Burdock Root ~ My wonder Purify Tea

For me, keeping up-to-date with my blog this may seem a bit harder nowadays, almost a month I haven’t updated my natural healing blog due to my busy work schedules and Chinese New Year festive season. K, Not more excuses, just one word, LAZY!

 The Burdock Root slice Tea

Lately taking too much of heavy meals and all the junk foods during CNY. I think a cup of detoxify tea is needed. My Taiwanese friend bought me a CNY gift ~ Burdock root Tea in dried form from Taiwan. Perhaps it is one of the best natural health teas, and it comes in the right moment for me to aids digestion and liver cleanse.

Usually Burdock root is used in culinary for cooking soup, like making 5 elements soup “the harmonizing balance in 5 colors miracle soup” is commonly used in natural healing for anti-cancer ~ Green for Daikon Radish Leaves, white for Daikon Radish, Red color for Carrot, Yellow for Burdock Root, black for shitake mushroom. Burdock Root can also used to brew into a sweet in taste healthy detoxifying tea.

The burdock root tea is quite common used in natural healing in suppress abnormal cells growth in our body, especially it has anti-cancer medicinal properties content, the important ingredients used in famous anti cancer 5 element soup likewise. In juice fasting, blend carrot and burdock root into juice for lymph glands cleanse, it is also a great nature best blood purifier also use for many ailments, which also help to support kidney and liver cleansing kind of great medicinal herb.

Fresh Burdock Root

The burdock root skin is nutritious. Some prefer to keep the skin.

Wash thoroughly and cut into thin slices, when it is totally air dried. Keep it in the container. It is convenient to brew a cup of burdock root tea. Burdock root tea is sweet to the taste.

For Beauty and Detoxifying 

In maintaining skin and body beauty, Burdock root tea can be applied externally on acne skin, by soaking the Burdock root tea with the cotton wool for application to the inflammation skin, which is excellent for reduce the redness caused by acne. Occasionally, drinking burdock root tea may help to expulsion of toxin and keeps the colon clean, especially useful to reduce lower part of the body and water retention, help flush toxins from tissue layers in maintain the body shape and get rid of cellulite too. Other than that is diuretic, which has the effect of increased the excretion of water and urination from bodies, it helps to reduce water retention, swelling and joint pains.

The benefit of burdock

There are many health benefits of taking burdock root. It is really sound good to be believed, for its medicinal effect in natural healing it is suitable for:

• The burdock root is used as traditional medicine which helps to get rid of phlegm, to loosening nagging phlegm and relieve cough.
• It is non-water-soluble fiber and content of inulin that helps to promote and stimulate the intestinal tract, it protects the intestinal tract mucous membrane and help smooth bowel movement. Which can suppress the fat absorption for digestive system
• it also help in prevention of stroke and anti-cancerous effect. 
• Simultaneously also regards as curative effect, a detoxifying herb acts as tonic digestant for sub-acid gastritis, also get rid of liver toxic agent. 
• The dried form of Burdock Root has the diaphoretic effect which may cause increased of perspiration.
• Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, detoxify and clear liver as well as invigorate the kidney, the phenol and the inulin help to promote hormone secretion, which is helpful in invigorate the kidney in natural healing. 
• Treat hemorrhoids and the constipation. 
• It allays fever, eliminate and expel wind, 
• For treating uric acid,rheumatism, diuresis, eliminate macula, and treat backache problem.
• Help to dispel damp-heat, which is good for the spleen and digestive system, whets appetite, improves bowel movement to ease constipation problem, to nourish yin and invigorate the kidney. Japanese people use them to invigorate the kidney fortifies yang. 
• sobers up
• help lower cholesterol and fatty cell in blood.

How to take Burdock Root

Since it is much easier in preparation, burdock root can be obtained in most superstore or supermarket. Take it raw or freshly cook, cut into slices and air dried, for easy keeping n dried form, brewing a cup of mild, pungent and sweet in flavour Burdock Root Tea for keeping good health and detoxifying naturally, it simply not that difficult though. 

Note of caution: This burdock root is not recommended for pregnant women, and should be avoided taken it during pregnancy; in the animal test that has show components of burdock may cause electrolyte imbalances due to excessive excretion of urination and water from the bodies and the uterus stimulation. 

