cup a day.

Adzuki Beans and Vinegar

6 cups (1.5 liters) rice vinegar

3 cups (600 grams) adzuki beans

In a medium saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Add the adzuki beans. Simmer over a low flame for 45 minutes, until the vinegar has almost evaporated. Stir frequently.

Transfer the beans to a flat surface and allow them to dry. When dry, grind the beans to a powder with a stone grinder or a mortar and pestle.

Take 1 teaspoon of the powder every morning before breakfast.

BURNS AND SCALDS

Immediate first aid treatment for dry burns should always be to apply cool water to the burn. Cooling is necessary because burned tissues continue to retain heat after the immediate cause of the injury has been removed. This heat can damage deeper layers of skin even several hours after the event.

It is best to plunge the burned area into a basin of cool—not cold—water. (Cold water causes the skin to blister, and the cold-water plunge is painful.) Thrusting the burned area under a running faucet is sufficient if a basin is not available, although strong pressure from the tap might rupture the burned skin. (Or you might, in your panic, turn on the hot tap by mistake!) If the burn is on a part of the body less accessible to a basin plunge, try pouring the water slowly from a pitcher onto the area.

Keep the burn under water for at least ten minutes. After that, what you should do depends on the degree and size of the burn. First-degree burns, and second-degree burns that cover an area one inch in diameter or less, can be treated at home.^*4 Anything more serious must be attended to at a first aid clinic or a hospital. In either case, keep the burn free of clothing or bandages—one school of thought claims that first- and second-degree burns should be treated only with air, oxygen being necessary to the process of tissue regeneration. Chinese medicine holds that, while permitting a burn to “breathe” is necessary, healing will take place more easily by applying various natural products.

If you have developed blisters from a burn, do not burst them. To do so would leave scar tissue and open the underlying raw flesh to possible infections.

The following are common Chinese household remedies for burns.

• Soak the burn in a bowl of cool milk, or soak a cotton cloth in milk and apply to the burn.
• Crush a carrot and apply to the injured part.
• Apply natural honey to the burn. Honey has a cleansing and antibacterial effect.
• Fresh ginger juice applied to a burn by means of cotton wool is reported to stop pain instantly, and to reduce inflammation and swelling.
• Place slices of fresh cucumber on the skin. This remedy is commonly used for sunburn.
• Apply cucumber juice to scalds. Scalds are the most common type of burn sustained in the home, especially those caused by hot tap water.
• Place cool slices of raw potato gently against the burn.
• Although yogurt is new to China, it was quickly realized by Chinese people that yogurt applied to first-degree burns, including sunburn, helps to alleviate the discomfort and hasten tissue recovery.⁸
• Aloe vera was introduced to China from central America, and is not, therefore, a traditional remedy. Aloe vera is used in China, as throughout the rest of the world, as a cooling balm for burns. Use either the moist flesh of a cut leaf, or the juice. Apply immediately to first-degree burns, or after the blisters have formed to second- and third-degree burns.

Other remedies are used in China to help the skin heal after emergency treatments have had time to work. Some of these are:

• Place slices of a mature pumpkin inside a jar and bury it in the ground. Leave it for several days, giving the flesh time to rot and liquefy. Then apply the juice to the burn. The application of rotting pumpkin serves to hasten tissue healing several days after the event.
• Mash 2 cakes of tofu, mix with sugar, and apply to the burn.
• Dry some watermelon rind and grind it into a powder. Mix 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of this powder with 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of sesame oil, and apply to the burned skin area.
• Blend the white of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of sesame oil. Apply twice a day to the burn.

A diet rich in vitamin C, protein, and liquids is important for recovering from second- and third-degree burns. Raw fruit, especially that which is rich in vitamin C—oranges, kiwi, strawberries—should be eaten in abundance. One should increase one’s intake of calories, and especially of protein. Eat tofu, meat, dairy products, and fish. Plenty of liquids should be consumed.

COMMON COLD

According to Chinese theory, there exist two kinds of cold: feng-han (wind and cold) and feng-re (wind and heat).

Feng-han colds are common in winter and spring. Symptoms are a runny nose, sneezing, liquid catarrh, and no sweating. A feng-re cold, on the other hand, causes a blocked nose that does not run, sore throat, thick and yellow catarrh, thirst, and sweating.

The remedies for feng-han colds are warm diaphoretics (sweat inducers). Those for feng-re colds are diaphoretics with cooling or cold characteristics.

What one eats is particularly important to the progress of the cold. Plenty of hot water should be drunk throughout the day. Eat only food that is light and easily digestible. Liquid foods such as milk, congee, soups, and broths should form the basis of your diet. Refrain from fish, meat, and fats—do not eat lamb, beef, pork, or chicken after taking a diaphoretic to induce sweat. Eat plenty of fruit, especially oranges, kiwis, tomatoes, apples, and pears. Consume green vegetables and salads. Spicy ingredients should not be taken until after the symptoms of the cold have disappeared.

Garlic Nose Drops

During the initial stages of a cold, when one starts sneezing and the nose begins to run, the first remedy that most Chinese people resort to is garlic drops.

2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup (60 milliliters) water at room temperature

Press the garlic cloves to extract the juice. Mix the garlic juice with water—the proportion should be 1 part garlic juice to 10 parts water.

Apply the juice as nose drops.

Daikon Nose Drops

Instead of garlic, which some people find too powerful, you can instead use daikon juice.

1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh daikon, grated

¼ cup (60 milliliters) water at room temperature

Squeeze the daikon to extract the juice. Mix the juice with water—the proportion should be 1 part daikon juice to 10 parts water.

Apply the juice as nose drops.

Garlic Pacifier

As well as combating a runny nose, garlic can also be taken orally to prevent a cough and sore throat.

3 garlic cloves

Peel the garlic. Put 1 clove, whole, into your mouth. Leave it there until you can no longer taste it—this can be as long as one hour. Swallow your saliva as it forms. Do not suck with force or chew.

Spit the clove out when it has lost all flavor. When you are ready, start again with a second clove. Later, take the third.

Do this once a day until you feel better.

Ginger and Scallion Soup

A good sweat-inducing recipe for when you feel a cold developing is a hot soup.

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) fresh ginger, sliced

2 tablespoons (30 grams) white head of scallion, sliced

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger and scallion and simmer over a low flame for 15 minutes, or until the ginger is soft and its smell has spread through your kitchen.

Drink hot before betime. Stay away from the cold, and especially from cold drafts (the “evil air”).

Garlic and Scallion Congee

The following warming remedy for curing a cold in its early stages is especially effective when the cold is accompanied by a headache.

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

½ cup (100 grams) white rice

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 teaspoons (10 grams) minced scallion, white heads only

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice, return to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.

When the rice has been cooked down to a gruel, add the garlic and scallion. Cook for 5 more minutes over a low flame.

Consume hot once a day, as part of a meal. Wear heavy clothing or get into bed so as to maintain the heat of the congee within your body.

Dandelion and Chrysanthemum Tea

1 tablespoon (15 grams) dry dandelion leaves

2 teaspoons (10 grams) dried chrysanthemum flower

2 teaspoons (10 grams) green tea leaves

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Mix the dandelion leaves, chrysanthemum flower, and tea leaves. Store in a glass jar.

Bring water to a boil. Put 1 heaped teaspoon (5+ grams) of mixed leaves and flowers in a cup. Pour hot water in the cup. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

Drink hot two times a day.

The following remedies are diaphoretics for feng-han colds (colds characterized by liquid catarrh and a runny nose). These remedies should be taken just before going to bed either at night or, if the cold is bad enough, during the day. Most of these sweat-inducing dishes are based on ginger and the white head of spring onion, or scallion, two of the best diaphoretics available.

Ginger Broth

In this remedy, the ginger induces sweating and brown sugar promotes circulation.

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sliced fresh ginger

Brown sugar to taste

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger. When half the water has evaporated, add the sugar. Continue boiling for 3 minutes.

Take the decoction hot. When you have finished, get under a quilt or blanket for a sweat.

Ginger and Pear Soup

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 pear

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced scallion, white heads only

2 eggs, beaten

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cut the pear in half; do not peel it. Add the pear, ginger, and scallion to the water. Return to a boil, cover the pan, and reduce the flame to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, thoroughly beat the eggs in a glass or ceramic bowl. When the broth is ready—you will know it is when the aroma of ginger spreads through your kitchen—pour the decoction into the bowl containing the two beaten eggs. Mix and drink the decoction while it is still hot, then get under a heavy quilt or thick blanket for a good sweat.

Take this remedy once a day for three or four days, or until the cold goes away.

Ginger and Onion Rice

1 teaspoon (5 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1 scallion, including roots and green tops

1 cup (200 grams) rice

6 cups (1.5 liters) water

2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) rice vinegar

Put the ginger, scallion, rice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame. Simmer on a low flame with the lid half-covering the saucepan, stirring occasionally. Cook for 25 minutes, or until the rice has becomes a gruel.

Stir in the vinegar. Cook for another minute or two.

Divide into four portions. Take one portion, hot, then get into bed or cover up under a warm blanket. Take this remedy two times a day, while the cold persists.

Egg and Sugar

1 fresh egg

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sugar

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Beat the egg and sugar together in a bowl.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the egg and sugar.

Take hot just before retiring to bed for a good, toxin-flushing sweat.

The following remedies contain cooling ingredients, such as green tea leaves, that balance the sweat-inducing effects of the diaphoretics. These recipes work best for feng-re colds—those with blocked nose, thick catarrh, and cough—which are often accompanied by a headache.

Ginger and Scallion Tea

This remedy is particularly useful for clearing headaches caused by colds.

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon (15 grams) chopped scallion, white heads only

2 teaspoons (10 grams) green tea leaves

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add all the ingredients and boil over a medium flame for 10 minutes.

Drink hot, and stay away from “evil air” (cold and drafts).

(If you are suffering from a fever in addition to a cold, you should add 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of walnut meats to this recipe. Boil for 15 minutes instead of 10.)

Ginger Tea

This effective, fast-acting remedy is good for combating colds that are accompanied by a strong headache.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

¼ cup (50 grams) brown sugar

1 teaspoon (5 grams) green tea leaves

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and sugar. Turn the burner off and wait for 1 minute, then add the tea leaves. (Green tea contains vitamin C; the 1-minute wait after boiling ensures that the vitamin is not destroyed by the heat.) Steep for 5 minutes before drinking.

A frequent addition to this tea is ½ teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) of vinegar. Vinegar exerts a warming and detoxifying effect.

It is recommended that you eat some rice congee immediately after taking this tea.

Sweetened Ginger and Scallion Broth

This remedy is useful when one is soaked to the skin by a sudden rain shower or by falling into water. It is also effective for curing abdominal pains due to catching cold. This broth should be taken just before going to bed.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

5 white heads of scallion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons (20 grams) brown sugar, or more to taste

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the ginger, scallion, and sugar in a cup or bowl. Pour the boiled water over the ingredients. Steep for 5 minutes, then drink.

Retire to a warm bed. The sweat thus induced should leave you feeling better by morning.

Peppermint and Scallion Broth

Peppermint rises to the head (Yang) and has a cooling, pungent effect. It is therefore a good relief for colds accompanied by headaches.

20–30 fresh peppermint leaves, or 2 heaped teaspoons (10+ grams) dried peppermint

2 or 3 crushed white heads of scallion

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until half the water has evaporated.

Drink hot or warm.

Scallion Inhalers

This remedy effectively relieves a blocked nose; it may be used as a natural alternative to vaporubs. In China, this remedy is usually preferred to any over-the-counter medications.

1 white head of scallion, sliced lengthwise

Place the scallion slices directly under your nostrils. Inhale deeply. Continue breathing deeply until your nasal passages are freed.

Watermelon and Tomato Juice

One recipe commonly employed in summer for a hot and dry cold uses watermelon and tomato. Besides curing hot, dry colds, watermelon and tomato combat dehydration, quench thirst, and relieve indigestion and lack of appetite.

2 pounds (1 kilogram) fresh watermelon

2 pounds (1 kilogram) fresh tomatoes

Chop the watermelon and tomatoes into small pieces, keeping them separate. Put them separately into thin cotton towels. Twist each to extract the liquid.

Mix the juices in equal portions. Drink at room temperature, slightly cooled but not cold, as often as you like.

COUGHS

To provide relief for coughs, ginger and onion combinations are prepared with daikon, which has cool, pungent, and sweet characteristics and eliminates hot irritation of the throat and bronchi.

Daikon, Ginger, and Scallion Soup

This popular remedy for coughs and colds also clears catarrh and counteracts body pains, weakness, and lethargy due to colds.

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

1 medium daikon, cut it into ½-inch slices

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced fresh ginger

6 white heads of scallion, sliced

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the daikon to the water. Continue to boil over a medium flame for 20 minutes, or until the daikon is soft. (“Soft” is defined in China as yielding enough to push the point of a chopstick through the daikon slice with ease).

Add the sliced scallion and ginger to the pot. Reduce the flame to low. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until two-thirds of the water has evaporated.

Remove from heat. Consume hot.

Daikon and Tangerine Peel Soup

This is a classic remedy for a thick-mucous cough.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 small daikon, cut it into ½-inch slices

1 organic tangerine peel, cut it into ½-inch slices

3 slices ginger

1 teaspoon (5 grams) white pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the daikon, tangerine peel, ginger, and pepper to the boiling water. Continue to boil over a medium flame for 10 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Take the soup twice a day, after lunch and dinner.

Daikon juice on its own is a good remedy for a cold with headache and cough, as well as for chronic bronchitis. If the cough is particularly persistent, daikon juice can be mixed with ginger and pear juice and the white of an egg.

Daikon Juice

4 cups (800 grams) fresh daikon, grated

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

Place the daikon in a thin cotton towel and squeeze in order to obtain the juice. Mix the juice and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from the flame and allow to cool. Drink the juice two times a day, warm to hot, to relieve coughing.

Daikon, Ginger, and Pear Juice

½ cup (100 grams) fresh daikon, grated

½ cup (100 grams) fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) fresh pear juice

1 egg white

Place the daikon in a thin cotton towel and squeeze to extract 2 tablespoons of juice. Repeat with the ginger.

Mix the ginger and daikon juice with the pear juice and egg white. Drink it cool once a day.

