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TCM Treasures - Shi hu 石斛
By Wing Tan |
December 9, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SHI hu (herba dendrobii) was one of the first members of the orchid family to be recorded by the ancient Chinese. The plant is not only renowned for its beautiful flowers - loved by Chinese for their elegance - but also as a medicinal herb used to nourish yin, dispel inner heat, improve stomach functions and promote the secretion of saliva. Its dried stalk is made into a sweet-tasting medicine.
While shi hu is grown many parts of China, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces are the main producers. It is harvested in autumn.
In Chinese cuisine, shi hu is often made into dishes as it can aid digestion and secrete stomach juice. It is added to soups, made into tea and cooked with traditional desserts.
Tie pi shi hu is the most precious variety of shi hu, regarded as the most important of China's nine "magical herbs" in ancient times. From the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) onward, it was exclusively preserve of royal families.
Found at altitudes above 1,600 meters, tie pi shi hu grows very slowly and is more valuable than gold. Since the early 1980s, tie pi shi hu has been listed as a protected medicinal plant facing extinction.
Shi hu tea
Boil 30g shi hu, 9g sang ji sheng and 9g luo bu ma.
Drink the decoction.
Benefits: Prevents high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and helps eyesight.
Shi hu soup
Boil 15g shi hu, 15g shu di, 12g shan yao, 9g shan zhu yu, 12g gou qi zi and 6g white chrysanthemum with water.
Drink once a day.
Benefits: Helps eyesight, kidneys and liver.
Shi hu and xuan sheng tea
Boil 15g shi hu, 15g xuan sheng, 9g bai shao, 12g mai dong and 12g hawthorn.
Drink it everyday.
Benefits: Treats lack of gastric acid.
While shi hu is grown many parts of China, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces are the main producers. It is harvested in autumn.
In Chinese cuisine, shi hu is often made into dishes as it can aid digestion and secrete stomach juice. It is added to soups, made into tea and cooked with traditional desserts.
Tie pi shi hu is the most precious variety of shi hu, regarded as the most important of China's nine "magical herbs" in ancient times. From the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) onward, it was exclusively preserve of royal families.
Found at altitudes above 1,600 meters, tie pi shi hu grows very slowly and is more valuable than gold. Since the early 1980s, tie pi shi hu has been listed as a protected medicinal plant facing extinction.
Shi hu tea
Boil 30g shi hu, 9g sang ji sheng and 9g luo bu ma.
Drink the decoction.
Benefits: Prevents high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and helps eyesight.
Shi hu soup
Boil 15g shi hu, 15g shu di, 12g shan yao, 9g shan zhu yu, 12g gou qi zi and 6g white chrysanthemum with water.
Drink once a day.
Benefits: Helps eyesight, kidneys and liver.
Shi hu and xuan sheng tea
Boil 15g shi hu, 15g xuan sheng, 9g bai shao, 12g mai dong and 12g hawthorn.
Drink it everyday.
Benefits: Treats lack of gastric acid.
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