Herbal Chuan Xin Lian Mung Bean Barley Therapeutic Mask

When I was young my granny used the home remedies to treat my pimples skin. Her ways of ancient beauty therapeutic method is really fantastic, when I recalled it back. 

It is really to the extreme of wanting to cure my inflammation skin problem, she even used rice water as facial cleanse, cucumber juice extract as face toner, green bean powder and home made dried potatoes powder, mix and match to make it as facial mask in thick paste form, simply pasted on my face. Surprisingly that kind of home remedies really works to reduce the redness and outbreaks of the pimples. 

Due to my previous experiences of curing pimples with her traditional methods, the greatest benefits to what I had gained not only clear away the serious pimples and cure infection acne skin. Thus, by getting all sorts of her ancient home remedies into my present beauty therapeutic method I learned and experimented. Some of granny’s home remedies into making my own herbal mask are really great. 

Now what I like to share on this blog, the wonderful and natural beauty home remedies by using the traditional Chinese herbs, the dried herbs leaves of Chuan Xing Lian (Chinese Name). Botanical name is Andrographitis Herb

This inventive herbal mask was created in an anti-bacterial therapy way, for which I had tried on several pimples and acne skin cases has shown great improvement. 

It is quite easy to make, affordable and provided you can find the herbs of Chuan Xing Lian ~ "King of Bitter herb" Andrographis.

Firstly, the herbs of chuan xin lian need to be air dried or room drying, when dried finely blended into powder form.

Follow by mixing Mung bean powder and barley powder (can buy the ready made powder form type.). This helps in soothing, whitening and removes of excessive clogged oil on face. Barley powder is wonderful skin whitening and helps to lighten the dark spots, pimple marks and hyper-pigmentation. Green Bean or mung bean powder gives setting effect to mask, it is great anti-blemish ingredients. It exfoliates the dead skin cells, calming effect, natural antiseptic to acne prone skin type. 

For severe eczema problem on body, try to apply this herbal mask on to infected areas or body part, it has very cooling and soothing effect, relieves of itchiness, anti-inflammation and naturally relieves the outbreak infection areas and reduces redness.

To save time making the Mung Bean powder, you can find this Mung Bean Powder in the grocery shop.

Chuan Xin Lian Mung Bean Barley Therapeutic Scrub and Mask

Ingredients: 

• ½ tsp. Chuan Xing Lian Powder
• ½ tsp. Green Bean Powder
• ½ tsp. Barley Powder
• Toner or distilled water – 5 to 10 cc 

Method:

1. Washed and air dried the Chuan Xin Lian - Andrographis herb, till it’s totally dried. Blend it into powder form. 

2. Barley and Green beans blended into powder form too. 

3. Mixed all the ingredients in small bowl, pour in the toner or distilled water. Mix slowly into thick paste form.

4. Apply on clean face wait for 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. Wet the face and scrub lightly in circulation movement for 1 minute. (Not applicable to serious acne skin type, skip this)

6. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Extra Benefits: 

Additional tips: 

Use it as herbal healing mask and exfoliation scrub, after application, uses it as whitening scrub for oily skin, before rinse off the mask paste, lightly wet face with water, and scrubs the face in circle movement for about 1 – 3 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly with lukewarm water.

This herbal mask and scrub can be used 1-2 a week. Try it for a few time if any adverse reactions, stop using it. 

After every application of this mask and scrub, instant result shown on lightening of scars, pimples marks and blackheads is being soften, clear and clean....It is amazing for glowing skin scrub and whitening facial mask of the day.

What is Chuan Xing Lian for:

Chuan Xin Lian

Chuan Xin Lian also known as Andrographis herb is common herbs that used by Chinese herbalists to treat inflammation and infected problems, digestive problems and clearing heat, expels toxicity, herpes and most effectively to treat the formation of pus and eczema, boost immunity system, snake bites and throat infection problems. As for me, this is my wonder herb for my occasionally tonsillitis problem, a capsule of Chuan Xin Lian just relieves my painful sore throat. (more informations read here)

According to the researches and studies indicate that this herb is traditional Chinese herbs has the antibacterial and antiviral effect, non-toxic, it is natural anti-biotic for treating urinary tract infection, It resolves inflammation and swollen glands, clearing lung heat, diarrhea and dysentery, and digestive cardiovascular removing dampness and cooling blood too.

This herb is making into capsule form as herbal supplement commonly selling in the Chinese medical shop.

