Chinese Traditional medicines always find the solution of balancing and restore, adjust in harmonies the Yin and Yang. Disharmonious of “heat”, “fluid”, “blood” and “qi” circulation within our body caused stagnation of heat affect the 5 organs system of lungs, liver, heart, stomach, and kidney.
As always, using “cooling” measure to treat the “heat” by home remedies method to reduce body heat. To determine what is the actual cause then gets the treatment with suitable remedies, or herbs by alternative medicine to restore and balance with physical, emotional and spiritual aspect.
Many Chinese herbs can treat and reduce body heat, to release the “fire” or “heatiness” and clean “heat” from the heart, stomach and liver. The causes of body heat can be aggravated by heat producing foods or drinks such as coffee, spicy food, sugar and strong heating and pungent spices, and alcohol. The excessive of heat arise in response to an acute feverish and illness. Some cooling food or herbs that is useful to remove of “body heat”.
This cooling herbal drink can be used to eliminate heat. The “Cooling” remedy such as "Mai Dong and Beetroot" cook it as soup or herb drink helps in recuperates deficiency-fire, and this herbs drink has the soothing and cooling effect to sedates heat in the heart nourishes lungs and stomach Yin. In TCM what is heat (fire) actually mean? Body heat (Fire) we normally called it “body heat or Fire”, the 6 external energies categories as Cold, Dampness, Dryness, Heat (Fire), summer heat and Wind, each of the influence varies throughout the day, month, from year to year by 4 seasonal.
Actually what causes pathogenic body heat? There are relatively influences and causes due to disharmony in Yin or Yang in the human body organ system. The human body 5 internal organ systems are the lungs, liver, heart, stomach, and kidney in channel.
The entire body system is interconnected and corresponds with the vital energies, which is the fundamental essential substance is composed by blood, energy (Qi), essence and body fluids. And the meridians or channel flows throughout the body.
It works in relationship to each of the other organs. The Yin and Yang together it creates a balancing and harmony with the whole body system. The Yin and Yang in human Organ, each of Yin organ is paired with a Yang organ like this:
Yin <<< >>>Yang
Heart <<< >>>Small Intestine
Spleen <<< >>>Stomach
Lungs <<< >>>Large Intestine
Kidney <<< >>>Urinary Bladder
Liver <<< >>>Gall Bladder
Pericardium <<< >>>San Jiao
Note:
San Jiao is translated as "triple heater," triple warmer (or three warmers)," and "triple burner," There are three "burning spaces":
The San Jiao has 3 “burning spaces”:
• Upper Burner (Shang Jiao) – corresponds to thoracic cavity, the space includes of Lungs, Heart and is associated with respiration.
• Middle Burner (Zhong Jiao) – corresponds to upper part of dorsal cavity, The space includes of Stomach, Spleen and is associated with digestion.
• Lower Burner (Xiao Jiao) – corresponds to lower part of the doarsal cavity. The space includes small intestine, large intestine, kidneys bladder and is associated with elimination.
The pathogenic body heat is either exogenous (internal) and endogenous (external) pathogenic influences. The Pathogenic heat due to body endogenous “the fire” invades the body; external pathogenic heat causes disease or illnesses by attacking human body through mouth, nose and skin.
When heat attacks the body, heat arises or excessive cause fever, thirst, headache, excessive perspiration and rapid pulse. Heat is one of the Yang pathogen, when Yang is pertains and the heat or in the case of high fever tends to consume and replenish Yin-fluid, when the body feels hot, and drive body fluid out of the body by sweating and extreme thirst, fever arise.
Likewise, when “Yin” in the present of excessiveness consumes “Yang” and “Yang” in the present of excessiveness consumes “Yin”. Yin photogenic is “Cold and Dampness heat”, Yang Photogenic is refer to “Dryness and Wind Heat”. In turn, Yin in excess will get “cold” syndromes, and Yang in access and causes “heat” syndromes.
When the Yin and Yang is impaired and the sensation of obvious symptom, due to impairment of body fluid similarly excessive of heat occurrence in body causes by “body heat”, high intake of hot spicy foods and hot foods caused heat (Fire), ingestion problem, restless sleep or insomnia due to pathogenic heat in the liver and gallbladder, heart and kidney can causes thirst and irritability.
If deficiency of Heart-Yin, the insomnia may occurrence, and feeling restlessness and feeling of heartburn, dry cough and mouth ulcer, the photogenic heat can leads to sickness usually feeling extreme thirst, such as mouth ulcer, sore throat, and bad breath. Besides, lack of Vitamin B, thus, they may be other reasons that caused in some cases.
