Did you know that bitter foods in traditional Chinese medicine are associated with particular properties and health benefits? 🌿

1. Cooling Effect: Bitter foods are believed to have a cooling nature, which helps reduce internal heat and inflammation.

2. Digestive Aid: They stimulate digestive enzymes and bile production, promoting better digestion and appetite.

3. Detoxification: Bitter foods are thought to support liver function and assist in detoxifying the body.

4. Emotional Balance: In TCM, bitter flavors can help clear excess emotions, particularly related to the heart and liver.

Incorporating bitter foods into the diet is often recommended for conditions associated with excess heat, digestive issues, or emotional imbalance. Common bitter foods include bitter melon, dandelion greens, Chen Pi (aged tangerine peel), chicory, and gentian.

Below are some clinical studies that highlight the health benefits of bitter foods:

1. Blood Sugar: A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that bitter melon extract improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, helping to lower blood sugar levels.

2. Liver Health: Research published in Phytotherapy Research showed that chicory root extract had hepatoprotective effects, improving liver function and reducing liver enzyme levels in animal models.

3. Bitter Compounds and Appetite Regulation: A study in Appetite indicated that bitter flavors could enhance satiety and reduce overall food intake, potentially aiding weight management.

4. Dandelion and Anti-Inflammatory Effects: A study in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that dandelion extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory properties and improved liver function in participants.

5. Gentian and Digestive Health: Research published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported that gentian root improved digestive symptoms and increased gastric acid secretion.

These studies suggest that bitter foods can have beneficial effects on metabolic health, digestion, and liver function.

Laba or “Evil” garlic! 🧄🧨 We are now in La month, the last month in the Chinese calendar before Chinese New Year. Laba Festival, which took place last week, is a way to celebrate the hard work that went into growing the year’s crops, as well as showing appreciation to ancestors. It is also regarded as a prelude to Chinese New Year, marking a day when preparations for Spring Festival begin.

Traditionally, this is now also the time to make Laba garlic, a spectacularly jade-green pickled delicacy, so it will be ready in time for the New Year feast. The color change is due to a naturally occurring enzyme in garlic reacting to vinegar, which also creates a less pungent taste.

Since Spring Festival often comes with heavy foods, the Laba garlic, with its crispness and slightly sweet and spicy taste, is a welcomed addition to balance out heavy meals. It is rich in potassium, iron, selenium, zinc and folic acid, and is used in Chinese medicine to boost immunity and lower blood pressure.

Have you ever tried Tibetan butter tea? 🧈☕ Called po cha in Tibet, butter tea is also popular in western China, Mongolia, and the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Pakistan. For centuries, Tibetans and nomadic tribes have relied on this nourishing medicinal drink to provide energy and relieve fatigue especially at high altitudes.

Traditionally, butter tea is made with Pu’er tea, salt, and yak butter, with optional milk. Pu’er tea (whose remarkable health properties we have covered extensively in earlier posts) originally reached Tibet via the Ancient Tea Horse Trail, a series of trade routes originating in southern China and reaching Tibet and beyond—predating the Silk Road and still in existence today. Tea and other precious cargo would be carried by horse, mule, and yak caravans along a 3,100 mile journey.

Tibetan Butter Tea made with our Pu'er Tea Bricks and Bobo tea pot

The unusual name of this trade route is derived from the early trade of Tibetan war horses for Chinese tea. The Ancient Tea Horse Trail starts in Yunnan, China and reaches Lhasa in Tibet, then passes to Bhutan, Nepal, and India. It’s a difficult journey through precipitous mountain paths that takes 6 months on horseback just for the China leg of the journey.

With purple barley flour for making Tsampa, a Tibetan snack made with butter tea

The highest quality traditional Tibetan butter tea is made from Pu’er tea from Yunnan, where the Tea Horse Trail originated. In fact, Pu’er tea is said to have been created inadvertently during early travels along this trail, in which compressed tea—pressed into brick or cake form for easy transport in these caravans—was exposed to rain and humidity and naturally began to ferment along the journey. By the time it reached Tibet, this tea had undergone a natural fermentation process, which also improved its taste and health properties.

