5 CHINESE HERBS TO HAVE ON HAND!
Interested in Chinese herbs?
Traditionally, chinese herbs are prescribed by an herbalist in custom formulas containing 5-10 herbs, and rarely prescribed singularly. At 8 Point Wellness, formulas are still prescribed in this traditional manner. The other way to consume herbs is by adding them into your food or eating as a snack as some are readily available to you!
Goji Berry (Gou Qi Zi)
Functions: Nourish Yin and Blood
Meaning: they help to nourish dryness- improve vision, nourish a dry cough, and nourish tendons.
What to do with them: Take a small handful- roughly ten berries and put them in a shallow pot of water, just enough to cover the berries. Bring the water to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Keep the liquid! To gain the full benefit of goji berries pour both the berries and the liquid into your oatmeal, smoothie, etc. If you have a sensitive stomach consider eating goji in moderation as they can be hard to digest- 1-2 times a week at most.
Ginger (Gan Jiang (dried), Sheng Jiang (fresh))
Functions: Warm the middle
Meaning: Improve digestion irritated by too many cold/raw foods (Spleen and Stomach)
What to do with it: Add it to your smoothie to balance out the cold/raw nature of the other ingredients and protect your digestion; throw it in your marinades, or stir-fry; eat it with your sushi as it can reduce toxicity (food poisoning)
Cinnamon Twig (Gui Zhi)
Functions: Warm Yang and open the channels
Meaning: Improve circulation by warming the channels, and assisting in the flow of qi throughout the body; best for menstrual related pains with cold sensations, palpitations, and thin layers of water retention.
What to do with it: Add it in to your smoothies to warm them up (like Ginger), steep a stick or two in hot water to make tea.
Black Sesame Seed (Hei Zhi Ma)
Functions: Nourish Yin and Blood, Moisten Intestines
Meaning: They help to nourish dryness- blurred vision, dryness in the intestines, itching from dryness
What to do with them: Sprinkle them on your veggies, use them in marinades
Red Dates (Da Zao)
Functions: Tonify Spleen Qi, and Nourish Blood
Meaning: By nourishing blood it may help you sleep better
What to do with them: Add them to your trailmix, or remove the pit and stuff the nut in the date for a one-bite snack.