This herbs is very bitter, it is quite hard for those never like bitterness taste. To make an easy way of ingesting this bitter herb, purchase the empty Gelatin capsules, you can make your own Chuan Xin Lian capsule; I bought some empty Gelatin Capsules fromthe Chinese medicine shop. 

My home made custom blend Chuan Xin Lian Capsules. 

Most important, hygienic preparations come first, a pair of surgical gloves, facial mask, empty Gelatin capsules must be in clean and hygienic condition to make your own herbal capsules. 

As a way of my health purposes, this is my tonsillitis cure herbal capsules and Tea for years into my own hands. Also some feed back from my friends,after taking the capsules or tea for about 2 to 3 days, it really good for curing dry cough with sore throat problem effectively. 

Decoction of Chuan Xin Lian Tea has Anti-hypertensive effect. The whole plant can be used for making tea, for better effect add in the stems as well.

Caution:
* Pregnant women may not advisable to take Chuan Xin Lian
* Do not over doses as it may injure stomach Qi and function.
* Doses to take 500 - 3,000 milligrams, 2 to 3 times/ day. 

* Stomach ulcer person may not take this herb.

Note: 

Please consult your health care practitioner before using any of the herbal or alternative home remedies. 

Healthy Beets Figs Homemade Jam

I discovered taking organic fresh and nature best food like black olives from a friend's organic fruit farm is really excitement to me. 

Not only that, this wonderful friend of mine having many types of fruit trees in his fruit farm. 

I started making pickles and simple cooking of fresh olive with all sorts of fresh Olive recipes and try to do it in different methods.
Again more variety of fruits like Figs, Longan and Durians. With the EM Microbes enzymes organic fertilizer this year really a fruitful harvest year to him. 

Last week I brought some fresh figs to start writing something new recipes for my blog. I rarely see fresh figs selling in the grocery store. Last time we can only buy and used dried figs to cook soup, making salad and fruit wine, pickle or dried it as snack, it is ideal for making dessert and fruit jam.

I know the figs having great value of therapeutic benefits for our human body. I like Figs sweet flavor and its great color. But this figs do not taste good. 

At first I do not know what to do with this small quantities of fig. It looks beautiful in dark red color. So I just keep it in refrigerator for 2 days, I know it can't keep for long there. Out of sudden I got my hands on of making my own homemade fruit jam with it. Beetroot combined with Figs the red dramatically in color combination really makes me feeling yummy.

Beets fig Jam

• 2 beets
• 10 figs
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp of Maltose or malt sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 1 cup of water

Method:
1. Peels beets skin, wash figs and remove stems and bottom of the fig, and cut into small pieces.

2. Squeeze Lime and Orange Juice and set aside ready for use. Keep the orange peel and cut into thin slices.












3. Add water, sugar and malt sugar to fig, and bring to boil for 20 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves.










4. Heat slowly to boil. Remove from heat. Set aside and let it cool then blend it with blender.








5. After blended into puree, pour it back to pot adds in Lime juice, Orange juice and orange peel slices and cook for a further 20 minutes until consistency of the fig and beets mixtures turn thicken.










6. Let it cool then fill into sterilized jars.


Why used orange peel slices for beets and figs jam

I choose beets, figs and orange that really makes wonder flavors and color for all in one tasty fruit jam. It’s just brilliant and delicious taste. Beetroot is wonderful cleansing and blood tonic. Figs also claims to be one of the blood building diet and purifier for energy and vital. This jam serve with toast really increased my appetite.



The taste of beets and figs both are slighly sweetened stuff, adding in orange juice and orange peel slices creates a little bit of sweet sour in taste, also balance the sweetness of the jam (sugar added). You may need to adjust the sugar depends on individual sweetness in taste.
This beets and figs jam without adding pectin, so I used malt sugar to bind its thickness plus let it boil until the desired thickness. I found that added malt sugar and lime juice used as a preserving agent without adding pectin still can make homemade jam last much longer. 

Usually making homemade jam with last stage of steam the filled jar in boil water bath, is just for keeping this jam to store in longer period of consumption, but if you do not intend to keeping it for very long. Consuming it as fast as possible.
The nutrients and therapeutic healing in figs

Figs is sweet in taste, high in natural sugar of "dextrose".it is highly recommended in Chinese traditional as alternative medicine herbs. 