Daikon Juice Drops

½ cup (100 grams) fresh daikon, grated

Place the daikon in a thin cotton towel and squeeze in order to obtain the juice. Use the juice directly as nose drops.

 

Garlic is another popular remedy for persistent coughs.

Garlic Juice

1–2 cups (200–400 grams) fresh garlic cloves

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) white sugar

Peel and squeeze the garlic in order to extract the juice. Transfer to a clean bottle or jar and refrigerate.

When you need to use a cough remedy, boil 1 cup of water. Mix 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of garlic juice and the sugar into the hot water.

To be taken twice a day, morning and evening, until the cough has cleared. Drink the mixture hot.

Garlic Cough Powder

1 tablespoon (15 grams) garlic powder

1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar, white or brown

Mix the garlic powder with the sugar. Take the mixed powder twice daily, with lunch and dinner.

Jujube Tea

A favorite remedy for coughs is the jujube (Chinese date).

5 jujube (Chinese dates)

1 tablespoon (15 grams) minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

In a small saucepan, add all the dry ingredients to the water. Boil over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Consume warm.

Azalea Wine

½ cup (100 grams) azalea flowers

4 cups (1 liter) rice wine, or sake

Wash the azalea flowers. Allow them to dry in the shade.

When the flowers are dry, finely chop them. Place the rice wine and the flowers inside a bottle. Seal the bottle. Allow the mixture to macerate for at least 5 days.

Take 2 or 3 teaspoons (10 or 15 milliliters) two times a day.

 

Other ingredients for cough mixtures include celery, tofu, and lard. Drink one glass of fresh celery juice twice a day, morning and evening, for as long as the cough persists. Tofu and ginger are an effective remedy for chronic coughs, especially those due to chronic bronchitis. And while the final recipe for treating coughs may seem unusual, honey and lard have been used in China for centuries to relieve dry coughs without catarrh.

Tofu and Ginger

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

8 ounces (200 grams) tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

6 tablespoons (90 grams) brown sugar

2 teaspoons (10 grams) crushed ginger

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add all ingredients to the water. Boil over a medium flame for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Consume warm as a gruel once a day, before bed.

Honey and Lard

This recipe serves an additional purpose: that of ensuring regular bowel movements.

8 tablespoons (120 grams) lard

8 tablespoons (120 grams) honey

In a small saucepan, heat the ingredients over a low flame, bringing them to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Consume when the mixture cools sufficiently to become creamy and opaque.

CONSTIPATION

For optimum health the bowels should be cleared daily. Fecal matter that stays in the intestines for longer than twenty-four hours causes harmful bacteria to spread through the system. Furthermore, chronic constipation can lead to abdominal pain, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, headaches, insomnia, digestive problems, obesity, circulatory problems, hernia, and cancer of the bowel.

A diet of fresh, raw, leafy green vegetables, fresh fruits, and plenty of fiber helps to produce easy bowel movements. Plenty of water (drunk hot in China) or pure fruit juice is needed to dissolve the added intake of fiber. One may resort to natural laxatives; a few are mentioned below. These have been used for centuries in China. Chemical products should not be used—they are too thorough in cleaning out the intestines, killing all bacteria and giving rise to chronic constipation.

To prevent constipation it is important to exercise. Any exercise will do because all physical activity helps move waste matter through the intestines. Qi gong breathing exercises are especially beneficial in that they exert a salutary, massaging effect on the abdominal and intestinal areas, thus facilitating the elimination of fecal matter.

In a variation of the qi gong standing position that has been designed specifically to relieve constipation, stand with your back straight and knees slightly bent (see page 245). Place your hands on your hips and rotate your pelvis to the left, then to the front, then right, and then back for five to ten minutes each the morning.

Before proceeding with the remedies here, a few words may be in order about Chinese toilet habits. It is believed that people defecate best if they concentrate. Do not therefore take a book or other distraction to the toilet with you—concentrate solely on the matter at hand. Push and, as Chinese parents tell their children, clench your teeth.

In the course of our research, we discovered numerous easy home remedies for the common ailment of constipation. We leave the choice of remedy to the reader.

• Simply add salt to warm water and drink. The more salt you add, the more powerful the effect. Take care: you may find yourself throwing up as well.
• Add 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of vinegar to a large glass of warm or hot water. Drink in the morning on an empty stomach. Follow this by another glass of warm or hot water without the vinegar. Go out for a thirty- to sixty-minute walk. On your return, repair to the bathroom.

Some foods taken regularly as part of one’s diet are known to facilitate easy and daily bowel movements.

• One of the gentlest and yet most efficient ways of ensuring regular bowel movements is to eat leafy green vegetables.
• Nearly as effective as eating the vegetables is drinking their juice—all leafy green vegetables will work. Extract the juice of the green leaf vegetable of your choice, or boil in water and drink the broth.
• Take 2 soft, very ripe bananas every morning and evening.
• Roast 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for 3 minutes. Eat the sesame with 1 or 2 ripe bananas. This remedy counteracts both constipation and high blood pressure.
• Take 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey twice a day, morning and evening. Continue for two weeks. You may mix the honey with warm water and drink.
• Stir 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of honey and ½ teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) of sesame oil in a glass of hot water. Take before going to bed.
• Steam 2 cups (400 grams) of honey and 2 cups (400 grams) of lard together in a large ceramic bowl for 15 minutes (see page 66). Store in a jar. Take 1 tablespoon every morning and evening on an empty stomach. This recipe is also used for treating dry coughs with little catarrh.
• Wash 1 cup (200 grams) of figs. Boil the figs in 4 cups (1 liter) of water over a low flame for 20 minutes. Drink the juice as a tea, with a little sugar added according to taste.
• Drink the white of 1 raw egg every morning with your breakfast. You may mix with fruit juice or any other cool drink. Grapefruit is said to be the best fruit juice remedy for constipation.
• Drink a glass of fresh grapefruit every day before breakfast, on an empty stomach.

Honey and Potato Juice

2 pounds (1 kilogram) potatoes, washed but not peeled

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) honey

Cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the potatoes over a small saucepan to extract the juice.

Heat the juice on a high flame; lower the flame as the juice begins to boil. Add honey and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until creamy.

Remove from flame. Let cool, then store in a jar or bottle and refrigerate.

Take 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) once a day, in the morning before breakfast. If you forget you can take it anytime, but always do so on an empty stomach. (In another version of this recipe, the honey and potato juice are mixed cold and drunk raw.)

Sesame, Walnut, and Pine Kernel Muesli

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sesame seeds, black or white

2 tablespoons (30 grams) walnut meats

2 tablespoons (30 grams) pine nuts

2 tablespoons (30 grams) honey

Chop and then grind the sesame, walnuts, and pine nuts, using a stone grinder or a mortar and pestle. Work the ingredients into granules, then add the honey and mix into a paste.

Consume every morning with your breakfast.

Milk, Honey, and Onion

½ cup (100 grams) white onion, chopped fine

1 cup (250 milliliters) milk

8 tablespoons (90 grams) honey

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the onion for its juice.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Add the onion juice and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the flame.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the honey.

Drink warm every morning on an empty stomach.

Onion Compress

This onion remedy is especially effective for women suffering from constipation after childbirth. It serves to stimulate bowel movement by exerting a warming and relaxing effect on the outside of the abdomen.

Hot water

½ cup (100 grams) onion, finely chopped

Place a towel in hot water. When it is soaked through, remove the towel from the wash basin and squeeze out the excess moisture. Lie down on your back and apply the onion to your navel. Place the hot towel over the onion. Hold the towel in place for 5 minutes.

Reheat the towel and repeat for another 5 minutes. You can, if you prefer, use a hot water bottle instead of a towel. In the latter case, hold in place for 10 minutes.

Onion, Ginger, and Radish Juice Compress

½ cup (100 grams) daikon, grated

1 tablespoon (15 grams) onion, chopped

1 teaspoon (5 grams) ginger, chopped

4 teaspoons (20 grams) salt

Squeeze the daikon to extract 1 tablespoon of juice into a glass.

In a wok or frying pan, stir-fry the onion, ginger, salt, and daikon juice together for 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Wrap the mixture in a thin cloth and apply to your navel once a day until you feel well again. Keep the compress in place for 20 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes with Ginger

4 cups (1 liter) water

1 sweet potato, cut in ½-inch slices

1 4-ounce (100-gram) piece of ginger, cut in ½-inch slices

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sugar, white or brown

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the sweet potato, ginger, and sugar. Boil over a medium flame for 15–20 minutes, until the sweet potato is edible.

Remove from the flame. Mash and consume as part of a meal. This dish may be eaten as frequently as you like.

Steamed Eggplant

1 eggplant (aubergine), peeled and cut in ¼-inch slices

Water for steaming

Salt or oil to taste

Place the eggplant in a ceramic bowl or steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pot deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pot, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.

Eat warm once a day, as often as you like. Add salt or oil if you wish.

Cooked Spinach

1 cup (200 grams) fresh packed spinach

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) sesame oil

Place the spinach in a wok or medium saucepan with the water. Setting the flame on high, stir the spinach for 2 minutes.

Remove from the flame and allow to cool. Add sesame oil. Eat warm.

Sesame Eggs

In China, black sesame seed is considered to be an effective laxative. Sesame can be eaten with eggs, or with rice as a congee.

½ cup (100 grams) black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

1 egg

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame for 3 minutes, or until you can smell the distinct odor of sesame. Add salt, and roast for another 30 seconds.

Place the egg in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 10 minutes.

Allow the egg to cool, then cut into segments. Mix the egg with the sesame. Consume warm, two times a day.

Black Sesame Congee

½ cup (100 grams) white rice

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) black sesame seeds

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and boil over a low flame for 20 minutes.

Crush the sesame seeds with mortar and pestle or stone grinder. Add the sesame to the congee. Simmer for 10 additional minutes.

Take with meals.

Pine nuts or watermelon seeds may be used in this dish as an alternative to sesame:

• Prepare a rice congee (see page 69). Roast 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of pine nuts in a dry wok or frying pan for 3 minutes. Crush the pine nuts and add to the congee.
• Prepare a congee (see page 69). Roast 2 tablespoons (30 grams) watermelon seeds in a dry wok or frying pan for 4 minutes. Crush the watermelon seeds and add to the congee.

Sometimes even the best laxatives cannot dislodge stubborn constipation. Before resorting to an enema, you might wish to try something of immediate efficacy. This remedy is as straightforward as it is effective.

Take the white head of one scallion; wash and remove the roots. Cover the scallion it with 1 teaspoon of honey. Squat or lie down and slide the scallion up your anus. Keep it in place for 3 minutes.

CORNS

Remedies for corns—the hardening of the skin on the toes—were offered by many people. The following are some of the least complicated to apply.

• Squeeze the juice from an eggplant and apply to the corn two or three times a day.
• Crush an unripe fig and apply to the corn. Hold in place with a bandage. Change the application twice a day. Seven to ten days of treatment should eliminate the corn.
• Apply the white sap of a freshly picked fig directly onto the corn.
• Peel the soft transparent skin from a scallion. Before going to bed, wash your foot in hot water and dry. Apply the scallion skin to the corn. Rub gently. Hold in place overnight with either a cloth bandage or Band-Aid. Repeat every evening until the corn becomes soft and white and eventually falls away of its own accord.

Some Chinese chiropodists (foot doctors) assert that the corn should be filed or cut down before making the application. Others argue that no manual intervention is necessary—indeed, that filing or cutting the corn can irritate the surrounding area and can therefore be harmful.

 

The last remedy for corns is a little more elaborate and will thus need a few minutes of preparation.

Garlic and Onion

1 head of garlic, minced

1 purple onion, diced

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vinegar

8 cups (2 liters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

In a small bowl, mix the garlic and onion with the vinegar.

Warm the water in a large saucepan. Add the salt to the water. Cut away the thick skin from the corn. Soak the foot in the warm salty water for about 20 minutes, until the skin is soft. Dry the area around the corn.

Apply 1 tablespoon of the chopped onion and garlic to the corn and rub in well. Cover with a bandage. Apply every four hours, if possible. Store the unused garlic and onion mixture in the refrigerator.

Repeat each day for 5 to 7 days. The fresher the onion and garlic, the more effective the remedy.

DIARRHEA

Diarrhea is a symptom with many possible causes. According to Chinese medicine, the causes can range from a weak spleen and stomach to indigestion, overeating, or cold. The patient usually suffers from abdominal pains, has no appetite, feels lethargic, and needs to run to the toilet many times a day. When things get worse, it is probably not diarrhea but dysentery—see pages 135–138 for more powerful remedies.

In China, garlic is considered to be nature’s most effective stomach and intestinal disinfectant. Many people won’t travel without it, chewing a clove or two whenever in doubt about local conditions of cleanliness. Garlic’s proven antibiotic effects render it a valid remedy for diarrhea.

Garlic and Sugar

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons (20 grams) brown sugar

Water for steaming

Put the garlic cloves in a small ceramic bowl, then put the bowl inside a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to hold your steamer, bring the water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.

When the garlic is done, crush it, mix with the sugar, and eat.

Alternatively, you can crush the raw garlic, then boil it in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water with sugar.

Taken two or three times a day, these are both effective remedies for chronic diarrhea and intestinal gases.

Garlic Broth

2 or 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Roast the garlic in a small, dry saucepan until the skin begins to darken. Add the water. Bring to a boil over a medium flame; continue to boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Drink warm.

Garlic and Eggs

Garlic taken with eggs is doubly efficacious in that it counteracts diarrhea accompanied by general weakness.

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 eggs

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) sesame oil

Squeeze the juice from the garlic. In a small bowl, beat the garlic juice with the raw eggs.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok or frying pan. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.

To be taken twice a day.

Garlic Vinegar

The following remedy is recommended primarily for diarrhea; it is, however, also effective for treating gastroenteritis. It can be taken as a preventive measure, as well as for curing both diarrhea and gastroenteritis.

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) vinegar

Squeeze the garlic into a glass to extract the juice. Add vinegar. Sip slowly.

Garlic vinegar may also be prepared by maturing 18 cloves of garlic in 3 cups (750 milliliters) of vinegar for 24 hours. Take 6 cloves for breakfast, 6 for lunch, and 6 for dinner. Repeat each day until cured.

