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July 28, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Stay healthy in summer with right food, drinks

By Wu Huixin | July 28, 2016, Thursday | Print Edition

FOOD therapy is an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine which holds that people can eat their way to good health and get rid of symptoms with certain foods. Medicinal diet is supposed to restore the balance between yin and yang, renew energy, postpone aging and bring a positive feeling of well-being. Shanghai Daily introduces a few food items that can lower your inner heat in summer season and restore your health without taking pills or bitter herbs.

Chilled mung bean soup is a tasty refreshment during summertime. Its medicinal property was discovered as early as the 16th century by Li Shizhen, the famous herbalist and pharmacologist. Li found mung beans can eliminate inner heat and toxics as well. Modern lab tests proved him right as the beans have the antioxidant property.

There are two kinds of mung beans in the market. One is in vivid green and usually used to make bean sprouts; the other is in dull green and is ideal to make the bean soup.

Put mung beans in a pot filled with water and bring it to boil. Leave the pot to simmer on low fire for eight to 10 minutes and turn off the fire when the soup turns greenish. As mung beans contain polyphenols that oxidize easily, so put a lid on the pot during cooking.

Chilled mung bean soup is good for cooling in hot weather and people should not discard the beans after drinking the soup because the beans can be used to make congee with rice or oats. The congee tastes better after being refrigerated for hours.

Remember: Do not use an iron pot to cook the soup because mung beans contain flavonoid that can have chemical reaction with iron and lose the antioxidant.

Mung beans can also be used in sparerib soup. The soup can boost blood circulation. Add some ginger and red dates (jujube) when cooking the soup to enhance the flavor and taste.

TCM considers that toxics can accumulate in human body in hot weather and result in restlessness. Herbal tea has detoxifying property and should be the drink during summer. Unlike bitter medicines, herbal brew has refreshing aroma. Ingredients for herbal tea include lotus leaf, goji berry, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, ginseng and haw.

Dried lotus leaf is good for the spleen, liver, stomach and heart. It has curative effect on high blood pressure, hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. It can also remove inner moisture and improve the mood.

Goji berry is a natural cure for diabetes. It can lower the blood glucose level and soften blood vessels. Its rich amount of vitamins and flavonoid can delay aging and improve the skin. Most of all, its polysaccharide can protect the liver.

Chrysanthemum flowers are used to alleviate fever, cure sore throat, improve eyesight and remove inner heat. Chrysanthemum tea is popular among office workers who drink it to relieve fatigue and relax eyes.

Honeysuckle is an ingredient for making toothpaste and soap because it can refresh the mouth, alleviate thirst and ease itching. When added in herbal tea, it can help treat diarrhea.

Ginseng is an expensive tonic used to boost blood circulation, stimulate appetite and prevent cancer. Same with haw, ginseng can improve digestion when brewed in tea.

The yin (dark, cold, female, and inertia) and yang (light, heat, male, and creativeness) are opposite energy that exists everywhere and shift according to the season. People are supposed to maintain a balance between the yin and the yang by adjusting their diet and lifestyle. Summer is usually considered the opportune time to replenish the yin energy.

While many choose to stay in air-conditioned places and have cold water to recoup the yin energy in hot summer, they have less physical activity and their joints may feel stiff. The yang energy also slips away through sweating and people feel languid. TCM practitioners would recommend having some food to renew the yang energy.

Lamb is ideal to expel the buildup of inner cold in the body and replenish protein that is good for muscles and joints and can restore energy. However, lamb should be cooked in a mild fashion for consumption in summer. For example, marinate lamb with seasonings, simmer for hours and eat by dipping the meat in sauce.

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