Have you ever tried Tibetan butter tea? If not, will you be making this soon?

The Chinese medical strategy for treating inflammation is a perfect example of the “holistic” approach which attract so many to this healing art. As opposed to western medicine, which directly suppresses inflammation, Chinese medicine aims to treat the underlying constitutional factors that potentiate the body for inflammatory reactions.

Already in the Han dynasty, Chinese medicine had an extremely nuanced and precise understanding of the mechanism that produces “heat”, a concept that is largely equivalent to inflammation:

“When a cold pathogen lodges in the channels, the blood stagnates, when the blood stagnates there is blockage. When this blockage occurs, weiqi is attracted to the site of blockage and cannot pass through, this leads to ulceration. This is a process of cold qi transforming into heat.” (Lingshu 81)

A core principle of the understanding of inflammation in Chinese medicine is that it derives from blockage in the various microcirculatory systems of the body. The body’s regulatory system is attracted to this blockage to try to restore circulation, in essence recruiting more blood flow to that site. However, if it is unable to undo the blockage, all that excess blood flow creates “heat”, which is an equivalent concept in Chinese medicine to inflammation. Of course, the etymology of “inflammation” means to “set on fire”, so the relation to heat is not lost on western medicine. Indeed, inflamed regions feel hot to the touch precisely because bradykinins and histamine cause blood vessels to dilate, allowing more blood to reach the affected area.

In western medicine, inflammation is treated using drugs like nsaids and corticosteroids which directly suppress the immune response. This is often helpful, but especially in the case of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, the suppressed immune system then leaves the body vulnerable to exterior pathogens like bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, when finishing a regimen of corticosteroids at a larger dose, the dosage has to be slowly and carefully tapered, otherwise there can be extremely severe withdrawal symptoms.

Chinese medicine, by contrast, takes a multi-pronged approach:

1. Restoring circulatory and lymphatic flow: The most important aspect of treatment is to remove the blockage and the pathogen, which are jointly responsible for the chain of events that occur after. (pathogen lodges in the channels, the blood stagnates, when the blood stagnates there is blockage.)
2. Addressing gut health: just as western medicine has in recent years discovered a connection between chronic inflammation and gut health with the identification of leaky-gut syndrome, Chinese medicine also often focuses on the health of the digestive system when treating inflammatory diseases. A classic example is Jin Dynasty physician Li Dongyuan’s gut-health based formulas for “yin fire”, which is an inflammatory like syndrome.
3. Regulating hormonal imbalances: Chinese medical autoimmune specialist Wu Xiongzhi notes that inflammation can occur from autoimmune reactions that result from hormonal imbalances. Herbs like shudi and fuzi help to regulate these hormonal imbalances and make the body less likely to overreact to external stimuli, which would precipitate immune reactions and ensuing inflammation.
4. Treating inflammation: Like western medicine, Chinese medicine also has an impressive toolkit of anti-inflammatory medicinals that can suppress inflammation directly. Herbs like danggui suppress vascular inflammation, while herbs like zhizi and skullcap can suppress epithelial tissue inflammation.

This multi-pronged approach, which focuses on the causes of inflammation, rather than the inflammation itself, helps Chinese medicine avoid the harsh side effects of western medical drugs which focus solely on suppression of inflammation.

Let’s look at this approach in the context of two specific inflammatory diseases: Lupus and Hashimotos. Western medicine treats Lupus through direct suppression of inflammation, specific strategies and their potential risks are outlined below:

Hydroxychloroquine

• Can cause irreversible eye damage and must have regular eye exams while on drug
• Can cause debilitating headaches and fatigue
• Nausea, diarrhea

Corticosteroids

• Can trigger high blood pressure, diabetes
• Increased risk of infection
• Increased risk of bone fracture
• Anxiety and other adverse psychological effects

Immunosuppressants

• Kidney damage
• Hepatotoxicity
• Severe risk of infection

As for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, western medicine more or less ignores the inflammation, which is the result of an autoimmune attack on thyroid tissue that eventually renders the thyroid completely devoid of function, and instead just supplements thyroid hormone. The obvious issue with this treatment is that it requires lifelong supplementation and doesn’t address the original issue at all.

