Summer Health and Remedy Tips
During hot summer days, clearing the heart should be vital step to promote health according to Chinese Medicine philosophy. This can be done by changing our unhealthy lifestyles – for example we should eat at appropriate times of the day, avoid overeating, think positive and smile as much as possible, get enough sleep, avoid eating chilly and fatty, fried and salty food, take a walk to the park for at least 30 minutes, and prioritise your work etc.
More consumptions of eggs, watermelon, common yam, coix seed, mulberry, momordica fruit, snow fungus, elm fungus, fig etc. will help, too. We can also eat more fresh melons, vegetables, fish and increase salt intake to replenish water loss due to sweating
The following soup recipes are recommended for families and good for promoting health (2-4 people)
1) Frangipani tea
Use: Heat and dampness removal
Ingredient: 2 taels Frangipani
Direction: Combine Frangipani with 12-14 bowls of water, bring it to boil. Cook for 30 minutes and add rock sugar. Serve cold or hot, 2-3 times a week.
2) Dried duck gizzard with matured cucumber soup
Use: To remove heat and dampness, replenish qi and induce diuresis
Ingredient: 1.5 catty matured cucumber, 1 piece of dried tangerine peel, 2-3 pieces of dried duck gizzards, small amount of white rice
Direction: Add water to ingredients, cook for 30 minutes, add salt for seasoning.
3) Summer stomach-replenishiong soup
Use: Fortify the spleen and replenish the stomach, remove heat and engender fluids
Ingredients：1 catty Buddish Melon, 2-3 pieces of snow fungus (soaked with water), 1/2 carrot, 3 slices of Common Yam Rhizome, 2 pieces of candied date, 1 piece of dried tangerine peel, 1/2 catty pork shoulder blade (blanched before use)
Direction: Add water to ingredients, cook for 30 minutes, add salt for seasoning.
Hong Kong Health Association
Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner
Dr. Chu Kwok Tung
March 2012