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TCM Treasures Plum
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SIMPLIFIED Chinese: 李 Pinyin: lǐ
A Chinese saying goes, “Peaches nourish people, apricots hurt people, and under the plum tree you bury dead people.” It is a warning not to overeat apricots or plums. However, plum blossoms, fruit and seeds are all useful TCM herbs that benefit people as long as they are used properly.
Plum fruit is a “cold” herb that travels through the liver and kidney meridians. It helps dispel pathogenic heat, enriches the saliva, promotes urination and purges the liver of pathogenic fire. It can help relieve problems like frequent thirstiness, edema, difficult urination and liver inflammation.
Plum seed is a “neutral” herb that travels through the large and small intestine meridians. It helps move bowels, promote urination and relieve edema. It is often cooked together with congee so as to reduce side effects like bellyache, while reinforcing the digestive system. Modern research has found it effective in reducing cholesterol. It can also help lighten specks in skin when applied externally.
The plum blossom is usually white and fragrant. It is a “neutral” herb that travels through liver and kidney. The blossom powder can help perfect skin when mixed with face cream, as recorded in “Bencao Gangmu” (Compendium of Materia Medica). It can help whiten the skin and lighten freckles.
Prescriptions & Usage:
Plum flower facial mask
Mash 10g plum flowers and add 30g honey. Stir mixture evenly.
Spread on face. Wash off in 20 minutes.
Benefits: Relieves acne and whitens skin.
Plum and pear juice
Juice plum and pear. Drink 1-2 times a day.
Benefits: Enriches saliva; relieves thirstiness from deficient “yin” energy in stomach.
Plum seeds congee
Mash 10g plum seeds. Soak in water 5-10 minutes. Cook decoction with seeds, filter.
Cook congee with decoction and 100g rice. Eat one portion a day; keep 2-3 days.
Benefits: Helps move bowels, promotes urination and relieves edema.
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