Barley Eucheuma Seaweed Cooling Drink

 

 

Cooking barley drink is very common home remedies drinks for kidney and bladder ailments for years. This home remedies has been used in treating the urinary trace problems naturally, neutralize the acid in the urine, as a diuretic cooling drink for getting rid of excess body fluid especially for pregnant women, and help to reduce of body heat. It is also a rich nourishing drink for beautiful skin.  

A difference taste of Barley water 

Adding more or bundle of Pandan Leaves not only add fragrant to the drink, when cook with pearl Barley has the medicinal effect to cut down the uric acid, aid gout, cholesterol and fats.

Adding Lime or Lemon juice, honey to Barley water gives kidney a flush, for bladder infection.

Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed ~ Sea Bird Nest to Barley Water

Adding Sea Bird Nest to the cooked Barley drink, this creates high fiber content and rich nutrients (Refer sea bird nest or Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed nutrients)  healthy drink for treating ailments like water retention, sweling legs, lower limbs odema, urinary trace infection problems, overactive bladder problem, improves bowel movement and ease constipation, and this helps in vitalize the kidney as well.

Making this recipe is quite simple. When cooking a pot of barley water, think about adding a bit of Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed (Sea Bird Nest) into the cooked barley. Remember do not over cook the Sea Bird Nest (to remain its nutrients and enzyme content).

Ingredients:

Ingredients A: (to cook Barley water with pandan leaves )

• 8 Pandan Leaves
• 1 cup of Barley
• 80g rock sugar
• Water 1800ml

(cook for about 1 hour)

Ingredients B:

Eucheuma Seaweed - 20g (washed and cleansed)

Preparation:

1. Washed, rinsed, soaked Eucheuma Seaweed overnight, or for cleaned and washed Sea Bird Nest only needs 5 - 6 hours of soaking time. Remember to change water several times with running water and continue soaking.

2. Drain water away. Cut Sea Bird Nest into smaller length or blend it with juice blender.

Method:

1. Place in ready cooked barley soup in the pot and bring to a boil.

2. When boil, stir in Ingredients B - the Eucheuma Seaweed (or blended) to cook for about 3 - 5 minutes.. Simmer it for another 5 minutes. Done.

3. You may cook it till dissolved. Add in a little bit of lemon juice makes the taste wonderful. When cold, it turns into Jelly form.

  

 3. Serve in hot or chilled as you desired.

Tips:

• How to keep soaked Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed (Sea Bird Nest). Usually I soaked Eucheuma Seaweed in large amount and leave it in refrigerator (can keep up to 1 week) for later consumption. 

Bai He Ling Zhi ~ Natural Herbs for Skin and Lungs

This seems like the little small white crane standing and pauses on the tree. When I first saw this type of shape like cranes white flower, it is just like the Manchurian crane gregariousness branch, and the flora is so fair and clear, it is really a marvelous view.

I discovered this medicinal herb is a very special medicinal plant to skin and cough. originally with its herbaceous medicine cures especially to treat lung, liver and breast cancer.

The name of this white crane herbs in Chinese name: ‘Xian he Ling Zhi or ‘Bai He Ling Zhi’ (white crane grass), Yun nan bai yao

Scientific name: Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) kurz

Its nature is cool

Meridian channel enters the lung, the liver, the stomach, the big and small intestine.

Toxicity: slightly (do not overdoses)

It has the anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-allergic and cytotoxic activities

It’s the best green grass herbal tea raw material for keeping good health medicinal preparation. By using the tender leaf to boil as cooling herbal tea come with flavor of pleasant and tasty fragrant. To make it as herbs decoction, take the leaves and branches t cook it for at least 2 hours with red dates, honey dates, adds crystal sugar or brown sugar is optional and depend on individual taste, it is the good flora aroma tasty healthy and yet alternative healing drinks. 

In additional, I personally found out this is a wonderful curative herbs for skin problem and long term coughing. Maybe it is due to cooling blood effect and clearing lungs heat.

 

It medicinal benefits:

• Lowers the blood pressure

• treats diabetes

• Nourishes Liver and curative effect to treat liver disease

• As medicinal herbal bath for skin problem, eczema, tinea versicolor, skin rashes and ringworm type of skin disease.

