The Efficacy and Function of Clam Flowers
In the park, I saw clam flowers dotted on the hillside. The purple bracts were filled with small white flowers, just like pearls in clam shells. Against the green leaves and purple undersides, they were beautiful and caught my attention. These clam flowers reminded me of my childhood. At that time, we lived in a rented apartment building with four separate units. Each family liked to grow flowers and plants on their balconies. The Zhou family, who lived in the south wing on the third floor, had two pots of clam flowers. They told their neighbors that clam flowers had medicinal uses. Boiling lean pork with clam flowers could treat diseases such as coughing up blood and bloody stools. Clam flower soup could clear the lungs and transform phlegm, and it could treat lung damage and vomiting blood. As a result, clam flower soup became a common dish in our homes. As a child, I didn't know if clam flower soup was effective or not, I just thought it was clear and didn't have the strong medicinal smell of herbal soups, so I liked drinking clam flower soup. Now, looking at those tiny clam flowers, I remember the friendly relations of the past. I remember when I was a child, we called clam flowers "mother orchids" because the tiny flowers hidden in the bracts looked like a mother holding a child. Although clam flowers don't have the fragrance of orchids or the splendor of peonies, they have a special personality...
The Efficacy of Clam Flowers:
Clears heat, transforms phlegm, cools blood, stops diarrhea. Used for lung dryness and cough, hemoptysis, whooping cough, lymph node tuberculosis, dysentery, and bloody stools.
Clam flowers are also called purple orchids, purple-backed evergreens, purple blooms, purple orchids, red-faced generals, blood sorrow, clam flowers, clamshell flowers.
Purple-backed evergreens have shiny green leaves and deep purple undersides. The white flowers are wrapped in two river clam-like purple sepals, resembling a baby's cradle. They are common potted foliage plants suitable for decorating family balconies, rooms, and public places such as reception rooms, dining carts, and cafeterias.
Clam flowers are used as medicine with their flowers and leaves. They can be harvested all year round, used fresh or dried, or steamed for about 10 minutes and then dried. They have the functions of clearing heat, transforming phlegm, cooling blood, and stopping diarrhea. They are mainly used to treat lung dryness and cough, hemoptysis, whooping cough, lymph node tuberculosis, dysentery, and bloody stools.
The Efficacy and Function of Clam Flowers
[Properties and Channels] Sweet, tasteless, cool.
[Dosage and Administration] 1-2 liang of fresh leaves, or 20-30 dried flowers.
[Comments from Experts]
"Lingnan Medicinal Plants": Treats bloody stools, hemoptysis, and boils pork soup. Treats bloody dysentery by boiling in water and drinking.
"Traditional Folk Herbal Medicine in Fujian": Clears blood, relieves fever, stops bleeding, and treats dysentery."
"Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine" II: Stops cough, removes phlegm fire. Treats lung damage and vomiting blood, phlegm fire core.
[Indications, Dosage, and Administration]
Lung damage, coughing up blood, bloody stools: 20-30 dried flowers, appropriate amount of lean pork, decocted in water and taken orally;
Nosebleeds: 20-30 dried flowers, appropriate amount of pig nose, decocted in water and taken orally;
Phlegm fire core: 20-30 dried flowers, decocted in water and taken orally;
Lung dryness and cough: 20-30 dried flowers, 5-6 honey dates, decocted in water and taken orally;
Used in combination for infantile accumulation, green veins, and bloated stomach.
Prescriptions of Clam Flowers:
(Treatment for infantile bloated stomach) 10 clam flowers, 1 qian of Liao Diao bamboo, 5 fen of dried tangerine peel, decocted in water and taken orally.
(Explanation) Abdominal lumps are called "bloated stomach" (also known as clam) and are generally believed to be caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis. Therefore, the three qi-regulating herbs in the prescription are used to relieve stagnation. Liao Diao bamboo also has the function of removing stasis and toxins, making it a prescription for qi regulation, blood stasis, and resolving stagnation.
Appendix: (Leaves) used for clam sores (vulvar sores), fresh leaves, mashed with sugar and applied to the affected area; also used with clam flowers and boiled lean pork for oral administration.
(Song of the Prescription) For infantile bloated stomach, use clam flowers, Liao Diao bamboo, dried tangerine peel, mash with sugar, use clam flowers to boil lean pork, apply externally and take internally for effective results.
Dietary Use of Clam Flowers
Three Snow Clam Flower Lean Pork Soup
Ingredients:
250g of lean pork, 4 snow pears, 60g of snow fungus, 30g of snow clam paste, 60g of clam flowers.
How to make the Three Snow Clam Flower Lean Pork Soup, and how to make it delicious.
(1) Soak the snow clam paste in water for 5 minutes until it turns white, remove impurities, wash, and boil in boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove and drain. Rinse the lean pork, cut into pieces; wash the snow pears, cut into 4 pieces with the skin still on, remove the core; soak the snow fungus in water until it expands, wash, and pick small pieces; wash the clam flowers.
(2) Put the snow pears, snow fungus, clam flowers, and lean pork into a pot. Add enough water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for 1 hour. Add the snow clam paste and simmer for another hour. Season and serve.
Introduction and Features of Three Snow Clam Flower Lean Pork Soup
Clears and nourishes the lungs, transforms phlegm, and stops coughing. When the lungs are dry and hot, symptoms include dry throat with thick and yellow phlegm or dry cough without phlegm; or lung yin deficiency with prolonged coughing, red phlegm. It can also be used for lung tuberculosis with coughing up bloody phlegm, hot flashes, restlessness, and lymphadenitis. This soup combines lung clearing and lung nourishing effects. The "three snows" in the soup are sweet and nourishing to the lungs. Among them, snow clam paste nourishes lung yin and moisturizes lung dryness, making it a commonly used product for long-term cough due to yin deficiency. Snow pears are cool and can clear and nourish lung dryness and stop coughing, and they can also generate body fluids and quench thirst, making them a commonly used fruit for dry and hot coughs and heat injuries that damage body fluids. Snow fungus nourishes yin and moisturizes the lungs and can nourish lung yin. Clam flowers, also known as clam orchids, have a sweet and cool nature. They have the functions of clearing the lungs, transforming phlegm, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding. "Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine" says it can "clear blood, relieve fever, stop bleeding, and treat dysentery." "Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine" says it can "stop cough, remove phlegm fire, treat lung damage and vomiting blood, and phlegm fire core." The "Lingnan Medicinal Plants" believes that boiling clam flowers with pork can "treat bloody stools, hemoptysis." Lean pork has the function of nourishing yin and moisturizing dryness. When combined together, they work together to clear the lungs, moisturize the lungs, and nourish the lungs.
Clam Flower Lean Pork Soup
Ingredients: 30g of clam flowers (also known as clam orchids), 150g of lean pork, a pinch of salt.
Method:
Boil clam flowers and lean pork with water, season with a pinch of salt. Drink the soup and eat the ingredients.
Note: This soup has the function of clearing the lungs, transforming phlegm, moisturizing dryness, and stopping cough. It is mainly used to treat lung tuberculosis with coughing up blood.
Lean meat does not mean low fat
Lean meat does not mean low fat, eating too much of it will increase the intake of fat in the body. Therefore, eating lean meat should also be moderate and not excessive, especially lean pork should not be eaten too much.
