Nourish Your Eyes with the Harmony of Chrysanthemum and Goji Berry Tea

In the realm of food as medicine, where nature’s bounty often holds remedies for various ailments, there exists a simple yet profoundly medicinal formula: Chrysanthemum and Goji Berry tea. This humble infusion, crafted from the essence of delicate flowers and the vibrancy of berries, encapsulates a wealth of medicinal properties, underscoring the remarkable potential of natural ingredients in fostering health and well-being.

The Elixir of Eye Health:

In traditional Chinese medicine, Chrysanthemum and Goji Berry tea holds a special place, especially in supporting eye health.

Chrysanthemum is prized for its cooling properties that help clear liver heat, reduce inflammation, and nourish yin energy. These qualities make it beneficial for soothing eye irritation, addressing dryness, and supporting overall eye health.

Goji berries are valued for their ability to nourish the liver and kidneys, promoting healthy vision. Rich in antioxidants, they protect against oxidative stress, while their tonifying properties support eye health by potentially preventing age-related issues and enhancing overall vitality. They also bring a delightful sweetness and a hint of tartness to the brew, complementing the chrysanthemum perfectly.

Benefits for the Eyes:

• Relieving Eye Strain: Long hours in front of screens or engaging in activities that strain the eyes can lead to discomfort. Chrysanthemum’s cooling properties may help ease these symptoms.
• Soothing Irritation: Chrysanthemum’s anti-inflammatory effects might aid in reducing redness, itchiness, or irritation in the eyes.
• Moisturizing Dry Eyes: TCM suggests that chrysanthemum can nourish the yin energy, potentially alleviating dryness in the eyes.
• Antioxidant Support: Goji berries, rich in antioxidants, might protect against age-related macular degeneration and oxidative stress.

Read on to discover the recipe

Revitalize Your New Year: Blooming Wellness with Rose Bud Teas

In the vibrant tapestry of Chinese medicine, the heart is linked to summer, and roses, symbols of love, uniquely resonate with this season, influencing both spiritual and physical aspects. Whether steeped in tea or inhaled through their fragrant essence, roses offer a dual nurturing effect, embodying a calming presence that aligns with the season’s energies while potentially supporting heart health in this holistic tradition.

So delight your senses and nurture your body with these two divine and revitalizing herbal tea options:

A Rose Bud, Longan, Goji Tea and its enhanced counterpart, the Rose Bud, Longan, Goji, and Red Date Infusion.

1. Rose Bud, Longan, Goji Tea: A Tranquil Beginning

A Symphony of Flavors and Ancient Healing

This soothing herbal infusion harmonizes the delicate fragrance of rose buds, the sweet allure of longan, and the nutritional richness of goji berries. In traditional Chinese medicine, each element holds its own therapeutic significance: read on

Great tips on how to eat for the seasons and your body type

In Chinese medicine everything we do is about creating a balance between yin and yang.

• Yin is seen as the shady part of the mountain, so it is cooling, moistening, and calming.
• Yang is seen as the sunny side of the mountain, so it is warming, drying, and active.

We can associate yin and yang with each season.

• Winter is yin as the weather is cold and we tend to spend more time indoors (yin place) doing quiet (yin) things. To keep balance we need to eat more yang (warming) foods. This includes food that have a warm temperature (cooked foods using long slow cooking styles) and foods that are inherently warming in nature such as adding ginger and cinnamon to winter meals.
• Spring is more yang, warm and active, compared to winter but more yin, cool, compared to summer. This is when we start to use shorter and lighter cooking styles and reduce the warming spices as the weather warms up.
• Summer … Read on

Warming winter job’s tears porridge

Porridge is a great warming way to start the day in winter but sometime you need a break from oats. Did you know that you can make porridge out of any grain you like – you can make Kasha (buckwheat porridge), rice porridge, millet porridge, quinoa porridge, teff porridge etc. Job’s tears also makes a delicious porridge.

Job’s tears is often called Chinese pearl barley but it is not actually a barley even though it looks a bit like a fat cousin of barley, a bit like buckwheat is not a wheat. Since it is not a barley it is gluten free and it also happens to be high in protein.

Job’s tears is also known as croix seeds, or yi yi ren in Chinese medicine and it is used to drain dampness which essentially means it can help with diarrhoea, oedema, foggy head, and joint pains. It is considered to be cooling so be sure to add some cinnamon and/or ginger when eating it in winter. You will find it easily in the Asian supermarkets and you can also use it to make soups or if you cook it as you would rice (it takes a little longer than rice to cook so be sure to add enough water) then don’t throw out the cooking water as it makes a great tea – add lemon juice and honey and you have a gluten free lemon barley water.

Pears are considered cooling, sweet and sour, and nourish your lungs and digestion. They can transform phlegm and as part of this lovely porridge they can nourish the yin of the body.

Cinnamon (Rou Gui) is very warming and so a great addition to your winter cooking. It is considered to warm and nourish not only your digestion but also your Heart, Kidney, and Liver. By warming the body it can improve circulation and relieve pain.

Ginger (Sheng jiang) is also wonderfully warming and another great addition to winter cooking. It is considered to warm and nourish your lungs and digestion which can help improve digestion and ease coughing.

Job’s tears Porridge 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup job’s tears (sweet, cooling, drain damp)
• Read on …

Tonifying Herbal Pear Soup

Autumn has arrived and the weather is cooling down. I love driving up to my clinic in the mountains and seeing the trees ablaze in reds and golds. Autumn is the season when we need to be looking after our lungs and supporting our immunity before the winter cold and flu season begins and pears are a staple in Chinese medicine for lung health.