Now let’s look at the Chinese medical treatment, which is quite similar for these two diseases:

Chinese medicine employs the holistic approach mentioned above to treat the problem.

1. Herbs like ginger, jujube, licorice and cinnamon are deployed to regulate gut health
2. Angelica, peony, poria, atractylodes help restore circulatory and lymphatic flow alleviating blockages that lead to inflammation
3. Skullcap root, gardenia, and anemarrhena directly decrease inflammation
4. Rehmannaie and aconite balance hormones, which can cause inflammation to surge if imbalanced.

The advantage of this methodology is quite clear. In the case of Hashimoto’s, this Chinese medical approach can actually alleviate the autoimmune inflammatory response, meaning the patient can more or less be cured of the problem and avoid taking thyroid hormone. In the case of lupus, the autoimmune inflammatory response can be mitigated or alleviated, while avoiding the very harsh and sometimes dangerous side effects (particularly the permanent damage sometimes rendered to vital organs by immunosuppressants) of the western drugs deployed for this disease.

The Chinese medical approach to inflammatory diseases is truly one of its greatest strengths, with salient results in dermatological diseases, autoimmune diseases and other inflammation based ailments and none of the very harsh side effects that come with taking the corticosteroids, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants that mark the basis of the western medical approach.

From the very earliest texts in the Chinese medical canon, we see evidence of continual research into and treatment of hemorrhoids. The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (99-26  BCE), for instance, details certain pulse properties on the radial pulse that might suggest the presence of hemorrhoids and posits that the ailment might stem from derangements of the kidney and urinary bladder channels.

By the early Jin dynasty (256 CE), the Systematic Canon already shows evidence of differentiated acupuncture treatment strategies for different hemorrhoid presentations with point choices showing marked continuity with the Inner Canon.

The Origins and Indicators of Disease (610 CE) distinguishes five different kinds of hemorrhoids, each with its own treatment strategy and also clearly indicates that hemorrhoids result from constipation, fatigue and parasites. Interestingly, this Sui Dynasty tome also provides various Daoyin exercises that sufferers can use to heal hemorrhoids themselves. For instance, one exercise instructs the patient to start in a standing position, then hug one knee to the chest and hold in this balanced position for several breaths and then alternate to the other leg. One can easily see how such an exercise would strengthen the peri-anal muscles and prevent or improve anal prolapse.

Daoyin exercises

By the Tang Dynasty, a very mature understanding of the pathomechanisms of hemorrhoids emerges in the Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold and over 20 herbal formulas, internal and topical are listed to tackle this menacing ailment. These formulas reflect that ancient physicians believed the primary causes of hemorrhoids were fatigue, “dampness” which we can take to mean poor lymph drainage, constipation, parasites, “heat” or inflammation, and poor blood circulation, which could also then lead to bleeding. The fungus Laccocephalum mylittae  (雷丸 literally “thunder ball”) which grows in bamboo forests was used to treat parasites and has been identified by modern science as a powerful anthelmintic.

Laccocephalum mylittae

Interestingly, these same pathomechanisms are clearly reflected in the design of the two hemorrhoid formulas available on this site. Sophora Combo, for instance, uses rhubarb to target constipation, peony root and rhubard to improve peri-anal microcirculation, sophora and garden burnet to stop bleeding and scutellaria and goldthread to combat inflammation. Together, this combination heals the hemorrhoidal tissue and improves local circulation and lymph drainage to resolve the ailment at the root. Hemorrhoid Support also includes herbs to help local lymph and blood circulation like notoginseng root and amber, herbs to treat inflammation and abscess like coptis chinensis and tetraarsenic tetrasulfide, but it additionally includes puckering and astringent herbs like pomegranate bark and chebula fruit which help in retraction of rectal prolapse. Thus, Sophora Combo would be more helpful in early stage hemorrhoids, while Hemorrhoid Support would be more helpful in later stage hemorrhoids with prolapse and abscess.