Ginger Tea

2 teaspoons (10 grams) green tea leaves

2 teaspoons (10 grams) minced ginger

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Prepare a decoction by boiling the tea leaves, ginger, and water over a low flame, covered, for 20 minutes.

Drink the decoction hot.

Ginger and Scallion Omelet

3 eggs

1 tablespoon (15 grams) finely chopped ginger

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) rice vinegar

Salt to taste

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the chopped ginger and scallion.

Pour the rice vinegar into a medium frying pan. Heat, then add the eggs, ginger, and scallion mixture.

Cook over a high flame for 3 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the omelette and cook the front side for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and slide the omelette from the pan. Eat once a day until you feel better.

Boiled Apples

10 green apples

16 cups (4 liters) water

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the apples and boil them whole over a low flame for 40 minutes, until soft.

Eat as many as you can on an empty stomach.

Chestnut Cakes

Chestnut strengthens zheng qi, the intestines, and the stomach. It also exerts a strong warming and curative effect on cold-syndrome diarrhea.

¼ cup (50 grams) chestnut flour

Sugar to taste

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water

Water for steaming

In a small bowl, blend the flour and sugar with water. Divide the dough and roll into four round cakes.

Put the cakes in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place your steamer inside the pan, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. (If you wish, you may instead bake the cakes at 350°F for 20 minutes.)

Eat the cakes warm. Remember to apply the maxim “Drink your food and eat your drinks.” Make sure that each piece of food is well and properly chewed, and is swallowed with plenty of saliva. Chestnut contains starch, and the digestion of starch begins with saliva.

Pork Gall and Honey

A traditional remedy that is used in the Chinese countryside to cure liver problems, as well as diarrhea, is one using pork gallbladder.

1 gallbladder of pork

8 tablespoons (120 milliliters) honey

Water for steaming

Chop the gallbladder into cubes. Place it in a thin cotton towel and squeeze to obtain the gall. Transfer the gall to a bowl. Stir in the honey.

Put the mixture in a ceramic bowl on a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place your steamer inside the pan and cover. Steam for 15 minutes.

Take the whole remedy in one sitting. One dose should clear the problem.

 

Remedies of the kind that follow, in which ingredients are applied to the skin, may be received with a little superstition. Skin applications are popular in Chinese medicine, and are now becoming increasingly acceptable remedies in mainstream Western medicine. By passing through the pores of the skin directly into the capillaries, it is believed that the ingredients may exert a more immediate, albeit milder, effect than by ingestion.

Garlic and Pepper Compress

2 garlic cloves

8 peppercorns, black or white

Chop the garlic and pepper together to make fine granules. Compress the granules into two cakes.

Bind the cakes to the underside of the feet against the center of the sole, or apply the whole amount to your navel as you lie on your back. Keep in place overnight.

Onion and Salt Compress

This compress is said to work best for diarrhea due to cold syndromes; it also provides effective relief from abdominal pains.

½ cup (100 grams) onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (15 grams) rock salt

In a dry frying pan or wok, roast the onion together with the salt. When hot, place the salt and onion inside a cotton sachet. Apply as hot as is comfortable to the abdomen, lower back, and waist.

Apply twice each day for as long as the problem lasts.

Other simple food remedies for diarrhea include the following.

• Eat 1 peeled crab apple first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Eat more during the day.
• Drink 1 cup (250 milliliters) of fresh radish juice on an empty stomach once or twice a day.
• Roast 1 whole tuber of ginger in a dry wok or frying pan for 10 minutes, until the outside is dark and dry. Grind the tuber into a powder. Take 1 teaspoon of the powder with warm water three times a day.

DYSENTERY

Dysentery, like food poisoning, is common whenever the climate and poor sanitary conditions encourage bacteria to proliferate, hence the common travelers’ complaints of Delhi belly, curse of the pharaohs, and Montezuma’s revenge. Symptoms of acute bacillary dysentery are a continuous urgent need to use the toilet; watery stools, sometimes containing blood and puss; nausea; vomiting; abdominal pain; and fever. Chronic amoebic dysentery is slightly less severe in its initial manifestation—there may be no nausea or vomiting—but symptoms persist longer, sometimes for several months. Chronic amoebic dysentery can leave one weak, dehydrated, and many pounds thinner.

The prime defense against bacilli in China is (once again) garlic, the ubiquitous disinfectant of Chinese remedies.

• Raw garlic is a strong and effective antibiotic; however, it exerts an irritating effect on the colon. Raw garlic should therefore only be used sparingly in acute cases of dysentery. If the dysentery is chronic you may take garlic raw—2 or 3 cloves at a time—three times a day for one week.
• Alternatively, you may crush 1 head of garlic and mix it with 4 teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar. Take three times a day.
• Boiled garlic is less irritating to the mucous membranes than raw garlic, and some of its antibiotic effects remain intact. Boiled garlic may therefore be used both for cases of acute and chronic dysentery. Boil a whole garlic head in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water for 10 minutes, until it is very soft. Remove the skin and mash the flesh with 4 tablespoons (60 grams) of brown sugar. Take twice a day.
• Peel 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, then boil them in a small saucepan containing 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water. After 2 minutes of boiling, remove the garlic and add ¼ cup (50 grams) of rice. Simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes to make a congee, adding water if necessary. When the rice is soft, add the preboiled garlic to the gruel; stir well, then cook for another 3 minutes. To be eaten twice a day for as long as the dysentery persists.
      Other food remedies for dysentery include apples, radish, and ginger.

Radish and Ginger Tea

1 4-ounce (125-gram) piece of ginger, grated

16 ounces (500 grams) radish or daikon

1 heaping teaspoon (5+ grams) green tea leaves

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

Over a small bowl, squeeze the grated ginger to extract 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of juice. Squeeze the grated radish or daikon over the same bowl to extract 4 tablespoons (70 milliliters) of juice.

Place the tea leaves in a cup. Heat the water in a small saucepan. When the water is about to boil, pour it over the tea leaves. Leave the tea to brew for 10 minutes.

Stir in the ginger and radish juice and honey. Drink warm two or three times a day.

Ginger, Tangerine, and Apple Peel Decoction

4 teaspoons (20 grams) organic apple peel

2 teaspoons (10 grams) organic tangerine peel

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) ginger, peeled and sliced

Wash and peel 1 organic apple and 1 organic tangerine.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the apple, tangerine peel, and ginger slices, and boil over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Drink warm or at room temperature two or three times a day.

Eggs and Ginger

This recipe affects the large intestines and the lungs. It is most effective in allaying a dysentery problem at its onset. Ginger has warming qualities; it induces perspiration and disperses cold. Eggs are sweet and lubricating.

2 eggs

2 teaspoons (10 grams) ginger, finely minced

Water for steaming

Beat the eggs in a small ceramic bowl. Add the ginger to the eggs, then put the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66).

Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan and cover. Steam for 10 minutes.

Take two times a day on an empty stomach.

Green Tea with Vinegar

The following concoction is not the best way to enjoy a cup of tea. Quite apart from the vinegar, 100 grams of tea leaves produces a foul, bitter brew. Strong tea, however, is known to detoxify or, in Chinese terms, to relieve internal heat. It is also an efficient diuretic.

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

6 tablespoons (90 grams) green tea leaves

6 teaspoons (30 milliliters) vinegar

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the tea leaves and boil over a low flame for 1 minute.

Remove the tea from heat and brew for 5 minutes. Pour equal quantities of tea into three separate cups. Add 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of vinegar to each cup.

Drink each cup separately: one in the morning, another in the afternoon, and the third in the evening. Reheat the tea each time to drink it hot.

An alternative to this recipe is to mix the tea with wine instead of vinegar. Although rice wine, or sake, is a less effective than vinegar, it does without a doubt make for a more pleasurable drink.

Tomato Plant Decoction

16 cups (4 liters) water

2 or 3 tomato plants, complete with stalks and leaves (no fruits)

Bring the water to a boil in a large soup kettle. Wash the tomato plants and remove the roots. Cut the plant into 5-inch-long segments. Place the tomato plants in the water and simmer for 3 hours over a low flame.

After boiling, pass the liquid through a strainer. Drink a cup of the decoction every two hours, warm or at room temperature.

Steamed Potatoes with Honey

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.

Place the potatoes in a steaming dish. Put the dish in the saucepan, cover, and steam the potatoes for 15 minutes. When the potatoes are finished steaming, transfer them to a bowl and add honey. Take two or three times a day for as long as the problem persists.

 

 

Additional food remedies are as follows:

• Munch an apple well, the greener the apple, the better, or, better still, grate it before you eat it. Eat 3 to 6 apples a day.
• Hard boil 10 to 20 eggs. Eat the yolks until your mouth tastes like ji shi. This expression literally translates as “chicken shit,” and is, in fact, a genuine Chinese instruction. Do not take this remedy for longer than a week.
• Squeeze 2 or 3 tablespoons (15 or 30 milliliters) of onion juice and mix with the same quantity of vinegar. Bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the flame; sip hot.

FOOD POISONING

Food poisoning is not a common occurrence in the United States. Nevertheless, mistakes are made: food may become contaminated by toxic bacteria, or one may eat poisonous plants, fish, or mushrooms.

In China, people are fairly careful not to contaminate food. We rarely keep fresh food for more than a few hours. We do not use frozen foods that may go bad during an electricity outage. If we are ever suspicious about sanitary conditions when we travel, we eat our food with plenty of raw garlic because garlic is a natural antibiotic that kills off any harmful bacteria.

Mushroom poisoning is, however, another matter. In China, mushrooms have been used both as food and for medicinal purposes since time immemorial. Only a few species of mushrooms are cultivated; most varieties cannot be grown at will. People therefore pick wild mushrooms at the risk of consuming toxic or poisonous species.

Very few wild mushrooms are deadly, and only one of these has no known antidote. This is the Amanita phalloides, or death cap. The reason for this mushroom’s extreme toxicity is that it contains three kinds of poison that damage cells throughout the body after being absorbed into the bloodstream. Symptoms of Amanita phalloides poisoning therefore appear after digestion is complete, generally between six and fifteen hours after eating. Symptoms include strong abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting, intense thirst, bloody diarrhea, absence of urine, prostration, and convulsions. If any suspicion of Amanita phalloides poisoning exists, rush the patient to a hospital that can circulate the patient’s blood outside the body through a special charcoal filter, which will eliminate the poison. Nothing else can help.

Other types of mushroom poisoning are less dangerous. Symptoms appear during digestion and can range from stomach pains and nausea to hallucinations. For these forms of mushroom poisoning Chinese peasants have come up with several remedies, all of which are useful in treating all forms of food poisoning.

First of all, one must induce vomiting. To induce vomiting you can drink salt water in large enough quantities to make you vomit, or thrust your fingers down your throat until you retch and throw up.

Once the toxins have been eliminated from the digestive tract, one can administer the following traditional remedies for mushroom poisoning with greater ease.

• Grind 1 cup (200 grams) of raw mung beans to a fine powder. Stir 2 table spoons (30 grams) of powder into 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Drink as many cups as you can manage.
• Boil ½ cup (100 grams) of soybeans in 4 cups (1 liter) of water over a low flame for 45 minutes. Add water if necessary. Take 1 cup of the soup, warm, twice a day.
• Another common antidote to food poisoning is lotus leaf tea. Although common in China, in the United States lotus leaves are available only in specialized Chinese food stores. However, this remedy is worth knowing about in case you need a cure for mushroom poisoning, and lotus leaves are at hand.
      Boil 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of lotus leaves in 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water for 30 minutes, until the brew reduces to 1 cup (250 milliliters). If necessary, add water during the preparation. Drink 1 cup three times a day, until the symptoms of poisoning recede.
• Tofu is sometimes poorly prepared, and its ingestion can result in quite severe abdominal pain and nausea. The prescribed remedy for this condition is to drink radish juice. Grate and squeeze enough fresh radishes to extract 1 glass of juice to drink. Alternatively you can boil 12 radishes in 3 cups (750 milliliters) of water for 30 minutes, then drink the soup.
• One of the most common forms of food poisoning is that which occurs from eating prawns and shellfish. The Chinese remedy for this is to drink a tea prepared from orange peel. Peel 1 organic orange, then cut the peel into ½inch slices. Boil in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water over a medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink hot or warm three times a day.

GASTRITIS

Acute gastritis is caused by food poisoning, infection, or excessive eating or drinking. It appears and subsides rapidly. The best cure for gastritis is complete abstinence from food.

Chronic gastritis, on the other hand, usually depends on the habitual heavy use of irritants such as chili and pepper in one’s diet, and on psychosomatic causes such as anxiety, stress, and frustration.

The obvious solution is to eliminate the irritants and to relax. You might also wish to try one of the following Chinese remedies.

Potato Juice and Honey

1 potato, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon (5 grams) honey

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the potato over a glass to extract the juice. Add honey.

Drink on an empty stomach every morning for twenty days.

Ginger and Orange Peel Decoction

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced ginger

1 organic orange peel, sliced

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger and orange peel. Simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes.

Allow the decoction to cool slightly. Drink two or three times a day.

Powdered Eggshell

This classic Chinese remedy checks acidity and gastritis and helps cure duodenal and stomach ulcers.

1 chicken eggshell

In a dry wok or frying pan roast the empty eggshell over a low flame for approximately 4 minutes, or until it is thoroughly dry. Remove and allow the shell to cool, then transfer it to a pestle or stone grinder and grind it into a powder.

Take 1 teaspoon of the powder in warm water before meals.

The same effects are obtained from cuttlefish bone. Bake a cuttlefish and extract the bone, then roast it and grind it into a powder. Take 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of the powder with warm water, again before meals.

Peanuts, Milk, and Honey

¼ cup (50 grams) raw peanuts

Water for soaking

1 cup (250 milliliters) milk

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

Soak the peanuts in hot water for 1 hour. Drain the water, then grind the peanuts to a pulp.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Add the peanuts as soon as the milk begins to rise. Allow the milk to boil again. As the milk rises a second time, remove the saucepan from the flame.

Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the honey.

Drink warm just before going to bed.

Pork Tripe and Soybeans

This recipe not only alleviates chronic gastritis, but also helps to recover strength if one has been weakened by gastric problems.