This herbal pear tonic is a deliciously sweet, light, and soothing soup that is just the thing to sooth a chronic cough or a dry throat.

Ingredients 

• 4 pears, any variety, peeled, cored and cubed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 thin slices of fresh ginger chopped finely
• 2 tbsp goji berries
• 8 large red dates
• 4 slices of astragalus root
• 4 cups spring water
• Raw honey to taste
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste

Directions

Read on …

A nourishing breakfast for the warmer months

Spring is here and the weather will soon start to warm up. You know how much I love congee and porridge at any time of year but sometimes it just feels too hot to have a hot breakfast so what’s a good alternative?

Bircher Muesli is a nutritious breakfast option as the weather warms up. A lot of people love to have muesli for breakfast but eaten straight from the packet it can be bloating as it is hard to digest. Our bellies weren’t designed to eat raw grains.

Bircher muesli was originally developed by Swiss nutritionist Dr.Bircher-Benner in the 1900’s. The key to bircher muesli is the soaking overnight, to reduce indigestible phytic acids found in grains, improving the digestion and absorption of this nutrient-dense meal!

Rolled oats are a low GI whole grain, giving a slow release of energy, keeping you fuller for longer! The nuts and seeds provide essential fatty acids, proteins and nutrients, with all sorts of health benefits. If you would like to calculate the nutrient content of this breakfast have a look at the Australian Food Composition Database. I have also listed the Chinese dietetic benefits of some ingredients.

Ingredients … read more 

Nightshade free pasta sauce

I have Italian heritage so was raised on wonderful tomato-based pasta sauces that my nonna used to make. Unfortunately, I also grew up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I was fortunate to discover, in my 20’s, that nightshades were a big contributing factor to the aches and pains that I suffered. In giving up nightshades I found that I could also give up my anti-inflammatory medication.

What are nightshades you ask? Tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant, and capsicum all belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Why nightshades contribute to the aches and pains of arthritis is not clear as not everyone is sensitive to these foods. However, if you’ve tried everything else with little success there is no harm in giving up nightshades for a few months and seeing if you feel better. You can also try reading my article on 7 great tips for a pain-free arthritis this winter.  Giving up nightshades, however, posed a big question for me – what was I going to put on my pasta? Luckily I discovered this wonderful sauce in Aveline Kushi’s Complete guide to macrobiotic cooking for health harmony and peace. Not only is this sauce free of potentially inflammatory foods but it is filled with foods that are specifically anti-inflammatory. This is a delicious sauce to enjoy, even if nightshades are not an issue for you.

Ingredients … read more 

How will the year of the Dog affect your health?

The year of the Yang Earth Dog started on Feb 16, 2018, so what might this mean for you and your health this year?

Yin and Yang, and the 5 Phases play key roles in Chinese Medicine. Yin is often described as the shadow side of the mountain and is a cooling, calming, moistening energy. Yang is described as the sunny side of the mountain and is a warming, active, drying energy. The 5 phases (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood) have many correspondences within the body and the environment. These phases all work together to nourish one another or keep each other in check.

From this perspective the Dog corresponds with the Earth energy and the year 2018 also radiates the energy of Earth. This double earth energy will make this year feel very grounded, harmonious and stable. This will be a pleasant relief after last year’s conflicting metal and fire energy. Being a yang year, however, will ensure the year is not too dull.

Dog year: Symbolically the Dog represents loyalty, faithfulness and protection. You’ll notice that those who have dogs in their lives often sing the praises of the companionship and unconditional love that these animals offer. As dogs are historically pack animals you may find more opportunities arise for gatherings of family and friends. This may lead to the strengthening of those bonds and cultivating more meaningful relationships over the year, helping you feel safe and supported. You may feel a greater sense of community as people gather together to accomplish what can’t be done alone.

Inertia: The double earth energy of this year is represented by the mountain which in Feng Shui can be either seen as a symbol of protection when it lies behind or one of obstacles when it lies ahead. The main obstacle you may encounter this year is … read more 

What everyone should know about the wonders of Kudzu root

I love Kudzu! Kudzu root, also known as Japanese arrowroot, Ge Gen or Pueraria radix is a herb I always have in my kitchen cupboard as well as in my dispensary cupboard.

Not only is it very starchy so it can be used as a thickener in cooking but it has wonderful medicinal qualities too. Simply mix a tablespoon of powder in a little cold water to dissolve then add this paste to 1 cup of liquid and voila, you have a medicinal custard (recipe below as promised in my Christmas cake post) or thick medicinal sauce for your vegetables. It is a great substitute for cornstarch or arrowroot.

From a Chinese medical perspective, it is listed under the category of herbs that are cool and acrid and release the exterior which means it’s great when you have a cold – the sort that results in a fever, headache, and stiff or tight upper back and neck. Since it’s antispasmodic effect releases the muscles it has recently also been used to treat the headaches and dizziness than can accompany hypertension.

The primary organs it targets is the digestive system so it is great when you struggle with a dry mouth or thirst due to too much heat in your stomach. It is also very helpful for alleviating hot, smelly diarrhoea.

Kudzu root powder can be purchased at many health food stores or ordered online through companies such as Spiral foods.

Here are a few recipes you can enjoy …

Healthy, delicious fruit cake

Do you love fruit cake? Did you indulged in so much sickly sweet fruit cake over the Christmas season that you vow to never eat any again? Would you like to be able to enjoy something a little healthier during the year? This is the best fruit cake I have ever had and even friends who don’t particularly like fruit cake love this cake. I found this recipe at Russell’s Health Food store in Glebe many, many years ago and it has been a favourite for my family ever since. I hope you like it as much as my family does.

Recipe…