People are now transitioning from treating diseases to preventing them, and many people are starting to take medicinal porridge. Medicinal porridge is often used for nourishing and preventing diseases, with slow effects and a focus on nourishing and preventing. It has the functions of health preservation and nourishment, and should be used according to certain principles.
1. Prevention and treatment of diseases
Medicinal porridge is made by boiling medicine and rice together. The medicine plays a role in treating diseases, while the rice supports the spleen and stomach. The two work together and complement each other, achieving good results. For example, "Artemisia and Atractylodes Porridge" in the "Porridge Recipes" has the function of clearing dampness and heat and reducing jaundice, suitable for acute icteric hepatitis. The prescription contains Artemisia and Atractylodes to reduce jaundice and rice porridge to support the spleen, combining clearing and tonifying effects and reducing the disadvantages of bitterness and coldness that may harm the stomach. In addition, the Longan Meat Porridge for treating palpitations not only nourishes the heart and calms the mind, but also stimulates the appetite and invigorates the spleen with red dates and glutinous rice, achieving the effect of nourishing the spleen and benefiting the heart. The Thoroughwax Porridge for treating edema promotes urination and water elimination, but Thoroughwax has a mild toxicity and should be avoided by those with weak stomach qi. However, when used together with glutinous rice to make porridge, it can protect the stomach qi and achieve the goal of tonifying the body and eliminating water.
Using medicinal porridge for disease prevention also has advantages that cannot be achieved by using Western medicine alone. For example, radish porridge is used to prevent hypertension; lychee porridge prevents bad breath; corn porridge prevents cardiovascular diseases; mung bean porridge prevents heat stroke; and coix seed porridge prevents malignant tumors. These medicinal porridges are suitable for people of all ages, easy to take for a long time, not limited by the duration of treatment, and have few side effects.
2. Adjunctive therapy
In the normal treatment of acute illnesses, if appropriate medicinal porridge is used as adjunctive therapy, it can greatly enhance the effectiveness and accelerate the recovery from the disease. For example, when treating a cold, in addition to taking antipyretic and analgesic drugs, it can be supplemented with platycodon porridge and fermented soybean porridge to induce sweating and promote the recovery from the cold. Likewise, bamboo leaf porridge, dried ginger porridge, plum blossom porridge, and Artemisia and Atractylodes porridge are all effective remedies for treating acute illnesses. They can be used alone or as adjunctive therapy to promote early recovery from the disease.
3. Post-illness recuperation
After illness, or in the case of chronic diseases that do not heal for a long time or the late stage of acute illness, due to a weakened immune function and decreased resistance, recovery may not be quick. In response to different conditions of patients, different medicinal porridges can be used with ideal effects. For example, the "Dietary Recipes for Recovery from Illness" states that "porridge is the best for patients after childbirth." It points out that during the recovery period or after childbirth, the overall bodily functions are weakened and the digestive ability of the stomach and intestines is weakened. At this time, using medicinal porridge to regulate the functions of the organs is more stable than using medicine alone. For example, for patients with yin deficiency after illness, sugarcane porridge and Ophiopogon porridge can be used; for postpartum blood deficiency, fleeceflower root porridge and Chinese angelica porridge can be used; for post-illness qi deficiency, ginseng porridge and astragalus porridge can be used. They have been used to treat chronic nephritis with good results in eliminating protein and improving overall symptoms. It can be seen that combining rice porridge with medicine is beneficial for adjusting the functions of the body organs, correcting the excessive or deficient Yin, Yang, Qi, and blood, and promoting post-illness recuperation and early recovery.
4. Health preservation and self-nourishment
After middle age, physiological functions will decline to varying degrees. If the body is not well, many people tend to use tonics, but improper use of tonics can often increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, or even backfire. If appropriate medicinal porridge is selected and regularly consumed, it can delay organ aging, control the aging process, and prevent the occurrence of diseases, achieving the purpose of health preservation and self-nourishment. Among the rich medicinal porridge materials in traditional Chinese medicine, many medicines are anti-aging, such as wolfberry, ginseng, astragalus, and fleeceflower root.
Some Chinese medicines are very beneficial for preventing the formation of age-related diseases. For example, hawthorn can prevent hyperlipidemia and hypertension; winter melon can prevent obesity; and arborvitae seed can prevent constipation in the elderly. Zou Hong, a medical expert in the Yuan Dynasty, pointed out in the "New Book of Longevity and Filial Piety" that "elderly people are tired of medicine and prefer food. Using food to treat diseases is better than using medicine. When food treatment is not appropriate, then medicine is needed." Through clinical practice by medical experts throughout the generations, regular consumption of medicinal porridge does have the effect of health preservation and self-nourishment. As the poet Lu You said, "Everyone learns how to live long, but fails to realize that long life is right before their eyes. I have found a simple method, which is to eat porridge to become immortal."
