FEB 12, 2021

Quail Eggs to
Treat Allergies

I recently stumbled upon a clinical study on the highly unexpected anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects of quail eggs, indicating that these tiny eggs (a classic TCM medicinal food!) may be the secret to reducing allergies without the use of steroids. Not only have quail eggs been proven in past studies to reduce asthmatic and rhinitis allergies, this newer study shows that quail eggs can reduce food allergies as well.

Quail eggs are very different from the eggs of other birds and contain singularly unique proteins. In a UC Davis study from 1968, three scientists from the Department of Food Science and Technology studied the eggs of 12 bird species and found that only quail eggs could act as a potent serine protease inhibitor (potentially reducing allergies). Quail eggs also have a more buttery taste than chicken eggs and a nutritional profile that’s 3-4x higher: they have 5x the iron and potassium, 3x the vitamin B1, and twice as much vitamin A and B2. They also contain a slew of other beneficial micro-nutrients, minerals, and amino acids.

In a 2018 clinical study, quail eggs were shown to have a significant effect on modulating immunoglobulin levels, and resulted in decreased inflammatory genes that were abnormally expressed in EoE (a chronic allergy-related disorder), as well as decreased tissue inflammation. Currently, the treatment for many chronic allergy-related disorders relies on inhaled corticosteroids, but with concerns over the negative side effects associated with long-term use of steroids, especially in children, quail eggs hold promising potential as a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy treatment.

In TCM, quail eggs are considered neutral—that is, one with balanced yin & yang, and have been used to help with a variety of ailments including allergies, asthma, and eczema, and to strengthen the immune system. Quail eggs are also gaining recognition outside of a TCM context—children’s food expert Lucinda Miller, whose fans include the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, recommends quail eggs to reduce children’s allergies.

Have you ever tried quail eggs? If not, will you be adding quail eggs to your diet?

FEB 12, 2021

Psychoactive Drug use in Dynastic China

Cold-food powder, or five-mineral powder, was a toxic medicine and psychoactive drug consumed in China during the Six Dynasties and Tang Dynasty (3rd-10th century) comprised of the powder of various minerals, including those containing arsenic; the ingredients were kept secret by drugmakers but often included realgar, cinnabar, orpiment, alum, and malachite. The drug’s effects included greater mental awareness, heightened aesthetic perceptivity, sexual energy, and greater physical resistance, and may have been hallucinogenic.

While it was initially used as a medicine to treat illness, its mind-altering properties were discovered during the 3rd century and consequently became the hallmark of the nobility and free thinkers of the age. Scholar-philosopher He Yan was one of the earliest members of the literati to take cold-food powder—considered the “influencer” of his day, he was described as "a paragon of beauty, elegance, and refinement… who shone in pure conversation. He is even said to have brought into fashion a drug that brought on a state of ecstasy.” Several emperors were users of cold-food powder and rulers considered it a status symbol.

For a drug that was popular for only a few centuries in Medieval China, cold-food powder was highly influential on Chinese fashion and culture that extended far into later dynasties. As the ingredients often raised body temperature and caused skin sensitivity, users had to take long walking excursions to cool down after taking it. Users also adopted the wearing of loose, thin robes to counteract the side effects of the drug. “Intoxicated enchantment with nature's beauty led to (users) writing poems on landscape, and thus they initiated the genre of 'Nature Poetry’,” wrote sinologists Huang Junjie and Erik Zürcher.

Eventually cold-food powder was condemned for deleterious effects, including death from alchemical poisoning, and for its association with a debaucherous lifestyle.

