There is a saying: "A mute person eats bitter herbs, but cannot express their suffering." Although bitter, Huanglian is a nemesis of diabetes. Moreover, Huanglian can clear heat, detoxify, and relieve fire.
I: Analysis of the Medicinal Taste of Huanglian
Huanglian is the dried rhizome of the plants Coptis chinensis, Coptis teeta, or Coptis deltoidea of the Ranunculaceae family. It is mostly cultivated and mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Hubei. It is harvested in autumn, with the roots and mud removed, and then dried. It can be used raw or stir-fried, roasted with ginger juice, wine-roasted, or boiled in Evodia water.
Taste: Bitter, cold
Meridians: Heart, spleen, stomach, gallbladder, large intestine
Efficacy: Clearing heat, drying dampness, relieving fire, detoxifying
Main Uses: Used for damp-heat distension, vomiting, acid reflux, diarrhea, jaundice, high fever and delirium, excessive heart fire, restlessness and insomnia, hot blood spitting, red eyes, toothache, thirst, abscesses, boils; externally used for eczema, wet sores, purulent discharge from the ear.
II: Medicinal Recipes with Huanglian
1. Huanglian Winter Melon Drink
[Method] Take 1 winter melon and 250g of Huanglian. Cut off the top of the winter melon and remove the seeds, then add the ground Huanglian. When the Huanglian is cooked, strain out the juice. Take one cup each time, and take it twice or three times a day, with two or three melons.
[Effects] Suitable for polydipsia and polyuria in diabetes.
2. Huanglian Stone Liver Porridge
[Method] Take 10g of Huanglian, 30g of shijie, 50g of tianhuafen, 100g of rice, and appropriate amount of duck broth. Put Huanglian, shijie, and tianhuafen in a pot with enough water, boil it with high heat, then simmer it with low heat for 30 minutes, remove the residue and take the juice. Then put the rice in the pot, add the medicinal juice, cook until the rice is cooked, add the duck broth, and boil it again. Take it in the morning and evening.
[Effects] It has the effects of clearing the stomach, relieving fire, generating body fluids, and relieving thirst. It is suitable for diabetes patients with symptoms of dry mouth, thirst, and constipation caused by excessive stomach heat.
3. Huanglian Winter Melon Lily Soup
[Method] Take 5g of Huanglian, 30g of winter melon seeds, and 15g of Ophiopogon japonicus. Decoct them in water and take it orally.
[Effects] Suitable for diabetes patients with thirst and polyuria.
4. Huanglian Chinese Yam Pork Rib Soup
[Method] Take 10g of Huanglian, 25g of Chinese yam, and 100g of pork ribs. Cook the soup and eat the meat and drink the soup.
[Effects] It can clear heat, dispel dampness, and nourish the spleen and kidneys. It is suitable for diabetes patients with symptoms of thirst, polyuria, and easy hunger.
III: The Legend of Huanglian
According to legend, there was an old Chinese medicine doctor in the Daba Mountains of Sichuan. He was skilled in medicine and often treated the people's illnesses. He had a medicinal garden and grew hundreds of herbs. He hired a young man named Huanglian as his assistant.
One winter, Huanglian discovered some grass on the hillside that looked like chamomile. The grass had small yellow flowers and was very lovely in the cold wind. He transplanted it into the medicinal garden. One day, the doctor's beautiful and clever daughter suddenly developed a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and even pus and blood in her symptoms. The doctor examined her pulse and treated her, but there was no improvement and he didn't know what to do. Huanglian suddenly remembered that a few days ago, he had a severe sore throat and happened to pick some of the unknown grass and chewed on it. Although it was very bitter, his sore throat healed soon after. So, he quickly dug up a plant from the medicinal garden and boiled it in water to make a juice for the girl to drink. In the afternoon, the girl's condition improved, and she took the medicine twice more, and her illness was completely cured. The doctor learned that this unknown herb was transplanted by Huanglian from the mountain, so he named it "Huanglian" and promised to marry his beloved daughter to Huanglian.
It is said that the song "Huanglian Marriage" is still popular in the Daba Mountains: "Good medicine tastes bitter, count Huanglian. Green flowers compete for beauty in January. Clearing heat, detoxifying, and curing stubborn diseases. Bitterness turns into sweetness and forms a happy marriage."
