Replenishing Qi and Blood Deficiency- Food Therapy and Chinese Medicinal Herbs
Qi and blood deficiency, also known as Qi Xu and Xue Xu in traditional Chinese medicine, can manifest in women as dull, yellowish, and lackluster skin. If you experience these symptoms, it's time to replenish your Qi and blood. So how can you do that? Below are some recommended food therapy recipes and Chinese herbs that will nourish you from the inside out.
【Signs of Qi and Blood Deficiency】
1. Observe the skin
Healthy skin should be pale pink, radiant, elastic, and free of wrinkles and spots, indicating sufficient Qi and blood. On the other hand, rough, dull, dark, yellow, white, blue, or red skin with spots signifies poor physical condition and Qi and blood deficiency.
2. Examine the hair
Dark, thick, and smooth hair indicates ample Qi and blood. Dry, brittle hair that is yellow, white, or split-ended is a sign of Qi and blood deficiency.
3. Look at the eyes
Looking at the eyes actually refers to the color of the white part. If the eyes appear hazy, yellowish, or have blood vessels, it indicates Qi and blood deficiency. Eyes that can open wide at any time suggest sufficient Qi and blood. Conversely, large eye bags, dry eyes, and heavy eyelids indicate Qi and blood deficiency.
4. Feel the temperature of the hands
If your hands are warm throughout the year, it indicates sufficient Qi and blood. If your palms are warm, sweaty, or cold, it suggests Qi and blood deficiency.
5. Observe the ears
Healthy ears should have a faint pink color, be glossy, spotless, wrinkle-free, and full. If the ears appear dull, lack luster, have spots, or many wrinkles, it indicates Qi and blood deficiency.
【Food Therapy Recipes for Replenishing Qi and Blood】
1. Tremella Jujube Soup
Tremella, also known as the "poor man's bird's nest," has similar color, texture, and effects as bird's nest but is more affordable. Bird's nest is too nourishing and can easily lead to internal heat, while Tremella has a cooling and moisturizing effect. To make the soup, cook Tremella, dried longan, wolfberries, and jujubes together. This soup is not only delicious but also helps with breast enhancement, giving you a rosy complexion and a slender figure.
2. Black Glutinous Rice Blood-Nourishing Porridge
Black glutinous rice, jujubes, and longan are well-known blood-nourishing ingredients. Adding highly nutritious Chinese yam enhances its Qi and blood nourishing effects. Cook black glutinous rice, jujubes, longan, Chinese yam, and brown sugar together to make a porridge. Remember to drink it every month.
3. Angelica Jujube Pork Ribs
During seasonal transitions, the skin tends to become dry, rough, and itchy. You can use one pork rib, a suitable amount of wolfberries, 12 jujubes, and 4 slices of angelica. Wash the pork rib and place it in a clay pot, add wolfberries, jujubes, and angelica. You can also add some green onions and ginger slices. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until the pork ribs are tender. Season with salt and chicken essence. This combination of ingredients helps nourish Yin, moisturize dryness, and assist in skincare.
4. Beauty-Enhancing Blood-Nourishing Oatmeal
Soak walnuts, jujubes, and dried longan in water. Wash the oatmeal and pour it into a rice cooker with an appropriate amount of water. Cook it! Remember to check the time and switch to the porridge function once it boils. Add some brown sugar before serving.
5. Angelica Astragalus Black Chicken Soup
Wash the black chicken meat and cut it into pieces. Wash the angelica and astragalus as well. Put them all in a clay pot and add an appropriate amount of water. Cook over low heat until it's done. Season to taste. This soup has the dual effect of replenishing Qi and blood, solidifying the kidneys, and regulating essence. It is suitable for women with Qi and blood deficiency, kidney deficiency, irregular menstruation, light-colored and scanty periods, fatigue, shortness of breath, frequent dreams, insomnia, dizziness, and pale complexion.