FEB 12, 2021

Jujubes

Happy New Year! Given the stress and anxiety of 2020, this seems a perfect time to introduce the superfood called jujube, used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine to combat anxiety and insomnia, and as a natural antidepressant and stress-relieving food—to add to your diet in 2021.⠀

This sweet fruit can be consumed fresh or dried, although they’re most often prepared dried in nourishing recipes, including the ginger-jujube-goji tea paste I’ve been making. Jujubes are packed with polyphenols, amino acids, essential unsaturated fatty acids (including oleic and linoleic acid), flavonoids, vitamin C (100x the amount of many fruits), iron, potassium, and high bioactive compounds. “Mounting evidence shows the health benefits of Z. jujuba, including anticancer, anti-inflammation, antiobesity, antioxidant, and hepato- and gastrointestinal protective properties,” according to a study. ⠀
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A few key benefits of jujubes:⠀
-Soothing effect on both mind and body: findings in The Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed it was effective in reducing anxiety⠀
-Suppress fat: a Japanese study showed jujubes effectively suppressed fat accumulation⠀
-Anti-cancer: a University of Cambria study showed it could slow down the spread of, and even kill malignant breast cancer cells⠀
-Anti-inflammatory: numerous studies show jujubes to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties via both oral and topical routes. These properties can help boost the body’s immune system and prevent premature aging⠀
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A note on sourcing: the jujubes I buy for my ginger paste are sourced from Khotan (or Hetian), a place renown for the best jujubes in China given the extreme temperature fluctuations in climate. Khotan was an important stop along the Silk Road and remains a major oasis town in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. With rising demand, jujube cultivation in Khotan has increased local villagers' income in recent years. Buying Khotan jujubes supports the income of ethnic minorities in one of China’s poorest regions. Ask for Hetian or Xinjiang jujubes if you are buying from a grocer.⠀
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Will you be trying jujubes this year? If you have, what’s your favorite way of preparing it?

FEB 12, 2021

A GUIDE: Sugars According to Traditional Chinese Medicine⠀

WHITE SUGAR⠀
During the refining process, moisture, minerals and compounds giving unrefined sugars their color are removed, and white refined sugar is the result. No medicinal value in TCM.

BROWN SUGAR⠀
Made from refined white sugar, with molasses added back for flavor and to create a higher moisture sugar. The amount of molasses accounts for the color and flavor differences of light vs. dark brown sugar (3.5% vs 6.5%). It has no meaningful nutritional benefits over white sugar. “Brown sugar” in a Western recipe usually refers to light brown sugar, whereas in a Chinese recipe, it refers to black sugar.⠀
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BLACK SUGAR⠀
Unlike white or brown sugar, black sugar (aka Chinese brown sugar) is unrefined: it is sugar made by slow-cooking sugarcane juice. It also has a powder-y texture, with a deeper, complex flavor. Black sugar retains the trace minerals of sugarcane juice including potassium, iron, and calcium. Hues of this sugar vary—darker does not mean better. Black sugar is grouped as a “warming” food in Chinese medicine and is widely used therapeutically.⠀
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In a recent article in @finedininglovers: “In Japan, along with neighbouring China and Taiwan, black sugar isn’t just a delicacy, but also a common remedy for colds. Mixed with ginger tea, it is said to relieve nausea. It is even used by some women to treat menstrual pain thanks to its iron.” There’s also a bit of a black sugar craze in Asia: it’s “a darling of the Instagram generation [with] consumers queuing up for hours on end from Taipei to Singapore” (SCMP).⠀
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ROCK SUGAR⠀
Refined from the recrystallization of sugar, with less intense sweetness. Can be yellow or white. The polycrystalline variety has “cooling” qualities and is used in Chinese medicinal recipes such as steamed pear with rock sugar (a home remedy for cough/sore throat) or snow fungus soup. However, it does not have nutritional benefits like black sugar.⠀
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BROWN ROCK SUGAR BAR⠀
Made from residual fluid after rock sugar production, brown rock sugar bar is considered to have the same “cooling” properties as rock sugar.⠀
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What are your thoughts on these sugars?

