Recipes

Have you ever wanted to make your own therapeutic ointments from Chinese herbs? Skye Sturgeon leads you through easy and straightforward, step by step instructions that teach you how to make Zi Yun Gao, a famous, over 350-year-old Chinese herb formula that’s applicable for a variety of skin conditions.

Congee is a nourishing and comforting porridge, regarded to be particularly beneficial for its recuperative properties, often enhanced with herbs for specific functions that are added to the porridge while cooking. Rice is considered a Qi and Yang tonic. This particular recipe nourishes the skin by tonifying the Blood, preserving Yin fluids and helping to heal skin that has been damaged from UV exposure.

Figs are one of the oldest cultivated crops throughout the world, and often said to be a symbol of peace, abundance and prosperity. Dried figs hold a special place in this delicious fall recipe, with heat clearing and moistening properties. Entering the Lung, Large Intestine and Stomach meridians, figs can promote the secretion of saliva to soothe a sore throat and dry cough, as well as being supportive to the functions of digestion and elimination.

Huang Bai Summer Soup is a simple and nourishing soup that is perfect to clear Summer Heat and strengthen the middle Jiao. Making use of the corn cob after cutting off the kernels, in combination with the sweet crispness of carrots and sharpness of dried ginger make for a balanced and nutrient-rich treat.

Five Flowers Tea, or Wu hua cha 五花茶 is a traditional Chinese folk tea, enjoyed especially during the summer months by Cantonese people in the hot and humid south. Sweet and slightly cold, its’ main TCM functions are to clear heat and toxins, drain dampness, promote urination, cool blood, and alleviate summertime wind-heat.

Zongzi are a traditional food during the Dragon Boat Festival. The story behind these dumplings started over a thousand years ago during the Warring States period, when there were seven kingdoms in China who were constantly battling for dominance.

A phonetic play on He 荷 “lotus” and He 和 “harmony”, this is a delicious, calming, and nourishing dish; a perfect treat for these tumultuous times! Steaming rice in dried lotus leaves infuses the rice with a smoky, roasted tea fragrance.

Rice congee, or porridge, is a traditional staple of Cantonese cuisine eaten in the morning hours, between 7-11 AM, when the Stomach and Spleen Qi are ready for nourishment, gently warming the digestive system and preparing us for the day’s opportunity. It is also a recuperative food that can be supportive to recovery following a long period of illness.

Two recipes that both support the lungs, but with different herbal functions. The first is Pear Bai Mu Er Soup - a delicately sweet herb soup known to lubricate dryness and eliminate mucus. The second is Tai Zi Shen Soup - a supportive tonic for recovery after illness or chronic exertion. Both delicious!

Reishi Mushroom, known as Ling Zhi in Chinese herbal medicine, is often categorized under herbs that "Calm the Spirit and Nourish the Heart." Our LIng Zhi soup recipe will nourish and calm while promoting lung qi, the middle jiao's digestive function, and supporting the Yin and blood.

A complex understanding of how the physical environment influences the human body is central to Chinese medical thought and is a hallmark of its’ sophisticated view of health and disease. From the early writings of the I Ching, The Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen, and the Shang Han Lun, Chinese physicians have been blessed by their understanding of how the body is influenced by the changing of the seasons, and the six environmental factors of wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and summer heat. The doctors of old understood that the negative influences of the environmental factors are counterbalanced by the Zheng or Upright Qi, which is comprised of proper levels of qi, blood, yin and yang, and the balanced functioning of the zang and fu organs. Today’s practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine evaluate these many factors to diagnose the cause and nature of the patient's illness and determine a path to healing. Read More

Special postpartum herbal soups and stews are nutrient-dense, easily digested and assimilated foods. They are used in traditional cultures around the world to help women with postpartum healing; to recover their energy stores, increase milk production, balance their hormones, and prepare for the full-time job of taking care of their newborn. Included recipe for mildly sweet pork and herb soup is perfect for the second week after birth when there is a focus on gently building Qi and Blood, nourishing Jing-essence, strengthening the Spleen, and restoring and holding the organs in their proper place.

Adzuki (sometimes spelled aduki) beans are the Chinese herb Chi xiao dou: sweet, sour and neutral to slightly cold, they drain dampness and heat from the body. When balanced with warming vegetables and spices, Chi xiao dou prevents the curry from being overly warming and helps the body drain excessive dampness, something commonly needed as we transition from winter to spring.

Cozy teas made with Pang Da Hai seeds and raw honey are a simple way to support your lungs and respiratory system. Pang Da Hai seeds open the Lungs and simultaneously clear phlegm and protect Lung fluids.

This delicious sauce is a great twist on the old Thanksgiving favorite. Shan Zha/Hawthorn fruit blends well with cranberries both in color and in taste, and is a great addition to prevent potential food stagnation arising from the heavy meal. Shan Zha’s strong ability to resolve food stagnation will enable your guests to more easily digest the big Thanksgiving meal and be ready for dessert!