Modern studies have found that hemorrhoid formula preparations with herbs similar to those listed above are markedly effective at treating hemorrhoids. A 2007 study of 100 patients found the herbal formula Zhi Tong Ru Shen Tang had a 96% success rate in treating hemorrhoids, particularly internal hemorrhoids,  while a 2001 study of 324 patients found a 90.4% success rate in the treatment of internal, external and mixed hemorrhoids. 

Interestingly, combining acupuncture with herbal treatments might produce even better results than just using medicine alone. A 2019 study from the Shanghai Journal of Acumoxa found that acupuncture-herbal combination therapy outperformed single acupuncture or herbal therapy by a significant margin, reducing swelling severity and hemorrhoid size more effectively than either modality in isolation.

Given the utter lack of effective treatment options for hemorrhoids provided by western medicine, Chinese medicine provides a highly effective and cheap alternative. Importantly, early treatment of hemorrhoids with Chinese herbs and acupuncture can help patients avoid costly surgery and painful and difficult post-surgical recovery.

 References:

 朱瑞刚, 韩劲松.止痛如神丸治疗痔病的临床观察(附100例报告) ,《光明中医》, 2007,22(7)

 叶玲; 郑鸣霄. 采用乙字汤治疗痔疮324例. 《福建中医学院学报》, 2001,11(3)

 李斌,张狄,宋双临,石焱,洪媚,黄振. 针药并用治疗炎性外痔临床观察. Shanghai J Acu-mox, Feb 2019, Vol 38, No 2 

Intro: TCM Herbal Bone Broth

Don't throw away those Thanksgiving turkey bones! In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), bone broth is not just a food but also a medicinal tonic that can be customized with herbs to address specific health concerns. Bone broth tastes best made with bones that have been roasted, which you've already done with your Thanksgiving turkey, and you can get even more nourishment by using them in a healing herbal bone broth.

Herbal bone broth soups are a key part of a traditional Chinese medicine healing diet, and are a nourishing and restorative food that can benefit several aspects of health. It helps to strengthen the Kidneys, tonify the Spleen, nourish the Blood, and promote overall vitality and recovery.

It is especially useful for those who are recovering from illness or feel fatigued, weak, or cold. We also highly recommend herbal foot baths for those with these symptoms—included in our Black Friday sale!

Benefits of Bone Broth

1. Tonifying the Kidneys and Strengthening Jing

• In TCM, the Kidneys are considered the foundation of vitality and longevity, responsible for storing Jing, the body's vital life force. Bone broth is believed to help nourish and strengthen the Kidneys, supporting the Jing.
• Bone broth is often recommended for those with Kidney deficiency, which can manifest as symptoms like fatigue, low energy, back pain, dry mouth, and possibly tinnitus and/or weak bones.
• If this sounds like you, you may want to consider an herbal formula specifically designed for Kidney Yin deficiency: Liu Wei Di Huang.

2. Nourishing the Blood

• Bone broth is also highly regarded for its ability to nourish the Blood, which is essential for overall health in TCM. Blood deficiency can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, irregular or painful periods, dry skin, pale complexion, and fatigue.
• If this sounds like you, you may want to consider an herbal formula specifically designed to nourish the Blood: Baifeng Wan.

3. Strengthening the Spleen and Stomach

• The Spleen is responsible for transforming food and fluids into Qi and Blood. When the Spleen is weak, it can lead to digestive issues, such as poor appetite, bloating, or loose stools. Bone broth, when made with slow-cooked bones and herbs, is recommended as a way to warm and tonify the Spleen in TCM, as its rich nutrients are easy to digest and can strengthen the digestive system.
• If this sounds like you, you may want to consider an herbal formula specifically designed for Spleen Qi deficiency combined with Dampness, where the Spleen’s inability to transform and transport fluids leads to excessive Dampness in the body. Symptoms include digestive issues, fatigue, loose stools, and a feeling of heaviness: Shen Ling Bai Zhu.
• You can also consider an herbal formula for when Spleen Qi deficiency has led to Qi sinking (where the body’s Qi is weak and not sufficiently holding up internal organs, resulting in chronic fatigue or pelvic organ prolapse). It tonifies both Spleen Qi and Qi in the middle burner, helping to support energy levels and digestive function: Bu Zhong Yi Qi.