½ cup (100 grams) soybeans

Water for soaking

6 cups (1.5 liters) water

8 ounces (250 grams) pork tripe, washed and sliced

Soak the soybeans in 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water overnight. When you are ready to prepare the remedy, drain the soybeans and discard the soaking water.

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups (1.5 liters) of water to a boil. Add the tripe and boil over a low flame for 1 hour. Add the soybeans to the tripe and continue to boil over a medium flame for another 40 minutes. If necessary, occasionally add small quantities of water.

When done, separate into three equal portions. Consume one portion with each meal: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

HAIR LOSS AND PREMATURE GRAYING

Hair loss and premature graying may be caused by a wide variety of factors, the most common of which are hereditary. When genes are responsible there is little that one can do about hair problems, except to stay fit and healthy in order to delay as long as possible that which is truly inevitable.

Hair loss and graying that are not hereditary are considered to be due either to weakness in the kidneys and the blood or to poor nourishment of the hair follicles. A poorly balanced diet is said to cause the hair follicles to open and xie qi (evil qi) to enter. The xie qi dries and heats the blood which thus no longer feeds the already undernourished roots, thereby causing the hair to fall out or to lose its color.

Healthy hair depends on good nutrition. Good general health means good healthy hair, and healthy skin for that matter. In China we eat many foods throughout our lives that we consider to be specifically for the health of our hair and skin. Some of these foods are seaweed, sunflower seeds, jujube, apples, plums, scallions, carrots, celery, radish, yogurt, black beans, and peanuts. Walnuts, usually taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, are also a popular remedy; some people wash them down with a glass of milk. Roasted black sesame seeds ground to a powder and taken with sugar in hot water for breakfast is also known to support good hair and skin health.

The common remedies for hair problems serve to ensure better nutrition to the kidneys, the blood, and the scalp.

Spinach and Black Sesame Seed

One of the best food items for maintaining healthy hair, as recognized all over China, is black sesame seed. Many people eat black sesame seed in large quantities in order to maintain their black, shiny hair. People add the seeds to soups, vegetable dishes, and meats. They make candies with it, or simply chew on black sesame seeds whenever the occasion arises.
     This recipe serves to combat hair loss.

¼ cup (50 grams) fresh packed spinach

4 teaspoons (20 grams) black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water

Wash and drain the spinach. Place the spinach, sesame seeds, and water in a wok or small saucepan. Steam over a medium flame for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.

Eat twice daily.

Walnuts and Sesame

1 cup (200 grams) walnut meats, broken into small pieces

1 cup (200 grams) black sesame seeds

1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar

Roast the walnuts and sesame seeds together in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame for 3 minutes. Stir to ensure that the nuts and seeds do not burn.

Transfer the roasted nuts and seeds to a mortar and pestle. Allow them to cool, then grind to a fine powder. Mix the powder with the sugar, then store in a jar.

Take 1 tablespoon every morning with breakfast.

Black Sesame Tea

1 teaspoon (5 grams) black sesame seeds

½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) green tea leaves

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Roast the sesame seeds for 3 minutes in a dry frying pan over a low flame.

Allow the seeds to cool, then grind them into a powder with a mortar and pestle or a stone grinder. In a cup, mix the powder with the tea leaves.

Bring the water to a boil, then pour into the cup. Brew in hot water for 5 minutes, as you would an ordinary cup of tea.

Spinach Roots, Eggplant, and Black Beans

In some rural areas in the north of China, many people use black beans instead of black sesame seed. The tonifying and ascending Yang qualities, as well as the color of black beans, are said to maintain the hair, making it shiny, black, and healthy. The following recipe comes from Shaanxi province, not far from the Yellow River.

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) black beans

2 tablespoons (30 grams) spinach root (or the bottom part of the stalk), cut into

1-inch pieces 1 eggplant skin, cut into 1-inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the beans, spinach root, and eggplant skin, and boil over a low flame for 40 minutes, or until the beans are soft enough to eat. Add a little water, if necessary, to ensure that you make a liquid soup rather than a gruel.

Remove from heat. Eat warm. This remedy can be taken as often as you like.

Walnut, Almond, and Jujube Wine

This recipe stimulates blood circulation and improves the complexion. It reinforces qi, and arrests the premature graying of the hair. This recipe also acts as a lung and kidney tonic, thereby curing shortness of breath and lower back pain due to deficiencies in these organs.

¼ cup (50 grams) almond meats

½ cup (100 grams) walnut meats

½ cup (100 grams) jujube (Chinese dates)

8 cups (2 liters) rice wine, or sake

Grind the almonds and the walnuts into a powder using a pestle or a stone grinder. Put the powder and the jujube in a one-gallon bottle. Add the rice wine. Seal the bottle and leave to macerate for at least 20 days before drinking.

Take 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) two times a day.

 

The following two remedies help combat hair loss.

Garlic and Honey Poultice

2 heads of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

In a cup, thoroughly mix the garlic with the honey.

Apply to the affected part of the scalp before going to bed. Wash the poultice off in the morning.

Ginger Head Massage

1 large fresh ginger tuber, grated

Squeeze the ginger thoroughly to extract the juice.

Rub the juice into the affected area of the scalp. Leave to dry naturally. Reapply when the scalp has dried. Apply three times at each sitting.

Best results are achieved by massaging the scalp with ginger juice twice a day. It is claimed that, after a week, soft fine hair will begin to grow, and that, within a month, hair growth will be back to normal.

This final remedy is a simple one for strengthening hair and preventing its loss.

Spinach and Carrot Salad

1 cup (200 grams) packed fresh spinach, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

Mix the spinach and carrot together and eat as salad.

HEADACHE

Headaches can be brought on by so many different factors that it is difficult to prescribe remedies that go to the source of the discomfort. Headaches may be caused by eyestrain, stress, a poor night’s sleep, tobacco smoke, toxic fumes, arthritis, a brain tumor, or the common cold. The simplest remedy therefore is to swallow a painkiller and, only if the ache persists, to go to the doctor in order to seek the underlying cause.

In the Chinese countryside, where neither doctors nor painkillers are as easy to come by as in America, other remedies exist. If the cause of the headache is a head cold, one simply cures the cold. Plenty of remedies exist; we refer you to the section on the common cold (pages 98–106) for these.

Headaches without a cold may be alleviated by rubbing eucalyptus oil over the forehead and temples. This gives a cooling sensation that distracts from the pain. Peppermint has a similar effect. You can rub peppermint oil on the temples, dab it under your nose, or drink a cup of peppermint tea.

Another simple headache remedy is to massage the head. Massage is particularly effective if the headache is caused by tension: gently massage the scalp and nape of the neck. A qi gong massage consists of beating on the scalp with the fingers of both hands. Another alternative is to press all your fingers against the scalp and move the entire scalp vigorously backward and forward. Try massaging the temples as well. If no other massage works, press hard with the pads of your thumbs or your two index fingers into the bone of the upper eye socket, close to the top of your nose. Make sure that your fingers are not wet or oily, lest they slip off the bone into the eye itself.

Some of the most effective Chinese food remedies for headaches come in the form of teas.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is particularly effective for headaches that are due to wind and cold weather.

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh ginger, sliced

2 teaspoons (10 grams) brown sugar

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger and sugar and simmer on a low flame for 10 minutes. Transfer the tea to a cup and drink hot.

To be taken three times a day for as long as the headache persists.

Almond and Chrysanthemum Tea

Almonds and chrysanthemum flowers have a cooling effect. Combined in a tea, they are effective against headaches due to wind and heat.

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) almond meats, ground or chopped

1 teaspoon (5 grams) dry chrysanthemum flowers

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the almonds and chrysanthemum flowers, reduce the flame, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and drink hot.

Green Tea and Orange Peel

This tea is suitable for treating headache associated with nausea and catarrh.

1 teaspoon (5 grams) green tea leaves

1 organic orange peel, chopped

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

Place the tea leaves, orange peel, and water in a small saucepan. Simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

Drink the tea twice a day.

Chrysanthemum Wine

Sometimes wines are prepared for headaches instead of teas.

1 cup (200 grams) dry chrysanthemum flowers

8 cups (2 liters) rice wine, or sake

Place the flowers in a bottle with the wine. Seal the bottle. Let stand to macerate for at least 10 days.

Take 2 or 3 teaspoons twice a day.

Scallion and Cinnamon Congee

When the body and head ache due to cold and windy climatic conditions, many people in China seek relief in this scallion and cinnamon gruel.

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) rice

10 scallions, cut into ¼-inch segments

2 teaspoons (10 grams) cinnamon

Place the water, rice, scallions, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, then simmer for 20 minutes over a low flame. Add a little water if necessary to form a gruel or congee.

To be taken twice a day with meals.

Mung Bean Congee

This remedy is recommended for headaches due to summer heat, and overexposure to the sun.

6 cups (1.5 liters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) mung beans

½ cup (100 grams) rice

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the mung beans and rice. Boil over a low flame, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to prepare a gruel or congee. Add more hot water if necessary.

Remove from flame. Consume hot or warm.

HEMORRHOIDS

Also known as piles, hemorrhoids are caused by a genetic weakness of the veins in the rectum, by sedentary habits, or by constipation. They are characterized by discomfort and sometimes pain, and by frequent bleeding from the rectum during defecation. Hemorrhoids may either be internal or protrude from the body.

The most effective means of preventing piles is to exercise. Although all exercise is beneficial, Chinese qi gong includes a technique whereby the muscles of the rectum are tightened (see the nei dan exercises, especially on page 246). This exercise helps to maintain firmness in the rectal muscles with a consequent compression of rectal blood vessels, thus preventing hemorrhoids from developing. A suitable low-fat and low-protein diet of fruits and greens that contain plenty of fiber also works to prevent hemorrhoids.

Wood-ear Mushroom Decoction

An old remedy for piles is to eat wood-ear mushrooms.

¼ cup (50 grams) wood-ear mushrooms

Water for soaking

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sugar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Soak the mushrooms in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of hot water for 1 hour. When you’re ready to begin cooking, drain the mushrooms and discard the water.

Put the mushrooms, sugar, and 2 cups (500 milliliters) water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer over a medium flame for 10 minutes to make a decoction.

Divide into three portions. Drink the decoction warm, three times a day.

Escargot

Another ancient Chinese remedy for hemorrhoids is to eat snails.

1 cup (200 grams) bread, torn into large pieces

½ cup (125 milliliters) vinegar

12 escargot (snails)

4 cups (1 liter) water

To clean the snails, put the bread and vinegar in a container. Add the escargot, cover the container, and refrigerate for 24 hours. The snail will come out of its shell to eat the bread, and the vinegar will disinfect the snail.

When you’re ready to cook the snail meat, remove the snails from the container and wash them under running water. Discard the bread. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the snails in their shells and boil for 10 minutes.

The snails can be eaten in a variety of ways. They may be stir-fried with garlic and herbs, or eaten boiled, dipped in soy sauce and vinegar for flavor. When removing from the shell, be sure to discard the top portion of the snail containing the organs of digestion and excretion.

Mung Bean Soup and Bananas

This high-fiber combination helps prevent hemorrhoids.

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) mung beans

2 ripe bananas

Prepare a decoction by bringing the water to a boil, adding the mung beans, and simmering over a low flame 20 minutes.

Eat twice a day, for breakfast and dinner, together with two bananas.

Hemorrhoids can often be painful. The following two remedies are for pain relief.

• Chop and crush 1 medium onion. Transfer the onion to a bowl. Mix with 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) honey to make a paste. Apply the paste to the hemorrhoid whenever you feel pain.
• Squeeze the juice from 3 or 4 cloves of garlic. Dilute the juice in five times the amount of water. Wash the affected area with warm to hot water. Immediately after washing, soak a piece of cotton-wool in the diluted garlic juice and apply to the hemorrhoid. Continue the treatment for as long as necessary.

HEPATITIS

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that may be brought on by either bacteria or a virus. The two most common forms are hepatitis A (infectious) and hepatitis B (serum). The first is usually transmitted through food and is due to poor sanitary conditions. The hepatitis A bacteria reside in feces; the bacteria can pass into drinking water through faulty sewage systems, or into shellfish that breed close to sewage outlets. Serum hepatitis, on the other hand, is caused by direct contact through blood or body fluids, the same way as the HIV virus is spread.

The symptoms of hepatitis include lethargy, nausea, and fever. Urine takes on a reddish brown hue, and the feces become light brown. Recovery is usually spontaneous, although it takes time and plenty of rest for the liver to restore itself. Treatment consists of little more than bed rest and a light diet that does not put strain on the liver.

A person healing from hepatitis should eat plenty of light and energetic foods: ripe fruits, soups, and broth. They should stay away from fat, oil, and milk products, although an exception may be made for light cottage cheese or skimmed milk. An egg a day helps the liver. So does plenty of fluid—drink water and fruit and vegetable juices in large quantities.

Animal liver is a light and energetic food that is ideal for nourishing and rebuilding a damaged liver. Furthermore if it is true, as Chinese theory asserts, that eating animal organs restores health to one’s own corresponding organ, liver should do it best of all. Steam, broil, or boil liver, but do not fry it. Fried oil is heavy to digest and will harm the liver at it struggles to recuperate.

In China, hepatitis was not recognized as being due to bacterial and viral infections until recently. Traditional and home remedies thus treat this disease as a genetic weakness of the liver. The following five remedies are aimed specifically at helping the liver to rebuild after the damage caused by the hepatitis. Sugar or honey are used because they provide energy for liver reconstruction.

Soybean Garlic Soup

¼ cup (50 grams) soybeans

Water for soaking

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

4 tablespoons (60 grams) sugar, brown or white

1 head of fresh garlic, peeled and crushed

Soak the soybeans overnight in 2 cups (500 milliliters) water. When you are ready to cook, drain the soybeans and discard the water.

In a medium saucepan bring 3 cups water to (750 milliliters) boil. Add the soybeans, cover the pan, and boil over a medium flame for 40 minutes. You want to end up with a watery soup, so add water occasionally if necessary.

Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and crushed garlic.

Divide the soup into two portions. Take hot twice a day. This soup should be taken in combination with one or more of the other therapies described below.

