Zhonglibaren, Book 2, Chapter 2, Our Ancestor’s Secret Recipes Are Everywhere, Section 8, pg. 49
Shanyao, yimi, and qianshi are friends who are alike and attracted to each other. They all share the remarkable effectiveness of promoting the spleen and benefiting the stomach, while each having its own unique property. Shanyao is beneficial to the five zhang organs [1]. It takes care of spleen, lungs, and kidney; it promotes qi, strengthens yin, and is stringent at the same time. Yimi promotes spleen and clears lungs, and eliminates water and benefits stomach. It is both nourishing and eliminating; its main advantage is to eliminate wet and turbidity. Qianshi promotes spleen and strengthens kidney. It stops diarrhea, seminal emission, and frequent urination. Porridge prepared using pulverized shanyao, yimi, qianshi and dried red dates was used to treat anemia with obvious effects.
With so many benefits of the three herbs, there are regrettably many people who are not lucky enough to enjoy them. People with too much turbid gas in the body will feel uncomfortably distended in the stomach; people with too much liver fire will feel uncomfortably congested in the chest; people with stagnant blood will feel more painful. These herbs are also not suitable for people with dried jin (津) [2] and blood, wind cold [3] and shi (实) asthma [4], reddish and scanty urine, and constipation due to heat. An analogy for the scenario is to introduce pure spring water into a place – one has to clean the place of dirty water first. “New blood cannot form if old blood is not gone; pure gas cannot exist if turbid gas is not eliminated.” [5]
It is also true that there are people who simply do not like the taste of this porridge. This is because they have no resonance (connection) with it. In this case, it is better for the person to find something else that suits his/her taste, because it will not be well absorbed, even when forced down. One can always find something suitable when guided by his/her own heart.
[1] Zhang and fu organs: TCM categorizes organs into zhang and fu. Zhang organs are solid and inner relative to fu organs, while fu organs are with cavities. There are five zhang organs: heart, kidney, liver, spleen, and lungs, and six fu organs: small intestines, pericardium, urinary bladder, gall bladder, stomach, and large intestines.
[2] Jin (津) is a term in TCM to describe the state of the body. It is usually related to saliva.
[3] Wind cold is a disease with symptoms similar to flu.
[4] According to TCM, the causes of asthma could be shi (实) or xu (虚). Shi is excess, and xu is lacking.
[5] There are herbs and exercises of the meridians and channels to activate qi and blood, and eliminate turbid gas, water, and toxic material. Refer to reference in Post #1 for TCM theory.
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| Qianshi (芡实） |
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| Yimi (薏米） |
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| Shanyao （山药） |
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