Post Date April, 15 2023
A pond of cattail passes by a pond of lotus, and the lotus leaves fill the rice fields. It is the eighth month of autumn in Jiangnan, when the chicken head rice is solid in the clam pearl garden. "This poem is from Zheng Banqiao's" Ode to the Chicken Head Rice ". And in the blink of an eye, it was another autumn when the lotus flowers were blooming. In Jiangnan, especially Suzhou, there was an autumn season when vegetables and fruits were particularly popular - Gorgon fruit. Perhaps some people may find it unfamiliar, but using another alias, 'Chicken Head Rice', is bound to evoke memories for many people. It is not only one of the first choices for making seasonal desserts, but also has excellent effects in tonifying the kidneys and consolidating essence.
Gorgon fruit, also known as chicken head, chicken head rice, or chicken head fruit, has a sweet and astringent taste, a flat nature, and is non-toxic. It enters the spleen and kidney meridians, beneficial for kidney essence consolidation, tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, dispelling dampness and stopping bleeding. It has the characteristics of "nourishing but not severe" and "preventing dryness and not greasy". Since ancient times, it has been a good food choice for infants to eat, and for the elderly to eat for a long time. It is also known as "ginseng in the water" and is the first choice for autumn nourishment.
The preferred dietary therapy for tonifying the kidney and consolidating essence
Gorgon fruit is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and other trace elements, as well as starch, small amounts of fatty oil, riboflavin, and other nutrients, which can ensure the necessary nutrients in the body; Euryale ferox can strengthen the absorption function of the small intestine, increase the excretion rate of urine xylose, increase the concentration of serum carotene, thus reducing the incidence rate of lung cancer and gastric cancer.
In the "Hundred Species Record of Materia Medica", it is recorded that the chicken head is solid, sweet and light, and has the correct taste of soil, which is the medicine for the spleen and kidney. The spleen detests dampness while the kidney detests dryness. The chicken head is light and fragrant, but it does not harm dampness. Its texture is sticky and astringent, and it is smooth and plump, but it does not harm dryness. Any medicine for the spleen and kidney is often the opposite, and this is complementary, so it is particularly expensive. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that if the spleen is healthy, water dampness will go away on its own, and if the kidney qi is strong, it has the power to consolidate and absorb. If taken for a long time, all symptoms will disappear on their own.
Choosing Gorgon Fruit Properly
Euryale seeds are best when they are large, uniform, intact, dry, white and clean in color, with few fragments, free from insects, powder, and impurities. The genus with a bright white color and a light red inner seed coat remaining on the grain is of good quality; The color is withered and dark, with a brownish red inner seed coat and poor quality; Tooth bites are brittle and brittle, while those with toughness indicate dampness.
The Best Way to Eat Gorgon Fruit
Gorgon fruit can be divided into two types: raw and stir fried. The main purpose of raw fruit sauce is to tonify the kidneys, while stir fried fruit sauce is to strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite. The best way to eat the fruit of Euryale is to cook Congee: stew it slowly until it is thoroughly cooked, chew it carefully and swallow it slowly, so that it can nourish the body. Do not eat too much at once, otherwise it will be difficult to digest.
Suitable population: women with abundant and thin vaginal discharge, kidney deficiency and back pain, children with body deficiency and enuresis, elderly people with frequent urination, premature ejaculation due to ejaculation, chronic diarrhea, and chronic enteritis.
Contraindications: Gorgon fruit has a strong astringent effect, and should not be consumed by people with constipation, red urine, or women after childbirth. Not suitable for infants and young children as it may lead to precocious puberty in children.
Recipe
Euryale fruit is nutritious and can be made into various diets and Tonic Diet according to personal preferences. Here are three simple and effective recipes.
Braised Fish Maw with Huaishan Gorgon Fruit
Ingredients: 50g of Huai yam, 30g of thicket fruit, and 1 fish belly.