Jujube and Peanuts Sweet

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) raw peanuts

10 jujube (Chinese dates)

4 tablespoons (60 grams) brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the peanuts, cover, and simmer over a medium flame for 20 minutes. Add the jujube and sugar. Cover the pan again and simmer for another 15 minutes, until the jujube are cooked. If necessary, occasionally add small quantities of water. The end product should resemble a soup rather than a gruel.

Take 2 tablespoons warm every evening for thirty days, before going to bed.

Celery and Honey

This recipe is a liver reconstructant for infectious hepatitis.

5 stalks of fresh celery, chopped into small pieces

1–2 tablespoons (15–30 milliliters) honey, according to taste

Water for steaming

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the celery to extract the juice. Transfer to a bowl for steaming. Add honey.

Put the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.

Take once a day, preferably in the morning. (You may, as an alternative, heat the celery juice and honey directly in a saucepan for 5 minutes.)

Water Chestnut and Willow Leaf Tea

Water chestnut is a cold and sweet ingredient commonly used in China for indigestion and for liver problems.

5 weeping willow leaves (approximately 6 grams) (collect these leaves from a nearby tree)

6 water chestnuts, halved

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Wash the willow leaves. Place the willow leaves and the water chestnuts in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

Drink frequently as a tea.

Boiled Eggs Flavored with Orange Peel and Anise Seed

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

4 eggs, raw

2 teaspoons (10 grams) organic orange peel, cut

in ½-inch slices

2 teaspoons (10 grams) ground anise seed

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the eggs, whole, into the water, along with the orange peel and aniseed. Boil over a medium flame, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Remove the eggs. Crack the shell, but do not remove the shell. Put the eggs back in the water and simmer over low heat for another 20 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the water and let them cool. Peel the eggs. Eat 2 eggs two times a day.

Pork Gall and Honey

For those adventurous enough to try something unusual, you might take some pork gall with honey. (Anything is worth trying when you are laid up with hepatitis.) Besides strengthening the liver, this recipe also arrests diarrhea.

1 gallbladder of pork, cubed

8 tablespoons (120 grams) honey

Water for steaming

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the gallbladder to obtain the gall. Transfer the gall to a ceramic bowl. Stir in the honey.

Put the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan big enough to fit the steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Take warm once a day.

HYPERACIDITY

Hyperacidity is a frequent precursor of gastric problems of a more serious nature. To combat hyperacidity, refrain from eating heavy, greasy, sour, or irritating food—that means cutting down on fried foods, heavy roasts, lemon, vinegar and sour fruits, raw vegetables, and green and red chili pepper.

Garlic Pork

A common food remedy for hyperacidity in China is to eat lean pork with garlic.

5 to 7 ounces (150 to 200 grams) lean pork, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 cup (250 milliliters) water for steaming

Place the pork in a bowl. Sprinkle the crushed garlic over the pork. Steam together for 30 minutes. Eat as part of your meals.

HYPERTENSION (HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE)

The blood pressure of a healthy adult should ideally be 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury), when the lower chamber of the heart contracts to force the blood through the arteries (diastolic pressure), and 80 mm Hg on the rebound, when the same chamber expands to receive blood (systolic pressure). Blood pressure is considered to be “normal” within the range of 90 and 140 mm Hg diastolic, and 60 and 90 mm Hg systolic. Anything higher or lower than that is considered harmful to general health.

Blood pressure is considered to be high when it reads over 140 mm Hg diastolic and 90 mm Hg systolic. Symptoms of high blood pressure are frequent pounding headaches, tension and insomnia, raised arteries at the temple, flushed features, ringing in the ears, ankle swelling, and heart palpitations.

Hypertension arises as a result of the narrowing of the arteries. This may be hereditary, but it may also be due to stress; high cholesterol levels; obesity; the intake of too much alcohol, fat, sugar, or salt; kidney disease; a disease of the endocrine or nervous systems; or to any blockage of the arteries. In the long run, high blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and stroke. In most cases the cure for hypertension is effected by treating its underlying cause. When this cause is not apparent, as in “essential” or hereditary high blood pressure, it may be treated by the administration of specific drugs or by a combination of diet and exercise.

The first and indispensable dietary measure must be to reduce the intake of sodium, fats, cholesterol, meat, and sugar. A useful second step is to increase the intake of soluble fiber which, it is believed, cleanses the veins and arteries of dangerous cholesterol. Alcohol in doses of one glass of wine or one small shot of Chinese rice wine (or sake) may also combat cholesterol and fat deposits. Any larger amounts, however, harden the arteries and consequently increase blood pressure.

Specific foods used in China to lower blood pressure are kelp and other seaweeds, clams, bean sprouts, bean curd (tofu), celery, garlic, onions, tomatoes, radish, daikon, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, bananas, oranges, persimmon, watermelon (including the rind), potatoes, whole-grain cereals, green tea, and peppermint.

Western studies confirm the validity of all the above products for combating hypertension. Most of them are rich in fiber. Bananas, sunflower seeds, beans, celery, melons and watermelons, oranges, tomatoes, and potatoes—together, with avocados, fish (especially sardines), squash, apricots, and peaches—all contain potassium. Potassium has been shown in numerous studies to neutralize the artery-hardening effects of sodium, as has calcium. Calcium-rich food sources are chickpeas, tofu, beans, greenleaf vegetables, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower seeds, and dairy products. Garlic and onion contain a hormonelike substance called prostaglandin A1 which lowers blood pressure. It has also been found that vegetarians tend to suffer less frequently from hypertension than do meat eaters.

As well as a high vegetable-fiber intake and a low-fat diet, Chinese treatment of hypertension includes early morning qi gong exercise and brisk walks.

Some specific Chinese food remedies for hypertension are:

• Eat up to 5 ripe bananas a day.
• Eat 1 raw tomato every morning before breakfast. In China, a teaspoon of white sugar is often sprinkled on top.
• Grate 2 cups (400 grams) of fresh radish or daikon. Squeeze out the juice. Drink 1 glass twice a day.
• Eat 2 or 3 raw celery stalks every day, or drink 1 cup (250 milliliters) of raw celery juice.
• Take a glass of celery juice as an afternoon drink, with a handful of sunflower seeds. Take every day for at least one month.

 

Celery, a diuretic, calms the nerves, warms the stomach, strengthens the liver, and lowers blood pressure. The juice is also considered to be an effective remedy when cooked.

Celery and Rice

¼ cup (50 grams) celery

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) rice

Wash the celery, removing the leaves (do not discard them). Chop the celery stalks into ½-inch segments.

Put two saucepans of water on to boil, one containing 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water, the other with 1 cup (250 milliliters). Place the celery and rice in the larger saucepan, cover, and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and mushy. In the meantime, place the celery leaves in the smaller saucepan and boil for 5 minutes.

Add the leaf broth to the congee when the congee is ready.

Take once a day as part of a meal.

Celery and Vegetable Soup

4 cups (1 liter) water

½ cup (100 grams) celery, chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

5 slices onion

5 peeled water chestnuts

1 tomato

1 teaspoon (5 grams) seaweed, optional

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add all ingredients and boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Do not add any salt, soy sauce, or stock.

Consume warm before bedtime. Take this remedy for as long as the problem persists.

Note: If you have difficulty finding water chestnuts, you can either dispense with them altogether or use ¼ cup (50 grams) of soybeans or bean sprouts instead.

Boiled Celery Juice

4 cups (1 liter) water

1 cup (200 grams) celery, cut into 1-inch segments

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Put the celery into the saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. When it is done, drain the celery and discard the water. Put the celery in a thin cotton towel. Squeeze the celery over a bowl to extract the juice.

Drink the juice either alone or with honey twice a day, morning and evening.

Sugar and Vinegar

½ cup (125 milliliters) rice vinegar

2 tablespoons (30 grams) rock sugar

Place the vinegar in a small saucepan. Heat over a low flame. When the vinegar is warm, add the sugar. Stir until the sugar melts. Allow to cool.

Sip warm following meals.

Mung Beans and Black Sesame

1 cup (200 grams) mung beans

1 cup (200 grams) black sesame seeds

Roast the mung beans and the sesame seeds in a frying pan or wok until they are thoroughly dry. Remove and allow them to cool.

Using a grinding stone or mortar and pestle, grind the roasted beans and seeds into a powder. Take 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of the powder twice a day on cereal or with rice, congee, warm milk, or water.

 

In China people sometimes collect rather more abstruse ingredients in order to keep their high blood pressure in check. We have included three simple prescriptions using ingredients that might seem unusual but are, in fact, fairly easy to come by.

Watermelon Rind, Corn Threads, and Banana Decoction

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

¼ cup (50 grams) watermelon rind, diced

1 banana, chopped

Threads from the head of 1 ripe corn plant

2 teaspoons (10 grams) brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add all the ingredients except the sugar. Simmer over low heat until only 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water is left, approximately 40 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the sugar. Consume warm.

Magnolia Flower Tea

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) flower

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the magnolia in a cup and pour the hot water over it. Cover and leave to brew for half an hour.

Drink as a tea.

Earthworm

Although we left this appealing remedy until last, it is in fact one of the most common remedies for hypertension in China. Its efficacy is well proven.

1 earthworm

Wash and dry an earthworm. Chop it into ½-inch segments.

Roast the earthworm for 3 minutes in a dry frying pan. Cool slightly, then grind the segments into a powder.

Take 1 teaspoon of the powder three times a day in hot water, or any other way you may fancy.

HYPOTENSION (LOW BLOOD PRESSURE)

Low blood pressure (lower than 90 mm Hg diastolic and 60 mm Hg systolic—see page 145) leads to sleepiness, weakness, headaches, dizziness, insomnia, tiring easily, lack of concentration, chest pains, and feelings of suffocation. People with very low blood pressure faint easily when standing up suddenly; they are usually pale, sweat profusely, and have a slow heartbeat.

According to Chinese medicine, low blood pressure is due to weak Yang and qi. It is usually accompanied by a weak spleen and stomach. It tends to occur in sedentary intellectual workers, and in elderly people with heart ailments.

Remedies are to eat well and to exercise. The following specific cures might also help.

• Eat beef any way you like it. In China it is usually eaten in a stew.
• Chew a piece of raw, fresh ginger as you would a candy. You can also add slices of ginger to your soups, teas, or stews. Take three or four a day.
• Two tablespoons of sugar in a glass of wine taken twice a day guarantees an increase in blood pressure. Any wine will do.

Tangerine Peel, Walnut, and Licorice Decoction

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) organic tangerine peel, chopped

4 or 5 walnut meats

1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure licorice, or 1 inch of a licorice twig

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil . Add all the ingredients and stew over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Drink warm twice a day, morning and evening.

INDIGESTION

Indigestion is due either to a weak stomach and spleen—in Chinese terms, a deficient Earth function—or to grave mistakes in eating habits. You might be eating too fast, talking while you eat, or eating too much or out of season. Please refer to chapter 3 for more information on what you might be doing wrong. Once you have become aware of any errors in your eating habits, the first step is to correct them. If, in spite of your attentiveness, you continue to suffer from indigestion, you might wish to try dissolving 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of ground cinnamon in a glass of warm water. You may drink this three times a day, with meals, as an aid to digestion. Or try one or more of the following traditional remedies.

Tangerine Peel and Ginger Tea

2 teaspoons (10 grams) finely minced organic tangerine peel

2 teaspoons (10 grams) finely minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar, brown or white

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Place the tangerine peel and the ginger in a cup with the sugar, and pour the boiling water over them. Brew for 10 minutes.

Drink warm as a tea. This tea may be taken up to three times a day.

Ginger and Nutmeg Decoction

This remedy strengthens the spleen and stomach; it is commonly used in China to eliminate intestinal worms.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1½ teaspoons (8 grams) ground nutmeg

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger and nutmeg. Cover and simmer over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Drink ½ cup (125 milliliters) of the decoction twice a day before meals.

Water Chestnut and Radish Juice

20 water chestnuts, sliced

1 cup (200 grams) radish, sliced

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the water chestnuts and the radish to extract their juices. Mix the juices in a small saucepan. Warm the juice, but do not allow it to boil.

Drink warm as a tea, following meals.

Peppered Jujube

1 teaspoon (5 grams) black peppercorns

10 jujube (Chinese dates) sliced in half

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

5 slices dried ginger

Using a grinding stone or mortar and pestle, grind the pepper into a medium-grain powder.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the pepper and jujube. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Drink warm or cool. To be taken after meals once or twice a day.

INSOMNIA

Insomnia may result from a genetic predisposition, a stressful lifestyle, or worry. It may depend on dietary deficiencies such as a lack of calcium or magnesium, or it may be caused by the consumption of too much caffeine. Whatever the causes, there are several measures you can take to counteract chronic insomnia.

The first thing you should do is stop taking coffee, tea, colas, and other stimulants in the afternoons and evenings. You can drink a glass of milk before going to bed—don’t put chocolate or cocoa in it, though, as they too are mild stimulants.⁹ You can, like the majority of Chinese people, wash your feet in hot water and then massage the soles of your feet every night just before going to bed. You can make love before going to sleep—both male and female orgasms stimulate the secretion of a morphinelike substance in the brain.

You can also practice relaxing. Regular exercise and qi gong deep breathing will help you to relax. Try standing in the qi gong position for fifteen to twenty minutes two to three hours before going to bed (see page 245). Once in bed, ten to fifteen minutes of slow, deep breathing while lying on your back should ensure a good night’s rest.

If, however, you still cannot sleep, try the following Chinese remedy:

1. Stand in the qi gong breathing position with knees bent and arms outstretched until you begin to sweat. Ten to twenty minutes should suffice.
2. Walk between one and two hundred paces, swinging your arms vigorously with each pace.
3. Wash your feet and hands in hot water.
4. Massage the underside of your feet by pressing one hundred times on the soft point in the center of the foot, where the toe bones meet and the arch begins.
5. Go back to bed and try sleeping again.

The following are a few other traditional Chinese remedies for insomnia.

• Chop an onion and keep it in a jar. When you cannot sleep, open the jar and inhale through your nose. The onion fumes send you to sleep within fifteen minutes.
• Eat 20 to 30 sunflower seeds before bed.
• Brew 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of wheat bran in hot water, as if you were making a tea. Filter and drink before bed.

Scallion and Jujube Decoction

This bedtime decoction frequently accompanies, and is said to enhance the effects of, the foot-soaking ritual described above.