6. Soybean Snow Pear Pig Trotter Soup
Drinking pear soup regularly is beneficial for women. Pears have long been known as the "king of fruits." Using snow pears to make soup can also help relieve coughs, moisten the lungs, and improve complexion. Drinking this soybean, snow pear, and pig trotter soup has significant effects on smooth skin, relieving hoarseness, and dry mouth. It can also lower blood pressure. Use 1 snow pear, 50 grams of soybeans, half a pig trotter, 3 slices of ginger, salt, and water. Remove any odor from the pig trotter by rinsing it with water, then cut it into pieces. Add cored and diced snow pear, soybeans, and a piece of ginger. Add enough water and bring it to a boil. Keep it boiling for 15 minutes over high heat, then simmer over low heat for another hour. The soup is ready. Adjust the seasoning with salt according to personal taste before drinking to nourish the blood.
【Chinese Medicinal Herbs for Replenishing Qi and Blood】
1. Tortoise Plastron
Tortoise plastron has a sweet and salty taste and a neutral nature. It belongs to the liver and kidney meridians. It is the shell of a tortoise from the Testudinidae family. It is processed into solid blocks through boiling and concentration. It has the effects of nourishing Yin, replenishing blood, and stopping bleeding. It is used for Yin deficiency and blood deficiency, hot flashes, bleeding, restlessness, kidney deficiency, lumbar pain, weak knees, abnormal uterine bleeding, and excessive vaginal discharge.
2. Goji Berries
Goji berries have a sweet taste and a neutral nature. They function to tonify the kidneys, nourish blood, improve eyesight, and promote hair growth. They are considered a good supplement for nourishing the liver and kidneys and have been hailed as a health-preserving treasure throughout history. The "Classic of Herbal Medicine" says, "Long-term consumption strengthens tendons and bones, keeps the body light and young, and enhances resistance to cold and heat." According to pharmacological research, goji berries can lower cholesterol levels and have an anti-atherosclerosis effect, making them suitable for preventing and treating hyperlipidemia, atherosclerotic hypertension, and coronary heart disease in the elderly.
3. Astragalus Root
Astragalus root tonifies Qi, raises Yang, nourishes essence, consolidates the surface, promotes diuresis, and reduces edema. It is suitable for spontaneous sweating, night sweats, edema, internal injury, fatigue, spleen deficiency, diarrhea, prolapse, and all conditions of Qi and blood deficiency. Astragalus root enhances the body's resistance and immune function, has a hormonal effect, and can also regulate blood pressure and solidify the surface to stop sweating. Boil 100 grams of it with chicken to make a soup and drink it every day. Astragalus root also has a diuretic effect and is suitable for diabetes patients. However, it should be avoided by those with symptoms of high fever, excessive thirst, and constipation.
4. Chinese Angelica
Chinese angelica has a sweet and slightly spicy taste and a warm nature. It belongs to the heart, liver, and spleen meridians. Chinese angelica contains volatile oil, sucrose, vitamin B12, vitamin A substances, ferulic acid, stearic acid, unsaturated oleic acid, linoleic acid, p-hydroxycoumarin, etc. It has the effects of nourishing blood, regulating menstruation, relieving pain, moisturizing dryness, and lubricating the intestines. It has the functions of regulating uterine contractions, protecting the liver, calming the mind, preventing vitamin E deficiency, and having antibacterial effects. It is commonly used for irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, excessive menstrual flow, blood deficiency headaches, dizziness, dry intestines, and difficult bowel movements.
5. Donkey-Hide Gelatin
Donkey-hide gelatin is made by boiling and refining black donkey skin with ingredients such as rock sugar. It has a sweet taste and a neutral nature. It has the effects of nourishing blood, stopping bleeding, moisturizing Yin, and regulating menstruation and pregnancy. It is a beloved nourishing treasure since ancient times. The "Water Classic" records, "Every year, boil gelatin and offer it as a tribute to the heavenly court." The "Compendium of Materia Medica" even considers donkey-hide gelatin a "sacred medicine." Along with ginseng and deer antler, it is known as the "Three Treasures" of Chinese medicine.