In cooking or making dishes in soup. Other than this Fig is great dietary foods and taking it as snack, it is rich in high fiber may help in losing weight. It contains of potassium, Vitamin A, D and calcium, Mineral substance and phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, essential of 17 kind of amino acid content is very rich for human body. And rich in trace mineral helps to control blood pressure. Which aids in digestive system to ease constipation, treating heart-related disease, natural healing for dry cough with phlegm and soothing sore throat inflammation, Also includes of hyperoxide mutase, it improves and activate in immune system cell.

The figs in traditional Chinese medicine

In TCM used the fig leaves for treating diabetes, as it shown great result of anti-diabetic properties to those needed regular insulin injections, using fig leaves to make tea help to maintain insulin level, as well as fig leaves inhibited the growth of certain types of cancer cells.
Figs has iron which enriches and help in blood production that benefits women and to those lacking of blood (anemia). Thus, it improves blood circulation. In Chinese alternative medicine usage, figs have the wonderful healing benefits for decreases and reduce of blood stagnation, they believed blood stagnation causes diseases, irregular menstruation and pain in menstruation, tumors and edema.

Alternative healing by using Figs in cooking

Mix fresh or dried figs into cooked cereal, oatmeal, or cooked with porridge. This recipe is good for the spleen the profit to raise the blood to pass effect of the breast. As in TCM this is one healthy food good for pregnant, post natal maternity and confinement women help to produce more milk. It is natural and excellent laxative for children too. Be careful do not take too much of figs it may cause diarrhea.

Taking fresh figs may also help in healing Hemorrhoids hemorrhage, the fig includes one kind of special enzyme namely ficin, which has stimulation and promoting digestive disorder. which can dissolve toxin in blood, also includes Serotonin, it high sugar content stimulates brain may strengthen the mental ability and the physical strength.

For coughing, sore throat and improve digestive system by taking fresh figs that cooked with rock sugar, cooked it into syrup based to replace a natural cough syrup. 

I like making natural herbs syrup partly due to my asthma and sore throat. With the knowledge and alternative healing methods in making all sorts of herbs syrup like this, it relieves my asthma problems. Therefore, my herbs syrup and "granny ways of healing background" kept me thinking of other uses of it, by "learning through my illness" inexperiments and needs passing on for sharing.

How to make Figs Cough Syrup

Ingredients:

• 12 Fresh figs
• 250g of brown rock sugar.
• 2 cups of water

The preparation is quite simple:

1. Melting rock sugar with 2 cups of hot water. Set aside and let it cool.

2. Wash figs and with the bucket each fruit compressing, mix compressed fresh figs and soaks the fig with melted rock sugar water for overnight.

3. Puts in the pot, after treating the fruit to percolation syrup.

4. Bring to boil to the juice concentration in thickness form like syrup.

5. Let it cool, and keep in sterilized jar and store in refrigerator for several day then edible.

This figs fruit syrup helps in digestion trace for those with a poor appetite, effect on soothing the swollen and painful pharynx and larynx. Mainly treats the weakness of spleen and stomach, the stagnation of flow of vital energy chest to be stuffy and improve circulation.


The beetroot

Beetroot is claims a blood-building herb that detoxify the liver and renews it with minerals and natural sugars. The beets juice contains betalains (pigment of beets) may exhibit anti-cancer activity which also stimulate the function of liver cells, bile ducts and spleen. It supporting role as blood purifier for detoxifies.
Beetroot is high carbohydrates and low in fat. It contains phosphorus, fiber, vitamins A and C, niacin, folic acid, biotin, .sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium. It has highest folic acid and in curing poor blood circulation, Anemia, constipation, piles and digestive trace system disorders.

I remember when young I got a lot of pimples on my face, irregular menstruation and pale looking complexion. My granny taught me how to cook a bloody red in color soup (beets soup with herbs) with the fresh or dried beetroot (Shu ti) to nourish the blood that cooked with Mugwort (Ai Cao) and brown sugar. Strain the soup and taking it 7 days before menstruation is due and as soon as menstruation period is over. She claimed that can help in detoxifying “blood” and purifying my pimples on face. The funny sweet taste combined with little bitterness works great as blood cleansing soup. Plus having good improvement in blood circulation with a very remarkable result at last.

But be careful do not over consumption big amount of beetroot as it will make your stools and urine turns red. It maybe harmless but make sure it is not mistaken as blood.