4 cups (1 liter) water

8 white heads of scallions, thinly sliced

15 jujube (Chinese dates)

1 teaspoon (5 grams) brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the scallion, jujube, and sugar. Cover and simmer over a medium flame for 30 minutes. Drink 1 cup of the decoction warm, before going to bed.

Millet Broth and Egg Patty

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

4 tablespoons (60 grams) millet

1 egg

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the millet and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the soup becomes a gruel. Stir so as not to allow the millet to clump or burn. Add a little water occasionally if the liquid is evaporating too quickly. When you have a creamy broth, remove from heat. Strain the liquid part into a bowl.

Beat the egg in a separate bowl. Pour the liquid from the millet broth and the beaten egg into a small frying pan or wok. Heat the mixture for 5 minutes over a medium flame, stirring until it solidifies. Remove pan from heat.

Eat warm as part of dinner.

Walnuts and Sesame Seeds

¼ cup (50 grams) walnut meats

¼ cup (50 grams) black sesame seeds

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar, brown or white

Roast the walnuts and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame. Allow the nuts and seeds to cool, then transfer to a pestle or stone grinder and grind to a medium-fine powder.

Mix the powder with sugar. Take 1 tablespoon (15 grams) two hours before bedtime.

Steamed Rolls

Some recipes may be taken during the day, well before bedtime. These steamed rolls, for instance, are usually eaten for breakfast.

½ cup (100 grams) wheat flour

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water

3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) sesame oil

Water for steaming

Mix the flour with the water and the sesame oil. Roll the dough into two round buns.

Transfer the buns to a ceramic bowl or steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Put the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Take this remedy once a day for a week.

Goats’ Hearts and Roses

This recipe may be difficult to execute unless you live on a farm or happen to know a butcher who can provide the goat’s heart. If goat heart proves too difficult to come by, you might wish to try the recipe with lamb instead.
     This remedy counteracts insomnia by strengthening the heart and blood circulation. It is also recommended for depression.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

2 teaspoons (10 grams) salt

Fresh petals from 1 rose (approximately ¼ cup or 50 grams)

2 ounces (60 grams) goat’s heart, cubed

In a small saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the rose petals. Simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

Put the meat in the rose water. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Skewer the meat and roast it over an open fire, or barbecue for 15 to 20 minutes. While cooking, brush frequently with the rose water.

Eat as part of dinner.

MENOPAUSE

Menopause is the cessation of menstruation. Although it is not accompanied by any physical deterioration, the hormonal changes involved do take their toll on the well-being of many women.

The characteristic symptoms of menopause are brought about by the decline in the body’s production of the hormone estrogen. The decrease in estrogen disturbs the function of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for regulating body heat and metabolism—hence the characteristic “hot flashes” and the increase in weight frequently accompanying menopause. The hormonal imbalance also takes its toll emotionally, many women feeling that age has finally caught up with them. Until recently, menopause was regarded as the definitive end of sexual activity—of youth, childbearing, and vigor: the conclusion of the “prime” of life and the beginning of old age. It is small wonder, therefore, that many women go through a period of deep depression with the onset of menopause.

In China, youth is not as prized as in the West. Indeed, our culture looks up to older people, paying heed to what they tell us. One of our most common terms of respect is the prefix lao, which means “old.” We use this whenever we speak or refer to someone who we respect and who is older than ourselves.

As a consequence of this respect, the postmenopause years are regarded with equanimity. It is a time of freedom from the burdens and responsibilities of childbearing and child rearing. Women are at last able to enjoy the fruits of their labors and to achieve a measure of respect both from within the family and from society. It is little wonder, therefore, that in China a woman’s years of maturity can be the happiest of her life.

Be this as it may, it is undeniable that the physical symptoms of menopause can, at the very least, be unpleasant. In China several remedies exist that aim toward reducing the effects of hormonal imbalance, such as sleeplessness and irritability. The first one is a classic remedy that may also be used as a generic tonic for the nervous system. You may have to visit an herbalist or a Chinese food store to obtain the licorice and jujube, or you may purchase it by mail order. Twig licorice is to be preferred. However, if this is difficult to come by, ordinary black unsweetened licorice may be used. If that, too, is unavailable, you can resort to the candy variety.

Licorice, Jujube, and Wheat

¼ cup (50 grams) wheat berries

Water for soaking

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) licorice

10 jujube (Chinese dates)

Soak the wheat berries overnight in 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water. When you’re ready to cook, drain the berries and discard the water.

In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups (750 milliliters) of water to a boil. Add the licorice. Cover the pan and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes.

Discard the solid licorice and keep only the liquid decoction. Now add the wheat and the jujube. Cover the pan and cook over a medium flame in the licorice juice for 40 minutes, until the wheat is edible.

Eat as you would a porridge.

 

Two more recipes based on the tonifying effects of jujube follow.

Adzuki Beans and Jujube Congee

4 cups (1 liter) water

½ cup (100 grams) adzuki beans

10 jujube (Chinese dates)

¼ cup (50 grams) rice

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the beans, jujube, and rice. Cover and simmer over a low to medium flame for 30 minutes. Stir, adding water if necessary until ingredients are cooked.

Consume warm as a porridge. This remedy can be taken as often as you like, as part of a meal.

Jujube and Pork Rind

10 jujube (Chinese dates), split in half

2 ounces (60 grams) pork rind, finely chopped

Water for steaming

Place the pork and jujube in a ceramic bowl or steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan and cover. Steam for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Divide the dish into three portions. Consume them all in one day, at four-hour intervals.

Boiled Jellyfish

Cold jellyfish is a classic hors d’oeuvre in China. We generally eat it cured in vinegar. Cured jellyfish can be purchased in most Chinese food stores in America.

5 ounces (155 grams) jellyfish

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

Salt to taste

Soy sauce, as garnish

Vinegar, as garnish

Wash the jellyfish thoroughly.

Bring the water to a boil in an earthenware pot (or medium saucepan—the earthenware pot is not indispensable). Put the jellyfish in the pot and boil over a medium flame, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until over two-thirds of the water has evaporated and you are left with a little under 1 cup of liquid.

Remove from heat. Add salt to the broth to taste. Slice the jellyfish, and garnish with soy sauce and vinegar.

Drink the broth hot once a day for five days. After that, take it once every ten days until the unpleasant symptoms of menopause have disappeared. Eat the jellyfish as part of a meal.

Seaweed Soup

Seaweed is another Chinese remedy for alleviating the unpleasant symptoms connected with menopause. Unless taken from a polluted sea, seaweed is one of the healthiest sources of minerals available. It nourishes the blood and works wonders for pains in the joints and the back.
    You can either buy dried seaweed or pick your own on an unpolluted beach. In the latter case, make sure the seaweed is fresh before consuming it. Roast the fresh seaweed over a charcoal fire; this serves to dry the seaweed. Do not cook or burn it. Once dried, you can add the seaweed to a stew or, indeed, to any dish of your choosing. In China, we usually eat seaweed in soup.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

2 tablespoons (30 grams) dried seaweed

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) soy sauce

½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the seaweed, soy sauce, and pepper in a bowl. Pour the hot water into the bowl.

Consume hot or warm, as often as you like.

MENSTRUAL CRAMPS (DYSMENORRHEA)

Painful cramps felt just before or during menstruation are usually caused by an excessive release of the hormonelike substance prostaglandin, which causes the uterus to contract vigorously before a period. Therapy usually consists of the administration of drugs that block the formation of prostaglandin.

If you dislike the idea of interfering with the functions of the body by taking drugs, four Chinese natural remedies may be useful in combating the pain. One is an external application to the abdomen; the other three are decoctions or teas.

Ginger, Onion, and Salt Compress

1 cup (225 grams) fresh ginger, finely chopped

½ onion, crushed

1 pound (500 grams) salt

Mix the ginger and onion with the salt. Roast the mixture in a dry frying pan or wok for 10 minutes.

Pack the heated ingredients inside a thin towel. While hot, apply to the abdominal area. It is best to lie on one’s back during the application.

Apply twice a day for three days before the onset of menstruation.

Ginger and Sugar Decoction

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

5 slices (15 grams) fresh ginger

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger and sugar, lower the flame, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Drink the decoction warm to hot twice a day, just before the onset of the period until the end of menstruation.

Ginger, Scallion, and Pepper Tea

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 2-ounce piece (60 grams) ginger, sliced thin

5 white heads of scallion, chopped

½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar

1 teaspoon (5 grams) black pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Mix the ginger and scallion with the sugar. Add to the water, cover, and simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, pour into a cup, add the pepper, and drink hot.

To be taken three times a day prior to and during your menstrual period.

Rose Tea

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Fresh petals from 1 rose (approximately ¼ cup or 50 grams)

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Place the petals in a cup and pour the boiling water over them. Steep for 5 to 10 minutes before drinking.

To be taken five days before the onset of your period, until bleeding stops. This therapy is recommended for three successive months.

NAUSEA AND VOMITING

In the West, a common remedy for nausea and vomiting is to drink warm lemon juice with sugar. Since lemons are not common in China, most Chinese remedies include the use of fresh ginger.

Ginger and Honey Tea

1 6-ounce (180-gram) piece of ginger, grated

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

Water for steaming

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the ginger to extract 4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) of juice. Transfer the juice and honey to a ceramic bowl, and put the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66).

Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan and steam for 5 minutes, until warm.

Heat 2 cups (500 milliliters) of water in a separate pan. Pour the ginger juice and honey and the warm water into a cup. Sip slowly.

Ginger and Sugarcane Juice

This recipe is recommended for both chronic nausea due to stomach problems and nausea due to pregnancy.

3 tablespoons (45 grams) grated fresh ginger

1 cup (250 milliliters) sugarcane juice

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the ginger to extract the juice. Add the ginger juice to the sugarcane juice. Stir well.

Sip slowly.

Ginger and Tangerine Decoction

1 organic tangerine peel, cut into ½-inch slices

1 teaspoon (5 grams) sliced fresh ginger

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

Place the tangerine and ginger in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Drink 1 cup, hot, twice a day.

Ginger and Vinegar

3 slices fresh ginger

¼ cup (60 milliliters) vinegar

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) brown sugar

Soak the ginger in the vinegar for at least 6 hours. Drain.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Place the ginger in a cup. Add the boiling water and sugar.

Allow to steep for 5 minutes before drinking slowly.

Ginger, Potato, and Orange Juice

This ginger juice preparation should be taken with every meal in order to inhibit the sense of nausea.

2 teaspoons (10 grams) grated fresh ginger

1 potato, peeled and grated

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the ginger, the potato, and the orange to extract their juices.

Store in a small bottle and refrigerate. Take 1 tablespoon (15 grams) before every meal.

Ginger Wine

½ cup (125 grams) fresh ginger, finely minced

¼ cup (60 grams ) organic orange peel, finely minced

1 cup (250 grams) sugar, brown or white

4 cups (1 liter) rice wine, or sake

Place the ginger, orange peel, and sugar in a bottle with the rice wine. Seal the bottle and leave to macerate for at least 10 days.

Take 2 teaspoons once a day after lunch or dinner.

 

 

Some remedies for nausea that utilize ingredients other than fresh ginger follow.

• Mix 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 grams) of fresh daikon juice with 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of brown sugar. Add to a cup of hot water and drink slowly.
• Decoct 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of caraway seed with 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of dried ginger and 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of cinnamon in 1½ cups (375 milliliters) of water. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Drink warm to control hiccuping and vomiting.
• A good remedy for nausea due to changing weather, excessive tiredness, and cold is to boil 4 ounces (125 grams) of tofu in water for 20 minutes. Add a little salt and eat warm.
• Boil 12–20 cloves in a small saucepan with 1 cup (250 milliliters) water for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) of black tea leaves. Brew for 5 to 10 minutes and drink as an ordinary tea. Clove tea relieves nausea, excessive gastric secretion, and hiccuping.
• In the south of China, where pineapples are common, a few slices of pineapple or sips of pineapple juice are everyday remedies for nausea and vomiting.

OBESITY

Any definition of obesity is probably more cultural and personal than objective. During the Tang dynasty in China, a round, full face and body were the epitome of beauty. The large-paunched laughing Buddha placed at the entrance of Buddhist temples in China represents health and abundance; that is why he is there. Even today, when international standards of health and beauty dictate a slim waistline, people in China still consider a few extra pounds to be a sign of health and prosperity.

Having said that, there is no doubt that too much extra weight is harmful. Extra pounds put stress on the skeleton as well as on the heart and circulation. They lead to exhaustion, circulation problems, lower resistance to diseases, kidney problems, diabetes, and, all too often, an early death.

Chinese doctors believe that the tendency to put on weight comes primarily from genetics—some people burn up calories more slowly than others. However, no matter what one’s genetic propensities may be, putting on weight is, in 95 percent of all instances, due to personal habits.^*5 In other words, it is caused by nei yin, or endogenous factors: poor eating and exercise habits, a stressful lifestyle, and the seven pathogenic emotions.

People overeat and do not exercise for a variety of reasons. They may be lazy; they may have low blood pressure, which can engender lethargy. They may be depressed or suffering from stress or anxiety. Which leads our discussion to the other cause of obesity—an excess of the seven pathogenic emotions, which include anger, melancholy, worry, grief, fear, fright, and joy.

The first step in dealing with obesity is, therefore, to put some order in one’s life. Diminish stress and distress; eliminate those situations that lead to anger, worry, and fear. Try not to indulge in melancholy. Be cheerful, but don’t enjoy yourself too much either, remembering that too much joy is also known to take its toll on the body. Above all, try not to overeat.

Qi gong exercise is known to help against obesity. Besides burning off a few calories, qi gong deep breathing appears to readjust the hunger-regulating mechanisms of the hypothalamus, enabling you to stop craving food simply because your hypothalamus does not know that you have eaten enough. Furthermore, regular qi gong exercise breeds discipline, and discipline allows you to keep up the resolve necessary to cut down on calories. Finally, exercise has a calming effect on the emotions, thus balancing the endogenous factors responsible for obesity.