Method: Wash the Huai yam and the fruit of the thicket, and soak for half an hour; Soak the fish belly in boiling water for 20 minutes, wash and cut into several pieces; Put all the ingredients together into a stew cup, add an appropriate amount of boiling water, cover the stew cup, simmer over low heat over boiling water for 1-2 hours, and season. Drink in moderation.
Effect: Tonify the kidney and astringent essence, strengthen the spleen and replenish qi. Suitable for patients with prolonged kidney disease, kidney deficiency and unstable kidney, symptoms such as enuresis, enuresis, dizziness and tinnitus, low back pain and fatigue, or elderly people with unclear vision, frequent nocturia, and lukewarm hands and feet.
Tonic Diet for Tonifying Kidney and Brain
Ingredients: 30g of Gorgon fruit, 30g of white Poria cocos, 30g of yam (dried), 30g of Coix seed, and several segments of pork ribs.
Method: Wash the fruit of Gorgon and Coix seed, soak in cold water for two to three hours, remove and drain the water; Wash pork ribs and set aside. Add an appropriate amount of water to the pot, and decoct the fruit of the thicket, white poria cocos, yam (dried), and coix seed for half an hour. Then add pork ribs and decoct until cooked. Add an appropriate amount of seasoning and serve.
Effect: Tonifying the kidney, strengthening the spleen, and nourishing the brain, suitable for frequent consumption. Suitable for those with low back pain, frequent urination, and loose stools.
Congee with Gorgon Fruit and Cherry Blossom
Ingredients: 50g of raw fruit, 20g of cherry blossom, and 100g of japonica rice.
How to do it: wash and soak the fruit of Euryale ferox for 1 hour, add Rosa laevigata and japonica rice, and cook porridge slowly with water.
Effect: Tonify the kidney and firm astringency. Elderly people with weak kidney qi and frequent nocturia can take it regularly.
How much do you know about tonifying the kidney
When it comes to tonifying the kidney, people may unconsciously assume that tonifying the kidney is promoting yang. Actually, it's not the case. Women need to tonify their kidneys sometimes. Kidney deficiency is divided into kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency,
According to different situations, we can take food tonic, medicine tonic, exercise and fitness, acupuncture and moxibustion and other means for treatment. Have you ever had the following questions during the process of tonifying the kidneys?
Question 1: Can Eating Animal Kidney More Really Tonify the Kidney?
The kidney of edible animals has the function of tonifying the kidney and tonifying the essence, which is a specific embodiment of the theory of "nourishing the organs with the organs" in traditional Chinese medicine. Due to its rich protein, fat, vitamins, and certain rare trace elements, it has both nourishing and strengthening effects. But there is no food that is absolutely beneficial or not beneficial to any aspect in the world, so to nourish the kidneys, or more accurately, to nourish the kidneys, it is necessary to have a variety of foods, a reasonable proportion, and balanced nutrition.
Question 2: Are all black foods kidney tonifying foods?
People often see such propaganda - black foods that tonify the kidneys and blood, such as black sesame, black beans, black rice, black fungus, kelp, seaweed, black bone chicken, and so on. But is it really the case? Traditional Chinese medicine theory suggests that black corresponds to the kidney, and black foods can indeed have a kidney tonifying effect. However, the kidneys are divided into yin and yang. Whether any food supplements or not, it must be considered comprehensively based on the attributes of the food and personal physique, and one cannot make a single statement. If a person with kidney yin deficiency takes medication to strengthen kidney yang, or if a person with kidney yang deficiency eats items that nourish kidney yin, it may be counterproductive.
Question 3: Can eating more sparrow, donkey, dog, and snake meat really tonify the kidneys?
Kidney is divided into yin and yang, and should be treated differently based on individual constitution. If you take the right medicine, it's a panacea; if you take the wrong medicine, it's arsenic poison. Rather than taking supplements and tonics, it is more important to persistently follow a regular lifestyle, maintain a comfortable mood, and engage in more activities and exercise
(Intern Editor: Huang Junda)
