A hot drink from Chinese nutritional therapy is a natural and simple food that can mobilize sluggish vital energy (Qi) and dispel excessive “cold” imbalances. If you are sensitive or allergic to any of this drink’s ingredients, then you should obviously avoid it.
This recipe can be adjusted to your needs and taste and is very easy to make. It is warming and soothing and being quite “yang,” will assist a person who has too much yin or feels cold. For those suffering from chronic dryness or chronic constipation, this recipe is also not for you. This tonic drink is also believed to be useful for women seeking relief from menstrual cramps and for people recovering from a bout of food poisoning. It is ideally drunk in cold weather when someone is exposed to too much air conditioning, or feels unusually cold.
Here’s the recipe: one to two tablespoons of chopped peeled ginger root, two cups of hot water, 1/8 teaspoon or a pinch of cayenne powder, and juice of half a lemon. If you need to sweeten this drink, you can use stevia powder, cinnamon, or brown sugar. You may also add herbal, decaf or regular tea. Rooibus works quite nicely as do chamomile tea. These ingredients are all mixed together and allowed to steep for three to five minutes. Strain, and sip it as hot as possible. Once it’s made, you can modify the ingredients to your liking. It should make you feel good and warm you up – like the warmth that you get when drinking alcohol but without its toxicity and addiction.
The “yin” properties of lemon, in Chinese herbology, helps balance the very “yang” ingredients. Lemon can also help move stagnant liver qi and is a “detoxifying” ingredient. For the health of the digestive and respiratory systems, ginger is an ideal food to use. It can also be a good treatment for motion sickness and nausea and can rev up the immune system, open up skin pores, expel cold, soothe cramps, alleviate irritable bowel syndrome, soothe upset digestion, and warm the body. Cut back eating ginger if you suffer from constipation. Cayenne is believed to help tonify the abdomen and boost circulation, and is good for the heart. Capsaicin is believed to help uplift a person’s mood, relieve pain and like ginger, is very warming. Replace with cinnamon if you happen to be sensitive to cayenne. It is important that you use 100 percent real cinnamon. The FDA allows a very similar bark to be labeled as cinnamon and it is what most groceries carry. This bark is a close relative of cinnamon.
Brown sugar, in Chinese medicine, is known to bring the benefits of the herbs to the heart and carries out the benefits of the herbs. Use powdered stevia or cinnamon sticks as sweetener if you are overweight or have hypoglycemia or diabetes. Cinnamon has the ability to help lower blood sugar levels. Stevia tastes a bit similar to the poisons aspartame or saccharin, but is a safe 100 percent chemical-free and natural sweetener. It is ideal for a low-carb diet.
You can enjoy this hot tonic with or without meals. May you feel happy, comfortable, and warm!
Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322
https://www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com
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