Certain foods are said to burn fat and calories. Others detoxify the body of excess fat. The following remedies are some of the best:

• Eat 1 whole raw cucumber twice a day. Cucumber cools the body and rids toxins from the blood.
• Eat 1 raw daikon every day. Daikon exerts the same cooling and detoxifying effects as cucumber.
• Wash and shred 4 ounces (125 grams) of fresh lotus leaves. Place the shredded leaves in a pot with 1½ cups of water and boil over a low flame for 15 to 20 minutes. Drink the decoction once a day. (Lotus leaves can be found in many Chinese food stores.)
• Boil ½ ounce (15 grams) of corn silk in a pot with 1½ cups (375 milliliters) of water over a low flame for 15 minutes. Consume as a tea. Corn silk burns fats.
• Frequent tea drinking burns excessive fat in the bloodstream and tissues. Green tea without any additive is to be preferred to red or black teas.

Daikon and Mushroom Decoction

½ cup (100 grams) wood-ear mushrooms

Water for soaking

1 cup (200 grams) daikon, sliced

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

Salt to taste

Soak the wood-ear mushrooms in 2 cups (500 milliliters) hot water for 1 hour, or until they are soft.

Place the mushrooms and daikon in a pot with 3 cups (750 milliliters) water. Boil over a low flame for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add salt to taste.

Drink hot twice a day, for as long as you like.

Soybeans and Vinegar

2 cups (400 grams) soybeans

2 cups (500 milliliters) vinegar

Roast the soybeans in a dry frying pan or wok over a medium flame for 5 minutes, or until the beans are a golden brown. Let the soybeans cool, then pour back into a 1-liter bottle.

Fill the bottle with vinegar. Leave in the refrigerator for 5 days. Eat 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of beans two times a day, morning and evening.

PREGNANCY

Nausea and Vomiting

Most women experience at least some nausea during the first months of pregnancy. In fact, the huge number of recipes that exist in China for this condition attests to how common morning sickness is. We have selected those remedies that are easiest to prepare.

Fresh Lemon

3–4 medium lemons, peeled and seeded

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

Cut the lemons into 1-inch segments. Place in a small saucepan. Stir in the sugar. Let stand for 12 hours.

Heat the lemon-sugar mixture over a low flame for 10 minutes, in order to dry the juice. Take 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 grams) of the dry lemon every time you feel nauseous.

Kiwi and Fresh Ginger Juice

This recipe is relatively new to the folk remedy medicine chest, as kiwi have only recently arrived in China. Ginger is a traditional nausea suppressant, and kiwi has an acidic tang to it that is known to give physical relief from the urge to vomit.

1 kiwi, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons (10 grams) ginger, grated

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the kiwi and the ginger to extract the juice. Mix the juices.

Take two times a day, morning and evening.

Ginger Juice and Milk

The following remedy inhibits the urge to vomit and is sufficiently nutritious to replenish any solid food that one may throw up or be unable to swallow due to nausea.

1 cup (250 milliliters) milk

2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) fresh ginger juice

4 teaspoons (20 grams) sugar, white or brown

Mix the ingredients and bring them to a boil in a small saucepan. When the milk rises, remove from the heat.

Drink warm, two times a day.

 

Other remedies using ginger as a nausea suppressant follow.

• Decoct 2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar in 1½ cups (375 milliliters) water, simmering for 15 minutes. Take this decoction two times a day, morning and evening.
• Add 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) ginger juice to a glass of sugarcane juice. Fresh sugarcane is preferable but if it is unavailable, canned juice will do. Mix well and sip slowly. This is a good remedy for nausea and vomiting, as well as for a poor appetite.
• Mix 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) ginger juice with 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey and 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) water. Warm them by steaming in a ceramic bowl and steamer (see page 66). Take three times a day.
• Remove the peel from 1 organic orange. Cut the peel into fine slices. Put the orange peel and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of chopped, fresh ginger in a cup. Pour freshly boiled water into the cup and leave to brew for 5 or 10 minutes. Add sugar to taste, and drink as a tea.

 

The following are simple remedies that do not depend on ginger for suppressing nausea.

Chive Tea

4 or 5 chives, chopped

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the chives and simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes.

Drink the decoction hot in the mornings, or whenever you feel nauseous.

Egg Cooked in Vinegar

1 raw egg

4 tablespoons (70 milliliters) vinegar

2 tablespoons (30 grams) white sugar

Beat the egg in a bowl.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Turn the heat to low and add the sugar. When the sugar has melted, pour in the beaten egg. Do not stir. Cook the egg for 4 minutes.

Remove the egg with a slotted spoon.

Eat one egg per day.

Apple Peel and Rice Decoction

This is a nutritious, nausea-suppressing remedy that is easy to prepare.

2 tablespoons (30 grams) rice

¼ cup (50 grams) organic apple peel, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Roast the rice in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame for 3 minutes, until it is golden brown.

Place the apple peel and rice in a medium pot with the water. Simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes.

Drink hot as a tea whenever you feel nauseous.

Coughing During Pregnancy

Some women suffer from frequent coughing during pregnancy. The reason for this is that the growing fetus puts pressure on the lower diaphragm, thus irritating the lungs and giving rise to the urge to cough. According to Chinese doctors, this irritation occurs only in women who are weak in Yin. During pregnancy, qi and blood concentrate around the womb, thus reducing their effectiveness in the upper body. The lungs and bronchial passages are thus undernourished, and so become susceptible to any slight irritation.

In order to correct this problem, one should consume foods that strengthen Yin and qi. A tasty breakfast dish with these Yin- and qi-enhancing effects is pears with sugar.

Pears with Sugar

2 pears, cut into small pieces

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

Place the pears in a small saucepan with the water and the sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes over a low flame.

Drink the decoction and eat the pears. To be taken every morning for breakfast.

Abdominal Pains During Pregnancy

Another frequent problem that arises during pregnancy is pain in the abdomen. According to Chinese theory, abdominal pains during pregnancy are due to the stagnation of qi in the womb and its poor circulation around the rest of the abdomen. The cure is to nourish the qi and the blood. Two simple recipes serve this purpose.

• Cut 1 daikon into ¼-inch slices. Eat five slices at a time, sprinkling them with a little sugar according to taste. To be eaten three times a day with meals.
• Prepare a congee by mixing ½ cup (100 grams) of sliced, mature pumpkin with 3 cups (750 milliliters) water, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) rice, and 4 tea spoons (20 grams) sugar. Simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes. This congee should be eaten warm two times a day.

Insufficient Breast Milk

The problem of insufficient breast milk after childbirth is a common one in China, if we are to judge by the number of recipes that aim to increase breast milk secretion.

Poor lactation can be caused by stress, ill health, general weakness, or an irregular suckling pattern. According to Chinese theory, poor lactation results from weak qi and blood circulation. Accompanying symptoms are soft breasts (and therefore a lack of swelling and pain in these glands) facial pallor, bouts of dizziness, tinnitus, lack of appetite, sweating at night, and irritability. The remedy is to strengthen the mother by means of nutritious and protein-rich foods. One very simple way of doing this is to eat ½ cup (100 grams) of boiled green peas twice a day, on an empty stomach. Other examples of such nutritious food remedies follow.

Adzuki Bean Congee

½ cup (100 grams) adzuki beans

½ cup (100 grams) rice

4 cups (1 liter) water

Place the adzuki beans, rice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes over a low flame. Stir occasionally so the rice does not stick to the pan.

To be consumed warm once or twice a day.

Lettuce and Licorice Congee

4 large leaves of lettuce, chopped

1 teaspoons (5 grams) licorice

4 cups (1 liter) water

½ cup (100 grams) rice

Place the lettuce, licorice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool slightly. When it is cool enough to work with, pass the mixture through a sieve to remove some of the solid ingredients.

Transfer the liquid back to the saucepan. Add the rice. Simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a rice congee.

Take the congee three times a day for five days.

Sesame Eggs

1 cup (200 grams) black sesame seeds

2 teaspoons (10 grams) salt

2 eggs

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame for 1 minute, until you can smell the distinct odor of sesame. Add salt, and roast for another 30 seconds.

Place the eggs in a small saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, then continue to boil over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Allow the eggs to cool, then remove the shells and cut the eggs into segments. Mix the eggs with the sesame, and consume warm.

Tofu with Sugar

4 ounces (125 grams) tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

Place the tofu in a medium saucepan together with the sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, over low heat.

Remove from the heat. Consume warm.

Papaya Fish

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sliced fresh ginger

Pinch of salt

1 carp or trout, approximately 1 pound (500 grams), cleaned

5 cups (1.25 liters) water

1 cup (200 grams) papaya, cut into 8 slices

Heat the oil in a wok. Throw in the ginger with a pinch of salt. When the ginger begins to crackle, put the fish in the pan. Fry the fish evenly, 5 minutes on each side, until the skin is crisp.

Bring the water to boil in a large terracotta pot. (If a terracotta pot is unavailable, use an ordinary saucepan.) Place the papaya and the fish in the boiling water, and allow to simmer on a low flame, covered, for 30 minutes.

This dish should be eaten at least once a day, until breast milk flows abundantly. If lactation is particularly scant, eat this dish twice a day, for lunch and for dinner.

Pied du Porc Soup

Pied du porc, otherwise called trotters or pig’s foot, is a Chinese peasant dish that was much loved by Chairman Mao.

1 gallon (4 liters) water

1 pig’s foot

5 teaspoons (25 grams) black sesame seeds

In a large soup pot, bring the water to a boil. Put the pig’s foot in the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 1½ to 2 hours, adding water occasionally as necessary.

In the meantime, roast the sesame seeds over a low flame in a dry wok or frying pan for 3 minutes. Grind the seeds to a medium-fine powder.

When the pig’s foot is done, transfer the broth to a bowl. Sprinkle the sesame powder over the soup.

Take a bowl of the soup with meals, three times a day.

Peanuts and Soymilk

12 raw peanuts, shelled

Water for soaking

1 cup (250 milliliters) soymilk

Soak the peanuts in hot water for 20 minutes. Remove from the water, and peel away the husk. Crush the peanuts with a pestle or grinder. Transfer the crushed peanuts to a cup.

Heat the soymilk in a saucepan. When hot, pour the soymilk into the cup with the peanuts.

Take one cup twice a day, morning and evening.

Dandelion Wine

12 dandelion leaves (approximately 3 tablespoons or 45 grams), washed and chopped

2 cups (500 milliliters) rice wine, or sake

Place the dandelion leaves in a bottle with the rice wine. Seal the bottle and leave to macerate for at least 15 days.

Take 2 teaspoons two times a day.

Abdominal Pains Following Childbirth

In the days and weeks following birth, the uterus slowly contracts to its preconception shape and size. The uterine contractions can cause mild to moderate cramping, and consequent pains in the belly area.

Jujube Tea

5 jujube (Chinese dates)

1 tablespoon (15 grams) minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

In a small saucepan, add all the dry ingredients to the water. Boil over a low flame for 15 minutes.

Consume warm.

SEXUAL PROBLEMS

In the course of our research, we found many and varied remedies for common male sexual problems, such as premature ejaculation, seminal emission, and impotence. However, we found nothing for female problems. When we asked about remedies we were merely met by amused bewilderment. “What female sexual problems? There aren’t any, are there?”

We explained that we meant frigidity. This led to even greater bewilderment. “That’s a love problem. What remedies can there be for love?”

In China, what matters most is the capacity to bear offspring, not to enjoy the intimacy that leads to conception. As a result, remedies have evolved to cure menstrual problems and those directly related to childbearing. In regard to the male, any weakness in the sperm or in the ability to copulate is considered a threat to successful continuation of the family lineage, and thus merits a cure.

Although a few sexual problems, such as impotence for example, may have an anatomical base, most are entirely psychological in origin. Premature ejaculation and nonphysiological impotence may be due to stress, anxiety, or physical exhaustion. Several methods exist to cure these.

Both impotence and premature ejaculation may be cured by meditation, a positive attitude, qi gong exercise, practical techniques, and a correct diet. Frequent seminal emission, by which Chinese doctors mean a nocturnal emission that spontaneously occurs twice a week or more when you are not having sex, may be corrected through diet. Impotence that is not physiological can also disappear if one overcomes anxiety, has fallen in love, or happens to be in the company of a beautiful member of the opposite sex.

Meditation

Meditation serves to relax. One just sits, preferably in a cross-legged position, and breathes slowly with eyes closed. Concentrate on breathing. Ignore thoughts that may pass through the mind. Meditate every day at the same time before going to bed.

Another meditation technique is to concentrate on a suitable object, concept, or theme. The “seed” that you meditate upon depends on the problem you are trying to cure. If it is premature ejaculation, meditate on sex either beforehand or during the act itself. You need to render sex as impersonal as possible. You can meditate on the cosmic principal of Yin (female) and Yang (male), or on the significance of this Yin-Yang union in all things. You may objectify your own lovemaking by meditating upon the union of Tantric deities, as Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhists do in China. To do this, imagine yourself as one of the deities and see your partner as the embodiment of that deity’s female aspect. Or, before making love, you may visualize this tantric act of cosmic sexual union.

If on the other hand you suffer from impotence that is due to stress or anxiety, your seed for meditation needs to be erotically stimulating, and at the same time as relaxing as possible. Close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply, and meditate on the healthy joys of sex. Fantasize during meditation. Allow the mind to hold steady on whatever sexual theme arouses you—under no circumstances, however, must you stimulate yourself physically. This exercise is entirely mental. Any physical involvement during the meditative fantasy would defeat the purpose of the exercise. Stay detached—fantasize and observe with relaxed detachment.

Qi Gong Exercises

In order to overcome sexual problems, one must learn to control and come to terms with one’s physical energy, including the sexual aspect of it. Qi gong is one of the most effective means of doing this. Qi gong calms the nerves, distracts a worried or wayward mind, and builds strength and energy.

You can circulate energy inside the body by means of nei dan qi gong, or internal circulation (see page 245). You may also learn to observe and to control the emotions through meditation and deep breathing, or work off tension through wai dan (external circulation) exercises (see page 248).

If premature ejaculation is the problem, controlled deep abdominal breathing during lovemaking can help. When the urge to ejaculate becomes overpowering, simply hold your breath. This will distract momentarily from the excitement at hand and will reestablish some measure of control over the emotions.

