Thinking of what to eat while on home recovery from Covid-19? Here are some recipes for immunity-boosting foods.
Korean-style ginseng chicken soup
Here is a nourishing chicken soup to soothe the soul. This one-pot dish is so hearty, it is a meal on its own.
Instead of Korean ginseng, I use panax ginseng and add bei qi (astragalus root), which in traditional Chinese medicine is believed to tonify the lungs and boost immunity. Dangshen (codonopsis root), believed to tonify the spleen, lends the soup an aromatic sweetness.
I recommend using Sakura chicken, which is reared without antibiotics. The meat is firmer and holds up well for slow cooking.
Detox teas for better immunity
One of the hotly demanded Chinese herbs in traditional medical halls during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak was jin yin hua (honeysuckle).
The dried flower buds of the lonicera japonica are believed to have detoxifying properties in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
In the 2012 book, Your Guide To Health With Foods & Herbs by Zhang Yifang and Yao Yingzhi, honeysuckle is used in TCM to clear heat and toxins. It is believed to reduce summer heat and helps in the treatment of heat rash.
Morels for boosting immunity
Morel mushrooms are a delicacy in Western cooking, but did you know they are regarded as a tonic in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)?
In TCM, the fungi are believed to help reduce phlegm and boost one's immunity by regulating the body's qi (vital energy). They are usually cooked in soups.
In Mandarin, morels are called yang du jun (lamb's stomach mushroom) as their outer appearance resembles lamb stomach.
5 TCM herbs to boost your immunity with recipes
Chinese physician Cheong Chin Siong recommends these five traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbs with recipes.