In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer is associated with "earth" energy (referred as zhong jiao) and the dominating channels during this time are Spleen and Stomach. In TCM, these channels and organs are often regarding as our "second mother" and is the root and foundation of the body's constitution.
As summer transitions to fall, our bodies may retain residual damp-heat within the digestive system. During this period, our bodies are particularly susceptible to experiencing symptoms of indigestion such as bloating, nausea, gas, loose stools, coated tongue, abdominal pain, and etc. Maintaining a harmonized state between Spleen and Stomach will promote the health of the "metal" elements such as Lung and Large Intestine.
At our clinic, we have the ingredients portioned out to make the perfect bowl. Included is:
Mung beans to help dissipate summer heat and detox dampness and strengthen the spleen
Lotus seeds to calm the Shen and nourish the heart to harmonize with the spleen
Job's tears to strengthen Spleen Qi to dissipate dampness
Recipe below
Ingredients:
Green mung beans 5 oz
White lotus seeds 2 oz.
Job's tears 2 oz.
8 to 10 cups of water
2 oz or to taste of cane sugar of your choice
*For people with weak digestion or generally sensitive to cold food, we suggest adding 3 oz of rice when cooking mung bean soup and slow cook until the rice turns very soft.
*For pregnant moms and people suffering constipation, we suggest adding pumpkin to your mung bean soup.
Preparation:
Rinse mung beans, lotus seeds, and job's tears.
Soak all ingredients overnight (except sugar/sweetener) in 8 to 10 cups of cold water.
Drain, and add another 8 to 10 cups of water into a pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer partially covered for 1 hour or to the preferred consistency.
Add sugar to taste during the final 10 minutes of cooking.
Serve hot or cold (Please do not fridge the mung bean soup. To speed up cooling down the soup, you may soak the bowl in ice cubes or cold water, cooling the soup to room temperature).
Enjoy!
For your convenience, we have bags of Mung Bean and Lotus Seed Soup for sale at the front desk during checkout.