For preventive therapy, qi gong has the following exercise to offer. Lie down in bed with a thick pillow behind your neck. Concentrate on the dan tian, the center of energy four inches below your navel, and massage your abdominal area. Place your left palm flat against your navel and your right palm over your left hand. Beginning with an upward movement from left to right, make thirty-six circles around your navel with your palms. Now place your right palm against your abdomen with the left hand over the top. Make thirty-six circles in the opposite direction.

The second stage of the exercise is to place your palms flat against your abdomen with your thumbs touching the rib cage, your fingers pointing toward one another about six inches apart. Rub your fingers vertically down your abdomen to your groin. Reverse the motion and bring your hands back up to your ribs. Repeat this movement thirty-six times at a rate of one stroke per second. On the downward stroke, pressure should be on your thumbs; on the upward stroke, pressure is on your little fingers. Daily practice is said to assure a definite cure against premature ejaculation.

Another technique similar to that just described but not a true qi gong exercise consists of lying on your back and pressing the fingertips of both hands into your belly, about four inches below your navel. This technique is said to cure premature ejaculation. The technique should be practiced five minutes before getting up in the morning, and again at night before going to sleep. The exercise also serves to massage the liver and kidneys.

There is one more technique that we feel we should mention. It comes from a rural area in central China. While we do not know if any readers will take it seriously, the nature of human sexual curiosity is such that this might turn out to be the most often tried remedy in the whole book.

Take one piece of dry ginger. Peel and then roast it. Place it warm inside your anus before making love. It is said to raise the Yang most wonderfully.

Correct Diet

To prevent or allay sexual problems, one should refrain from smoking, drinking too much caffeine, taking alcohol or drugs, consuming saturated fats, or eating sugars and candies that only provide a rush of energy and no stamina. One should, on the other hand, consume protein and carbohydrates—a common source is walnuts. You can roast walnut meats in a dry frying pan or wok over a low flame for 3 minutes, then grind them into a coarse powder with a pestle or grinder. Eat the walnuts for ten days before going to bed. No quantities have been specified because you can eat as much as you like. You can also eat 10 raw walnuts every day for one month.

One of many Chinese men’s favorite source of protein when it comes to treating any form of sexual weakness hearkens back to the dictum that a person can treat a problem in one’s own organs by eating the corresponding organ of an animal. We shall refrain, however, from describing the various recipes that involve the sexual apparati of dogs, deer, and bulls. More traditional foods are used in many remedies. It is these, therefore, that we shall limit ourselves to describing.

Kidney and Walnuts

4 cups (1 liter) water

2 pork kidneys, washed and shredded

10 walnut meats, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

3 teaspoons (15 grams) sliced fresh ginger

Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the kidneys, walnuts, garlic, and ginger to the water. Cover and boil over a medium flame for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Drain, and discard the water. Add salt according to taste.

To be eaten twice a week as part of a meal.

Cucumber and Sugar

1 medium cucumber, chopped fine

1 tablespoon (15 grams) white sugar

Mix the cucumber with the sugar. Let the mixture sit for 2 hours.

Strain the cucumbers and discard the juice before eating.

Pork with Lotus Seed

2 tablespoons (30 grams) lotus seeds

Water for soaking

6 cups (1.5 liters) water

½ pound (250 grams) lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh ginger, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Salt to taste

Soak the lotus seed overnight in 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Drain.

In a large soup kettle, bring 6 cups (1.5 liters) of water to a boil. Add the diced pork, lotus seeds, and ginger and garlic. Boil over a medium flame for 1 hour, covered. Add salt to taste. Drain, discarding the water.

Eat two times a week, as part of a meal.

Eggs, Lotus Seed, and Mushroom Soup

1 tablespoon (15 grams) wood-ear mushrooms

Water for soaking

4 cups (1 liter) water

8 lotus seeds

1 tablespoon (15 grams) taro root, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 eggs

2 teaspoons (10 grams) sugar, white or brown

Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 1 hour. Drain.

Bring the remaining 4 cups (1 liter) of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the lotus seeds, taro root, and mushrooms to the boiling water. Boil over a medium flame for 30 minutes.

Break the eggs and allow them to drop gently into the soup. Add the sugar. After 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Take the soup hot or warm, at least once a week.

 

In China, the preferred meat for sexual problems is mutton. The following are two common mutton recipes.

Mutton Stew

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) cooking oil

½ pound (250 grams) mutton, cut into 1-inch cubes

6 cups (1.5 liters) water

¼ cup (60 milliliters) soy sauce

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) cooking wine

1 scant teaspoon (4 grams) sugar

2 teaspoons (10 grams) chopped scallion

1 teaspoon (3 grams) sliced fresh ginger

Pinch of anise seed

¼ cup potato (50 grams), cut into 1-inch cubes

¼ cup carrot (50 grams), cut into 1-inch cubes

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the mutton and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Transfer the mutton to a soup kettle. Add the water and all remaining ingredients except the potato and carrot. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, on a low flame for 1 hour.

Add the potato and carrot. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Eat once a day as part of a meal, at least two times a week.

Stir-fried Mutton

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) cooking oil

1 pound (500 grams) mutton, thinly sliced

½ cup (100 grams) scallion, sliced

2 teaspoons (10 grams) chopped ginger

5 tablespoons (75 milliliters) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) cooking wine

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) sesame oil

Set a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add cooking oil. When the oil is hot, drop in the mutton, scallion, and ginger. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and wine. Continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the color of the meat changes.

Add the sesame oil. Stir. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate for serving.

To be eaten at least twice a week.

Centipede and Licorice

Other dietary suggestions for male sexual deficiencies include seafood (shrimp in particular), dog meat, and centipede. Judging by the quantity of dried centipede for sale in Chinese apothecaries, the latter is quite a popular remedy.

30 dried centipedes (you can purchase centipedes from Chinese pharmacies)

1 teaspoon (5 grams) licorice

½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) anise seed

Place the centipedes, licorice, and anise seed in a mortar. Using a pestle, crush them into a fine powder.

Take ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) of the powder at a time, twice a day, morning and evening.

 

Finally, perhaps the most important antidote to a sexual problem is to live one’s sexuality with joy and freedom from guilt or anxiety. A positive attitude lets us take life more lightly than many people are wont.

SMOKING DEPENDENCY

Stopping smoking is, first of all, a matter of will. One must really want to stop smoking in order to continue with a full and healthy life. The strategy, once the decision has been made, is to steer away from circumstances that create the urge or that perhaps simply remind one of the old habit—if, for example, you are in the habit of smoking an after-dinner cigarette with coffee, give up the coffee.

Flush out the nicotine that remains in the body. Drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juices. Fast. After the fast, eat fresh fruit and vegetables for at least ten days. Stay active with qi gong breathing exercises.

Control your urge to smoke for two weeks, and try the following Chinese remedy during that period.

Fresh Daikon Juice

1 fresh daikon, grated

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar, white or brown

Using a thin towel, squeeze the daikon to extract the juice. Pour the juice into a glass, add the sugar, and stir well. Consume before breakfast.

Daikon juice should be drunk every morning for two weeks. If, at the end of the two weeks, you try to smoke, you supposedly will find cigarettes both tasteless and dissatisfying.

STOMACHACHE

According to traditional Chinese medicine, stomachache is due to careless eating habits, unhappiness, weak Yang, or too much cold. Refer to chapter 3 for information about how to avoid these pitfalls.

When you are suffering from stomachache, avoid taking chili (red pepper), garlic, vinegar, wine or alcohol, strong tea or coffee, bananas, papaya, and cabbage. The following remedies should also come in useful.

Ginger and Sugar Decoction

Brown sugar dispels cold and benefits the blood. Ginger warms the stomach. For a more powerful warming effect, use dried ginger.

2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh or dried ginger

6 tablespoons (90 grams) brown sugar

1½ cups (375 milliliters) water

Boil the ingredients in a terra-cotta pot or in a small saucepan for ten minutes. Drink hot or warm once a day, until the stomachache goes away.

Ginger and Licorice Decoction

1 stick licorice

½ tuber of dry ginger

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Using a pestle or grinder, crush the licorice and ginger.

Place the licorice and ginger in a terra-cotta pot or small saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes.

Drink warm.

Ginger and Black Pepper Broth

The warming effect of dried ginger may be increased by adding black pepper.

2 teaspoons (10 grams) dried ginger

10 black peppercorns

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Using a pestle or grinder, crush the ginger and peppercorns into a fine powder. Place the powder in a cup.

Bring the water to a boil. Pour the water into the cup with the powder.

Stir the broth well. Drink hot once a day.

Ginger and Milk with Honey

2 tablespoons (30 grams) grated fresh ginger

1 cup (250 milliliters) milk

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) honey

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the ginger to extract the juice.

Warm the milk in a small saucepan. When the milk is hot, but before it boils, add the ginger juice. Heat for another minute or so.

Remove from heat, transfer to a cup, and stir in the honey.

Drink warm before bed.

Ginger Tripe

According to the theory that one strengthens the organs of one’s body by eating the corresponding animal organ, one can treat stomachache by consuming tripe. Besides being a remedy for chronic stomachache, weakness of the stomach, and general debility, tripe also nourishes qi.

3½–7 ounces (100–200 grams) pork or other animal tripe

1 cup (250 milliliters) vinegar

2 tablespoons (30 grams) sliced fresh ginger

10 black peppercorns

Water for steaming

Wash the tripe in vinegar. Cut the tripe into strips and place in a ceramic bowl or steaming dish (see page 66).

Add the ginger and pepper to the tripe. Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the staemer in the pan, cover, and steam for 45 minutes.

Include this dish as part of your lunch and dinner for as long as your stomachache bothers you. Gradually decrease portion size until you are ready to stop the cure altogether.

Cinnamon Tea

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

1 teaspoon (5 grams) cinnamon powder

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Pour the hot water into a cup. Dissolve the cinnamon in the water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Drink warm as often as you like.

Potato Juice and Honey

1 potato, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) honey

Using a thin cotton towel, squeeze the potato to extract the juice. Transfer the juice to a cup. Add honey and stir.

Take every morning on an empty stomach for twenty days.

Peanuts with Milk and Honey

This nightcap is taken primarily to relieve stomachache; it can also be used as a treatment for gastritis and gastric ulcers.

4 tablespoons (60 grams) raw peanuts

Water for soaking

1 cup (250 milliliters) milk

2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

Soak the peanuts in hot water for 1 hour. Drain, then grind the peanuts into a pulp using a stone grinder or a mortar and pestle.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. When the milk begins to rise, add the ground peanuts. Allow the milk to begin rising for a second time, then remove at once from the flame. Allow the milk to cool for 5 minutes before adding honey.

Take this drink as a nightcap, just prior to going to bed.

WHOOPING COUGH (PERTUSSIS)

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection characterized by extremely troublesome symptoms that give the disease its name. In fact, whooping cough manifests as sudden attacks of intensive coughing followed by a labored inspiration or “whoop” and then by the production of catarrh and by vomiting. The symptoms are so persistent that children cannot eat or sleep because of them. Although modern medicine is to be preferred to traditional rural remedies for curing the ailment, you might wish to try the following remedies to soothe the cough and the catarrh and to strengthen a weakened patient.

Garlic and Sugar

This recipe provides some relief against coughing and the production of catarrh during the first week to ten days of whooping cough. After that, the coughing becomes more intense and requires stronger remedies.

½ head garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

Water for steaming

Mix the garlic and sugar well. Place the mixture in a ceramic bowl and add 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Place the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66). Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.

After steaming, siphon off the solid residue and divide the liquid into three parts. Drink each portion at five-hour intervals.

Chicken Gall Bladder with Sugar

When, after the first ten days of pertussis, coughing becomes more intense and more stubborn, this recipe can help.

1 chicken gall bladder

4 tablespoons (60 grams) sugar, white or brown

½ cup (125 milliliters) water

Water for steaming

Place the gallbladder in a ceramic bowl together with the sugar and water. Place the bowl in a steaming dish (see page 66).

Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.

To be eaten twice a day for five days.

Sugarcane and Water Chestnut

Besides the actual cough, other symptoms of pertussis are vomiting, a high temperature, thirst, and weakness. The following is a remedy for thirst and a high temperature.

1 cup (250 milliliters) water

½ cup (100 grams) sugarcane, peeled and cut into small pieces

½ cup (100 grams) water chestnuts, peeled and cut into small pieces

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the sugarcane and water chestnut. Simmer on a low flame, covered, for 15 minutes.

To be taken as often as desired. All the ingredients should be eaten.

Mint Congee

This remedy is also for thirst and a high temperature.

¼ cup (50 grams) rice

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

20 to 30 fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoons (15 grams) rock sugar

Prepare the rice congee by gently boiling the rice and water in a small saucepan for 20 minutes. When the congee is nearly ready, add the mint and the sugar. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes more.

To be taken hot or warm, three times a day.

 

The following three remedies are all for coughing. The first remedy is also a general tonic that helps the body regain its strength.

Carrot and Jujube Decoction

½ cup (100 grams) carrot, sliced

10 jujube (Chinese dates)

3 cups (750 milliliters) water

Place the carrot in a terra-cotta pot or medium saucepan with the jujube and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over a low flame, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until two-thirds of the water has evaporated.

Divide the decoction into ten doses. Take one dose every two hours.

Walnut and Pear Decoction

5 walnuts, chopped

1 pear, finely chopped

3 tablespoons (45 grams) rock sugar

2 cups (500 milliliters) water

Place the walnuts, pear, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Take 1 tablespoon warm three times a day.

Steamed Celery

1 celery stalk, chopped

Salt to taste

Water for steaming

Wash and chop the celery. Add a little salt. Place the celery in a ceramic bowl or steaming diah (see page 66).

Using a pan deep enough to fit your steamer, bring water to a boil. Place the steamer in the pan, cover, and steam for 15 minutes.

Take 1 tablespoon immediately upon waking up and another at around 7 P.M. for three days.

Garlic Water

The final recipe for whooping cough is both a prevention and a cure. As a natural disinfectant and antibiotic, garlic protects when there is a whooping cough epidemic in the area, and soothes coughing and catarrh should your child come down with the illness.

½ head (60 grams) garlic

2 cups (500 milliliters) tepid water

1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar

Crush the garlic and soak in the water for 10 hours. Remove the garlic solids and add sugar to the water.

A child under the age of five should take 1 to 1½ teaspoons of the garlic water every two hours. Children over five should take 2 to 3 teaspoons every two hours.