Tonic Recipes

This delicious fish recipe with safflower (Hong hua) and black fungus (Hei mu er) supports healthy blood circulation, warms the body, and tonifies the Qi. It features grouper, which is rich in a wealth of nutrients that includes selenium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A, B6, B12, high-quality collagen, and polyunsaturated fatty acids that protect the lining of the blood vessels.

In recent years, many of us have likely experienced weariness and fatigue from so many rapid changes in our post-pandemic world. Here is a favorite family recipe to renew your energy reserves and provide a warm sense of optimism and strength!

With nutrient-dense eel and Astragalus at its core, this delicious recipe tonifies Qi, Blood and Yin, disperses wind and cold, drains damp, and strengthens bones. A perfect combination for prevention against wind, damp and cold patterns often seen in winter.

This recipe is suitable for those who often stay up late, work too much, and “burn the candle at both ends” which can result in a restless mind with sleep disturbance and possibly a difficult time focusing on the task at hand. In this recipe, Ling zhi is sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and slightly warm or neutral in temperature. It enters the Heart, Lung and Liver meridians and can replenish the Heart blood, calm the mind, and soothe the Liver. Ling zhi is helpful for restlessness, forgetfulness and physical and mental fatigue caused by Qi and Blood deficiency. Used long-term, it is supportive for the immune system and protects the body from everyday stress.

We've created a delicious Chicken & Chestnut soup! Easily purchased in their dried form, chestnuts are considered in TCM to be “fruit for the kidneys" because they are particularly warming to the lower back, kidneys, and knees. Huang Qi, being sweet and entering the Lung and Spleen channels, complements the recipe’s Qi tonification properties. Da Zao tonifies the Spleen and Stomach and, along with Sheng Jiang, rounds out the flavor in this delicious soup. This soup is very easy to make, and especially delicious and nutritious for kids!

We combine Huang Jing with its moderate tonifying properties with Quail, Dang Shen, and Huang Qi to form a delicious soup. This is an excellent recipe for those recovering from a long illness or a period of stress that has impacted the body's Zheng Qi.

Bone loss, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is mainly caused by insufficient Kidney Qi, with symptoms such as weak back, difficulty in standing for a long time, weakness of lower extremities, dark complexion, and dry teeth. Chinese medicine believes that bone health relies on the fullness of Kidney Qi, which nourishes the bone marrow. As such, tonifying Kidney Qi and Kidney Essence is vital to minimizing the progression of osteoporosis. This soup nourishes Yin and replenishes Yang, strengthens muscles and bones, and strengthens the waist and knees.

The days are getting shorter, colder and wet. Today is a perfect day for having a warm bowl of chicken soup. Mothers and grandmothers all over the world recommend, “Give ‘em some chicken soup!” Chicken soup with Chinese herbs is particularly warming and nourishing. Here’s a traditional recipe and demo of how to create this wonderful dish for your entire family.

Chinese herbal chicken soup is one of the best ways to strengthen the Qi and Blood to prepare for Autumn and Winter. Although the Chinese and Western views about when to eat chicken soup differ, both agree that chicken soup is a strong tonic to the system. Used in appropriate quantities, the herbs add complexity without making the soup taste medicinal. 

The meat in this recipe specifically calls for mature Pigeon (1+years old as opposed to squab). According to the Ben Cao Gang Mu《本草纲目》 (Compendium of Materia Medica), “meat can replenish the five internal organs, benefit the Middle, nourish vital energy, strengthen the bones, resist Cold and Heat, and reduce Heat.” In addition to replenishing Qi, it is also known to regulate menstruation. Pigeon meat is sweet, salty and neutral, entering the Liver and Kidney meridians, functioning to nourish the Kidneys and vital Qi, while also dispelling wind, and tonifying Jing / Essence and blood.

We're sharing a delicious and time-honored family recipe. It contains nutrients derived from pork and black chicken, as well as tonifying herbs to promote a woman’s optimal health during pregnancy.

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.

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.

Everyone can use a little Qi nourishment at this time of year, and this classic Chinese herbal chicken soup gives a well-rounded boost to the system. This recipe uses Mayway's USDA-certified organic herbs.