Thyroid function and fertility are interrelated. It is estimated that 40% of the population is thyroid deficient. Meanwhile, more women are experiencing fertility issues, particularly as many postpone marriage and childbearing and encounter the stresses of labor force participation. Continue reading »
In Chinese Medicine, all treatments ultimately aim at either tonifying Yin (fluids) or Yang (fire) or diminishing excessive Yin or Yang.
Qi and Yang tonics work in pairs…for the spleen and kidneys. Qi tonics nourish the spleen/stomach and digestion. Yang tonics help create heat and digestive fire, which addresses chronic fatigue, sugar cravings, and when feeling cold. Pair Qi and Yang foods to foster heat for individuals with cold digestion and cold conditions.
Blood and yin tonics work in pairs to promote fluids (particularly appropriate in conditions of excess heat and/or dryness).
Qi and Blood nourish each other. Qi warms, protects, transforms, while blood nourishes and moistens.
Qi
Beef, cherry, chicken, coconut, date, fig, ginseng, goose, grape, lentil, licorice, micro-algae, molasses, oats, potato, rice, royal jelly, sweet potato, shitake mushroom, squash, tofu, tempeh, yam
Yang
Basil, chestnut, cinnamon bark, clove, dill seed, fennel seed, fenugreek seed, garlic, ginger (dried), kidney, lamb, lobster, nutmeg, raspberry, rosemary, sage, savory, shrimp, star anise, thyme, walnut
Blood
Aduki bean, apricot, beef, beetroot, bone marrow, chicken egg, dandelion, dark leafy greens, date, dandelion, dang quai, fig, grape, kidney beans, liver, micro-algai, nettle, oyster, parsley, sardine, spinach, sweet rice, watercress.
Yin
Apple, asparagus, cheese, chicken egg, clam, crab, duck, honey kidney bean, lemon, malt, mango, milk, oyster, pear, pineapple, pomegranate, pork, rabbit, string bean, tempeh, tomato, watermelon, yam.
Qi Circulation
Basil, caraway, cardamom, carrot, cayenne, chive, clove, coriander, dill seed, garlic, marjoram, orange peel, radis, star anise, turmeric
Blood Circulation Amasake, eggplant, chestnut, chili pepper, chive, crab, hawthorn berry, onion, peach, scallion, vinegar
Disturbed Shen (Qi and Blood deficient, Qi & Yang def; Blood stagnation; phlegm). Brown rice, cucumber, apples, cabbage, wheat germ, kudzu, wild blue-green algae, apple cider vinegar.
According to Chinese Five-Phase Theory, the organs systems of the body are associated with seasonal energies, colors, foods, and emotions and moods. Consuming too much or too little of a food associated with an organ system, or its “mother” or “controlling” element can lead to imbalance. See Five Phase Theory. The interrelationships outlined in Five-Phase Theory are another way to approach the general concept of balance and harmony. Based on centuries of careful observation by traditional Chinese healers, these relationships offer much wisdom, particularly as we study them over time.
Lungs:
Carrots, cinnamon twig, button mushrooms, duck, garlic, ginger, ginseng, grapes, onion, honey, licorice, olives, pears, peppermint.
Heart:
Egg yolk, cinnamon twig, mung beans, red pepper, adzuki beans, saffron watermelon, wheat.
Spleen/Stomach:
Barley, black soybean, carrot, chestnuts, chicken, cinnamon bark, clove, cucumber, dates, dill, fig, garlic, ginger, grape, grapefruit peel, fennel, honey, kelp, licorice, lamb, mung beans, nutmeg, olives, pear, rice, shitake mushrooms, squash, string beans, sweet basil, wett ice, wheat.
Kidneys:
Black sesame seeds, black soybedan, caraway seed, chestnuts, egg yolk, chives, cinnamon bark, cloves, dill, duck, fennel, grape, grapefruit peel, lamb, plums, anise, string beans, walnuts, wheat.
Liver:
Black sesame seeds, celery, chicory, chives, corn silk, crab, leek, peppermint, plum, saffron, anise, vinegar, lemons.
Small Intestine:
Adzuki beans, salt
Large Intestine:
Black pepper, Chinese cabbage, corn, cucumber, fig, honey, lettuce, nutmeg, rice bran, salt, sweet basil, yellow soybean.
Bladder:
Cinnamon bark, cinnamon twig, fennel, grapefruit peel (tea), watermelon, corn silk
Gall Bladder:
Chicory, corn silk
Source: Healthy Living Center and Pathways4Health.org
Mushrooms…Tonics For Energy, Immunity, and to Help Relieve Chronic Disease
Mushrooms, unlike other plants that are rich in chlorophyll that use sunlight to create food, live on organic matter, such as decaying trees and plant matter. Because mushrooms scavenger for decaying matter, they act in an associated way in the body to draw out toxins, including excess mucus and blood triglycerides.
Mushrooms are low in calories and high in vegetable proteins, as well as being packed with such nutrients as iron, zinc, fiber, amino acids and a variety of vitamins and minerals. The medical mushrooms described below contain polysaccharides that have strong anti-viral properties, stimulate the immune system, and inhibit the growth of tumors. Mushrooms contain glutamic (similar to MSG) to enrich and complement with a hearty flavor many foods.
To read this newsletter in its .pdf form, click here to download the file: February 2010 Newsletter. Thank you.
Housebound in the frigid, snowy days of winter, I often think of starting up a long-simmering bone stock to fill the house with welcoming aromas. Winter is the perfect season to awaken the senses and nourish the body by making bone stocks. Hearty stocks can be sipped alone to boost the immune system and as an antidote to colds and the flu, or they can be used in cooking to add depth, flavor, and nutrition to your favorite recipes. Making stocks,1 especially time-consuming bone stocks, is a bit of a lost art in modern times, and yet it is one of the very best health investments we can make.
I confess that I did not always feel this way. For years, the pages of the “stock-broth” chapter of my cookbooks stayed pristine and unexplored. Why bother? Stocks seemed like such a time-consuming, needless step in meal preparation.
Read this newsletter in its .pdf form (click here) or continue below…
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- A stock is a liquid in which foods have been simmered and, when removed, leave behind in the liquid their flavor and mineral nutrition. Stocks are one of the best, easy-to-absorb ways to enrich your body with minerals. [↩]
Mushrooms are low in calories and high in vegetable proteins, as well as being packed with such nutrients as iron, zinc, fiber, amino acids and a variety of vitamins and minerals. The medical mushrooms described below contain polysaccharides that have strong anti-viral properties, stimulate the immune system, and inhibit the growth of tumors.
Astragalus…for energy and resistance to colds, flu, fatigue and disease. Helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, and especially good for the respiratory system. Boosts white blood cells for fighting disease. Contains 19 amino acids, flavonoids, folic acid, and trace minerals, including selenium.Codonposis…for energy and to support digestion and metabolism.
Don Quai…a blood tonic. Endocrine imbalances, headaches, pain from surgery and traumatic injury. Helps control candida. And aid in cancer therapy. High in B vitamin.
Goji Berries…anti-aging, boosts the immune system, for healing and stamina. Great anti-oxidant…richest source of carotenoids.