As a night owl, I always regarded the early bedtime with skepticism—surely length mattered more than whether I go to bed at 10 or 2? I was further baffled when the Dalai Lama spoke at my college and pointed to an early bedtime as the key to happiness (he sleeps from 7pm to 3am). I considered the TCM body clock abstract and arbitrary.⠀
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Yet, after spending the day researching this topic, I’ve found that scientific studies are showing there is indeed evidence to back these theories from Ancient China.⠀
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Take the heart—which is thought to rule from 11am to 1pm: research indicates that blood pressure and heart rate reach their peaks during this period as does the incidence of myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, angina pectoris and sudden cardiac death (Zhang). The scientists further explain that “cardiac burden rises to the highest point, and risks of exhausted heart [is] the highest with the highest incidence of morbidity” during this time period.⠀
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Recent studies also show that circadian rhythm disruption may induce or accelerate the onset of multiple diseases, including Alzheimer's, obesity, and diabetes, and is a risk factor for breast cancer.⠀
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A new study (WashU) indicates that people showing evidence of preclinical Alzheimer’s—more amyloid buildup in their brains—had more fragmentation in their circadian activity patterns: more inactivity during the day and more activity at night. Alzheimer’s damage can take root in the brain 15-20 years before symptoms appear, so these findings can help doctors identify at-risk patients, and hopefully convince them to change their habits.⠀
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Will these ancient theories or new studies change your thoughts on bedtime?⠀
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Art: Jiang Guofang

FEB 12, 2021

The "Si Wu Tang" Herbal Formula

Si Wu Tang is a classic Chinese herbal formula for women, used for over 1,000 years to relieve PMS symptoms, improve circulation, enhance beauty and youth, and increase fertility.

While SWT is considered a tonic suitable for the average female, it is particularly meant for those suffering from what is known as blood deficiency and qi stagnation. Blood deficiency can be associated with backaches, anemia, vertigo, menstrual pain, and can be a cause of infertility (Taipei Medical University). Qi deficiency normally manifests as a lack of strength, body function decline, and lower immunity (Zhejiang Medical University).

Si Wu Tang means “four-substance decoction,” and this refers to the four herbs in the formula: angelica root, rehmannia, white peony root, and Sichuan lovage root. The formula is available in many forms—pills, powders, liquids, or dried herbs. I recently used the herbs to make chicken soup for a friend suffering from PMS symptoms. You can find this pre-packaged mix at Asian stores—see my 1/17 post for a recipe!

Studies on SWT published in scientific journals present fascinating findings:

SKIN & LIVER IMPROVEMENT: in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, ingesting SWT for 6 months improved participants’ antioxidant levels and positively regulated the lipid profile, liver function, and skin integrity and texture

POSTPARTUM PAIN: according to a population-based correlational study, the bodily pain of postpartum women who used SWT was reduced by more than 10x those who did not

INFERTILITY: infertile women with ovarian follicular maldevelopment with an initial luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio of <1 saw this value return to normal and improved symptoms after taking SWT

CANCER CHEMOPREVENTION: prevention of oxidative damage by activating Nrf2-mediated detoxifying/antioxidant genes, suggesting that SWT might be an effective nontoxic agent for chemoprevention

SWT is traditionally taken at the end of the period for several days. It is generally considered safe, but consult a practitioner if you are suffering from specific issues.

Have you tried SWT? What has your experience been?

The main ingredient in this formulation is dehydrated Taihe silkie chicken soup, a well-known nourishing ingredient in Chinese medicine and a unique delicacy in Chinese cooking 🍗 Lab tests have indicated that Taihe chicken contains unique hormones, blue pigment, and amino acids which increase blood cells and hemoglobin, and collective clinical experience has demonstrated that Taihe chicken is particularly effective for treating women's disorders, such as infertility, excessive uterine bleeding, habitual miscarriage, and post-partum disorders.

The nourishing, tonifying qualities of the Taihe chicken soup is likely due to the unique natural conditions in Wushan, especially due to Wushan spring water which contains various minerals, according to research conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A recent study on the nutritional content of eggs also showed that vitamins B2, B6, D and E, calcium, and potassium content in silkie chicken eggs were significantly higher than those of regular chicken eggs 🥚 Silkie chicken eggs also had higher unsaturated fatty acids and lower cholesterol.

Other ingredients of Wuji Baifeng Wan include raw and steamed rehmannia, angelica root, cyperus, dioscorea, peony, and deer antler, and these tonifying ingredients directly complement the traditionally-recognized liver/kidney tonic properties of the Taihe chicken 🌿 Wuji Baifeng Wan is considered a non-toxic general formula.

Have you ever come across this formulation? If so, what’s been your experience? (I’ve found it to be remarkably effective and have been giving it to friends suffering from dysmenorrhea!)