• Hypertension and high blood pressure

• breast cancer

• Treats gastrointestinal disease and ulcer

• Diuresis effect

• Treat urinary infection

• treat dehumidify of stomach

• Clear lung heat,

• Cough, pulmonary tuberculosis and esophagus tuberculosis

• Nose sickness, bronchitis, laryngitis

According to the ancestor it claimed that these white crane herbs in earlier China used it to cure wound wondrous medicines “the Yunnan white medicinal powder” - Yun nan bai yao is the main medicines obviously it is extremely good to cure the wound hematischesis effect. 

For the external use, as herbal bath or blend it and apply to skin and infectious areas to treat the ringworm as well as eczema is good to try. For skin problems, try to boil it as herbs tea, drink for a period and combine with external application the result is possible to reduce the symptom gradually. Making fresh juice extract of this herb mixed with orange juice is good for drinker and liver problem.

Use with caution:

When taking fresh herbs juice do not overdoses. 

Not suitable for pregnant woman.

I quite like this herb plants, firstly it is really a beautiful medicinal herb plant, secondly this medicinal herb is very easy to plant and maintaining, simply cut the trunk and branches and plant it. it is easily plant by insert the branches only need transplant a cutting plants. 

Takes a section of approximately 10-15 centimeter to insert in the earth, maintains the soil in certain moist condition, place it indoor to avoid hot sun for approximately 1-2 weeks later, it will emit the sprout and then place them outdoor for further growing.That's it.

Beetroot Mai Dong Tea For Mouth Ulcer and Eliminate Body Heat

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 Dong

Scientific 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.

Peppermint Chrysanthemum Infusion for wind-heat flu

Few hours more to say goodbye 2009 and looking forward to welcome New Year 2010. I know I haven't update this blog since earlier this month. Been busy and it's a bit of less productive for this blog. As always, a simple herbal infusion to prevent of influenza and wind-heat type of flu.

In folk remedies, the peppermint is the "world's oldest medicine" and is not only for the oral cavity coolant, but also has calming effect for stomach ache, stomach inflation and the diarrhea. Commonly used in treating colds and flu.

The Scientist recommend to take peppermint tea puts in boiling water as herbal infusion, simmer for about 15 minutes, and drink before the volatile oil (the active component in aromatic plant is an effective decongestant and expectorant) evaporate. This is an auxiliary treats to stomach uncomfortable more effectively. Also help in reducing of intestinal gas.

The peppermint, or menthe, pungent in taste and the nature is cool, and acts in lungs and liver meridians. It includes the peppermint essence and the tannic acid, Vitamin B, potassium and calcium and so on, for its medicinal benefits peppermint can induce perspiration and bring down a fever as well as antiseptic properties or sterilize. It may govern catches cold and prevent of influenza, ease the headache and bronchitis, good for the stomach.

Peppermint tea is good for treating sore throat, stuffy nose, respiratory tract ill, anxious, dyspepsia. The scent of peppermint oil may curb appetite for those intend to reduce food cravings.








Usually peppermint can be taken solely as herb infusion, when combined with dried chrysanthemum is good for common cold and swollen sore throat, and for the prevention of wind-heat type of influenza, which help in relieve heat symptoms, to expels pathogenic heat and relieves coughs, dryness in the throat or dry cough.

Traditionally, the dried chrysanthemum is to use for expel pathogenic wind-heat, to reduce hyperactivity of liver yang, like treating colds, headaches and inflamed eyes.

The chemical compound of volatile oil, usually found in aromatic plant like fresh peppermint is used as a flavoring agent, and as a gastric stimulant and carminative. And the essential oil of chrysanthemum "Ju Hua" are borneo, camphor and chrysanthenone, it should be taken at the suggested therapeutic dose, with a large dose, it may lead to diarrhea or digestive system disorders. As in TCM this combination of infusion is cooling properties for expelling of lungs and liver heat.



Peppermint and Dried Chrysanthemum is best to serve as infusion and avoid boiling for too long:



Steep from 5-15 min.
should be taken about the dosage of 6oz, 3 times daily.

Note: Serve with or without rock sugar








Although the peppermint tea is good, but everybody is by no means suitable. The experiment indicated that the peppermint for pregnant women and breast feeding woman should avoid taking it. The peppermint may also reduce parturition of woman's milk quantity, therefore the breast-feeding women, also for those with excessive or spontaneous sweating is not suitable.

Enjoy your herbal tea....HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.