The benefits of taking Beetroot with Mai Dong Herbs drink:
• It raises the effect of promotes saliva or body fluids and slakes thirst.
• Relieve of dry cough, mouth ulcer, dry mouth and sore throat
• Clear away heat in the heart, rid of phlegm heat,
• Improves of insomnia
• Relieve of hard stools and improve constipation problem.
Ingredients:
• Beetroot 25g
• Mai Dong 15g
• Brown sugar 15g
• 500ml of water
Method:1. Peel beetroot skin, wash and cut into smaller pieces.
2. Place water to boil and add in Beetroot and Mai dong to cook for 30 mins.
3. After decoction, the herbs are strained, take the water only, and add in brown sugar to serve warm.
Dosage: continue taking this herb drink for 3 days. Once daily
Alternatively, Mai Dong might be used for this purpose of treating those with hard stools and constipation may also try this to add a little bit of Mai Dong with Chrysanthemum (ju hua) make it as herbal Tea. Mai Dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) also known as Mai Meng Dong in Chinese, it is diuretic, expectorant, cardio tonic and tonifying properties. It nourishes the heart and detoxifies the liver, clears liver heat and disperses wind-heat of the body. This herbs tea is ideal for women suffer with night sweats and hot flush; add in wolfberries to it for better result.
Ingredients:Mai Dong – 10g
Chrysanthemum – 10g
Wolfberry (Goji) - Optional
Honey
Method:
• Wash and cook Mai Dong in boiling water for 15 mins.
• Turn the heat off and add in Chrysanthemum, and then pour all ingredients into infuser, and let is sit in simmer for 10 minutes or half an hour.
• Serve with honey (Optional)
Caution:
This is slightly laxative herbal tea. The dosage recommended by practitioners usually from 5 – 10g, combined with other herbs or foods decocted as herbal drink. Over-consumption may causes loose-motion, for those with spleen deficiency Yin may result in diarrhea form of stools. Take in moderation and consume it once a while as natural laxative herbal tea.
What is Mai Dong
Chinese Name: Mai Dong or Mai Meng DongScientific name: Radix Ophiopogonis, Ophiopogon root
Nature is cold and slightly sweet and bitter, non-toxic, usually use to treat injured fluid from deficient of Yin and get rid of heat. Use cooked Mai Dong in water as gargle to treat mouth infections, sore throat and ulcer.
The channel enters: heart, lungs and stomach.
The benefits of taking Mai dong is to improve immune system, anti bacteria, improve contraction of heart muscles, in folk medicinal used by Chinese home remedy for children as anti shock herbs, help improves toleration of lack of oxygen, moisture intestine for constipation and slightly laxative effect, It reduces damp heat in stomach, used as tonic. To sooth the throat especially to dry cough.
Caution when taking Mai Dong:
Do not used in cases of diarrhea, due to cold from deficiency and fluid retention, not compatible to cook with white fungus (bai Mu Er).
Dosage to use is about 6 to 15g.
In the meridians channel and human organ system, these refer to the aspect of meridians and human internal organ system which the food can act. Beetroot is heart healthy food that benefits heart and nourishes Yin invigorates the kidney. It is neutral food that balances Yin and Yang.
In Chinese traditional medicine it is been part of folk medicinal food as blood building food, stimulating effects on liver’s detoxification process. Also alternative medicine to treat mouth ulcer, Beetroot is high in vitamin B, and the magnesium assist with sleep as well. Lacking of vitamin B can also be the reason of causing restless sleep, mouth ulcer.
Use of fresh beetroot with Mai dong has revealed many amazing result of get rid body “stomach-heat” help relieve constipation and “heat in the heart” to improve the quality of sleep.
Beetroot also help in metabolism, it improve the quality of sleep for restless sleep people, and also mental health by elevate mood by the mood enhancing know as serotonin, which is the awaken hormone, serotonin is found in the brain and central nervous system, it is implications on behaviors, sleep and mood. Serotonin can be converted by the pineal gland into melatonin, melatonin is the sleep hormone, it is good to taking at night to improve restless sleep or insomnia, it sways the minor acid balance to improve and in favor of sleep. When heat is trapped in the heart, beetroot is a good alternative home remedy to treat stomach ulcer, dry cough and heartburn, and helps to cure persistent dry cough and harness of voice. There are many beverages and recipes when taken to eliminate heat:
• Drink more water or fluids intakes, like Vegetable or Fruit juices such as Lemon Juice, apple, celery, grapefruit and pear.
• Salad or Fruit Salad like Lettuce, mixed bean salad
• Herbal infusions or Tea such as Peppermint or Chrysanthemum
• Taking fruit mixed with Agar-agar or jellies, or Sea Bird Nest or Eucheuma Seaweed.