There are many ways that bone broths can be customized in Chinese medicine to address specific health concerns. The recipe below, which I showed in the video, is Qi and Blood-moving, and can help with mobility and menstrual issues. 

Recipe

Ingredients:

Master Zhu Liangchun was a celebrated Chinese medicine doctor and head physician of Nantong Chinese Medicine Hospital in mainland China. Born in 1913, he started practicing Chinese medicine in 1939, and was known for his incredible experience and medical skills. He successfully treated difficult cases including curing a disabled patient and reducing the large tumor of a lymphoma patient. Even into his mid-90s, he was energetic and sharp, and lectured widely while continuing to practice medicine. And in his mid-90s, he was still seeing patients daily, often late into the night.
Master Zhu was interviewed about his excellent health at age 93, and this medicinal "Longevity Porridge" was his top recommendation--he drank a bowl daily for over 60 years. Blurring the line between food and herbs, this is a powerful Chinese medicine recipe for restoring depleted energy and preventing aging, disguised as a delicious food.

With a satisfying combination of diverse textures, it is also lightly sweetened naturally with superfood herbs Jujube and Goji berry. In Chinese medicine terms, the ingredients of this porridge move Qi and Blood, and dispel dampness and phlegm. Master Zhu said of this porridge: “It restores my energy and has been very helpful in delaying my aging. So I eat it year-round without fail.”

His family's "secret" addition to this porridge recipe includes an unusual preparation method using Astragalus water which we will detail below. This herb protects pre-natal Qi from being depleted, boosts immunity, and has anti-cancer properties.

All ingredients should be available at a Chinese grocery store, usually in the dried herbs and legumes section. The jujubes I am using in the video are our premium Fuping Jujubes, an extremely delicious varietal and are watered only with natural spring water (they can also be eaten straight out of the bag!).

For those who frequently find themselves fatigued and are interested in an herbal formula which replenishes depleted Qi, check out Bu Zhong Yi Qi. This also contains Astragalus as a leading herb. And for those dealing with internal dampness, check out Shen Ling Bai Zhu, an herbal formula which uses three of the damp-dispelling ingredients in this porridge.

Ingredients (5 servings):
- 50 g Mung beans (Lu Dou)

- 50 g Lotus seeds (Lian Zi)

- 50 g Coix seeds (Yi Yi Ren)

- 50 g White hyacinth beans (Bian Dou)

- 30 g Jujubes (Da Zao)

- 10 g Goji berries (Gou Qi Zi)

- 50 - 250 g Astragalus (Huang Qi): Master Zhu uses 250 for 5 servings. This is a fairly high amount, so we would suggest perhaps a lower dosage for young people

- Water: 3 bowls

Instructions:
1. Rinse ingredients: Combine all ingredients except Astragalus into a bowl and rinse under water.

2. In a separate bowl, rinse the Astragalus and then set aside to soak in water for 10 minutes. Pour out this water and refill bowl to soak for another 10 minutes.

3. In a large pot, pour in the bowl of Astragalus and water. Refill bowl with water and add this second bowl of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and pour out this liquid into a large bowl. Add one more bowl of water into the pot and cook the Astragalus for a second time for 20 minutes. Strain and pour this into the bowl.

4. Cook the porridge: Remove the cooked Astragalus from the pot and discard or compost. Strain the water out of the seeds and beans, and combine all seeds and beans, plus jujubes. Add the 3 bowls of Astragalus water into this pot to cook the porridge. Do not add any additional water. Bring to a boil.

5. Simmer: Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add goji berries: Add in the goji berries and cook for another 15 minutes.

7. Serve: Best enjoyed hot.

This porridge is highly nourishing and can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a comforting dish throughout the day.

For those seeking another anti-aging, immunity-boosting medicinal sweetened soup to make at home, check out our best-selling Baby Snow Fungus, which also come with pre-made accompany herb packs for easy preparation.