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Chinese Medicine Clinic offers many types of herbs
for all different
conditions, including those needed for cooking herbal food.
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JING
Healthy Kidney Jing is vitally important
for fertility. It is the balanced path through life which helps to
conserve Jing. Jing is ultimately related to reproductive processes.
Food substances can enhance many different
levels of energy, including Jing. Eggs of birds, such as chickens or
ducks, are one of nature’s most complete protein food packages and
represent a type of Jing themselves. Fish eggs or roe are a form of Jing
themselves and provide useful food if we wish to nourish our own Jing.
Caviar may be precious not just because it is so rare and expensive but
also because it is such a marvelous Jing tonic.
Seeds and nuts contain not only fertilized
germ cells but also supplies for the immediate nutritional requirements
of the potential new plan for Jing nourishment.
Bone marrow can be used to make a
particularly good Jing-strengthen soup. Oysters bolster Jing by
delivering essential minerals like zinc to the sperm-manufacturing
cells. Seaweed and algae are plant products that nourish Jing by
providing trace elements which are necessary for many processes in the
body, including the production of the gametes and the hormones which
control their development.
Additional foods that have a special
effect of Jing are artichoke leaf, nettles and oats.
YIN
The Yin energy of the body is the
internal, quiescent, restorative and moistening force to balance Yang’s
more outward, active, stimulating and warming force. Yin reflects
anabolic activities (synthesizing and storing) and Yang reflects
catabolic (energy-producing) activities.
Yin-deficient women, especially older one
find getting and staying pregnant a challenge. Their juices are dried-up
– they have little fertile mucus to carry the sperm safely into the
uterus, and the lining of the uterus can be thin. The development of the
egg too is compromised if the Yin is inadequate. And men are not immune
from the damaging effects of the Yin-hungry lifestyle; internal Heat
which develops as a result of Yin deficiency can have very dire
repercussions for the development and maturation of sperm. Yin can be
nourished and rebuilt by attention to inner calm.
Yin can be damaged by chronic dieting and
by the use of recreational drugs.
Diets composed of foods which are rich in
nutrients and not overly stimulating are those which nourish Yin. A diet
of fruits and vegetables and adequate protein (especially fish and tofu)
is one which fortifies the Yin. On the other hand, drinking too much
coffee and eating very spicy food can consume Yin. More food
recommendations are barley; millet; string beans; asparagus; all
dark-colored beans; dark fruits like blackberries, mulberries and
blueberries; seaweeds; and animal products including fish eggs, duck and
pork.
YANG
A Yang-deficient body is one without
enough driving or warming energy, so that metabolism and mental
processes become sluggish. The body and limbs easily feel cold and
lethargic, and modification and assertiveness flag. As much as Yin needs
rest and a quiet mind to regenerate itself, Yang needs movement and
stimulation to feed it. Providing there is a good Yin base, and activity
and stimulation are appropriate for the circumstances, Yang will benefit
from activity and physical exercise.
Yang benefits from a diet that is warming,
eating foods which are nutrient or calorie-rich such as protein or
carbohydrate and eating foods which have been cooked. Avoiding ice-cold
drinks and foods like ice cream. Cooking foods like fruits can reduce
their cooling nature and addition of some spices like ginger, shallots
or cinnamon can increase Yang Qi in foods. Very hot spices like cayenne
and chili certainly add Heat to food and in moderation can be helpful in
raising a sluggish metabolism. When very pungent spices are eaten a lot
they can have the opposite effect, becoming cooling, because they
provoke sweating.
For the person with weak Yang Qi, a diet
of raw and Cold foods can quickly douse the inner Fire, creating
problems of Spleen and Kidney Yang deficiency. This will manifest
firstly as digestive symptoms such as bloating and loose stools. If this
situation continues, it can start to mimic a chronic food allergy
picture where many foods become difficult to digest and stamina and
mental concentration are affected.
Recommended foods to add would be garlic,
onion, chicken, lamb, trout, salmon, lobster, shrimp, prawn, mussel,
black beans, walnuts, chestnuts, pistachio, raspberry and quinoa.
QI
A diet of varied fresh and tasty food
eaten in an unhurried and regular daily routine will benefit the Spleen
Qi and ensure its capacity to transform the nutrients in food into the
myriad molecules which are required for all the thousands of biochemical
processes which occur every moment in every organ and tissue.
Drinking warm water with a little lemon or
lime juice to add a sour flavor is a useful Liver Qi invigorating start
to the day. The diet should include some with sweet, some with bitter
and some with pungent flavors. The sweet flavor is found in root
vegetables and grains and these usually form the base of a meal. If
eaten in excess, however, they can create stagnation. Bitter leaves like
arugula or watercress help digestion and pungent foods like onions,
garlic, coriander or chives also help digestion and Qi movement.
BLOOD
Foods which build Blood best are meats and
poultry, and especially stocks and soups made from bones. Such stocks
provide Blood-fortifying bone marrow and also calcium forms the bones.
Small amounts of meats which have been marinated before cooking or
stewed in casseroles for a long time will provide rapid nourishment to
the Blood. Egg yolk and legumes also help to nourish the Blood, as do
grains, green leafy vegetables, and beetroots.
Food which are obviously heating and
stimulating, like chili, pepper and coffee, can contribute to Heat in
the Blood, as can alcohol and spirits. Heat is not conductive to the
development of good-quality sperm or eggs or a thick endometrium.
To allow the Blood to flow freely during
the periods, sour, astringent foods should be avoided. If consumed in
excess, such foods can inhibit or temporarily stop the flow. During the
period, vinegar and pickles, some sour fruits like grapefruits and
gooseberries and sour yogurt should be limited or avoided. In general,
very fatty foods are not advisable because they slow the blood and make
it thicker and easier to stagnate.
PHLEGM-DAMP
Phlegm-Damp creates an internal
environment of congested and stagnant fluids. Excess mucus forms in the
gastrointestinal tract and bowel movements become sluggish and unformed.
In terms of fertility we are concerned
mostly with congested or stagnant fluids blocking the cervix
(pathological vaginal discharges or inflammation) or the tubes (mucus
and inflammation), or affecting the ovaries (cysts) or the uterine
lining (excess secretions). Damp in men can contribute to impotence,
prostatitis, discharges from the penis or thick congealed semen – all of
which have an affect on sperm.
Poor eating habits or poor digestive
function allows accumulation of Phlegm-Damp. A diet which is unlikely to
create Phlegm-Damp is one which has few fatty rich foods and includes
foods which help to mobilize fluids and break up congestion.
Reducing intake of fatty meats, dairy
products, sweets (especially chocolate and ice cream), bread and fried
foods is important. Dairy products are one of the main dietary culprits
for many Westerners. Some studies relate the inability to digest dairy
products or overconsumption of dairy products to impaired ovarian
function.
A diet based on aromatic rice (and some
millet and barley) with the addition of broad beans, chickpeas and
especially, adzuki beans will support the Spleen and drain Damp.
