Category: Other Conditions

Mint Tea

Ingredients: 3g green tea or black tea, 6g dried mint leaves, Honey (optional)

Method: infuse the tea and mint leaves in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Wait for it to cool a little and add honey to taste. This will reduce internal heat.

Bitter Melon with Honey Tisane

Ingredients: 15g dried bitter melon strips, 1tbsp honey

Method: Soak the bitter melon strips in 300ml boiling water for about 12 minutes, add honey and drink warm. This helps lower blood pressure.

Wolfberry Tea

Ingredients: 10g wolfberries, 12g wuweizi, or magnolia vine,  6g chrysanthemum

Method: Place all ingredients in a large cup, pour over boiling water and infuse for 10minutes. It is good for lungs, and quenches thirst.

A heat wave recently had the weather bureau send out high-temperature alerts to us. Such weather can cause, at best, sunburn and, at worst, heatstroke, with a spectrum of symptoms in between, such as headaches, bubbling colds, mouth ulcers, indigestion and low spirits.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, foods that are bitter and nourishing to the heart are most beneficial in the summer season. This bitterness will cool down internal heat and naturally flush the body. When you eat such foods, they will cool and detoxify your body, improve digestion, and even offer weight loss benefits!

4 COOLING FOODS FOR YOUR HEALTHIEST SUMMER YET

1. Mung Bean Broth: The therapeutic value of mung beans is not in the bean itself, but in the water that you boil the bean in. In TCM, this liquid is so cooling and detoxifying that it has been reported useful in treating drug and alcohol poisoning. Most commonly, mung bean water is used to cool inflammation, especially acne and other red eruptions on the skin.
2. Cucumber: Many of us are familiar with the cooling properties of cucumber. Bite into one, and you will instantly know why! Cucumber is commonly found in face tonics and used during facial treatments. According to TCM, this is another food that helps relieve acne due to its cooling nature. Chinese medicine also uses cucumber to cleanse the blood and clear internal heat from the body. Remember, internal heat often equals inflammation. Cucumber is thirst quenching and, therefore, is sometimes used to treat a sore throat. It is also detoxifying and promotes urination. Its draining nature means that it supports the spleen by pulling dampness out of the body.
3. Purslane: Purslane is a rare and special plant. Well, rare in its qualities. It is actually so common that the FDA considers purslane a beneficial weed. What is unique about purslane is its omega-3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) content. This is extraordinary for a land vegetable, as most omega-3 EPAs come from oily fish and microalgae. Like the other top summer foods, in TCM purslane is excellent at cooling inflammation in the body. It is a potent detoxifier and reduces internal heat. It has been reported as effective in treating conditions like dysentery and enteritis, which is inflammation of the small intestine. In TCM, the small intestine is related to the heart and falls under the element of Fire. Chinese medicine considers purslane to be effective in treating infections relating to the gums, lungs, bowels, and urinary tract.
4. Aloe Vera: If you have ever sliced an aloe leaf open and smoothed it over a sunburn, you know about its cooling nature. In TCM, aloe vera reduces internal heat and can strongly promote a bowel movement. For this reason, when used discriminately, it can effectively treat constipation.

If you are not sure what foods suit you, you can also ask our Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners for some advice on foods that best fit your personal profile. To cool down this season, the TCM summer food diet might be just what you need!

A bed-wetting problem frustrates parents and children alike. A good night’s sleep gets regularly interrupted by the need to change sheets and clothes. While doctors can offer prescription medicines that may offer relief of bed-wetting, there is a natural approach to help a child overcome bed-wetting. Nutritional supplements and herbs can help your child have a dry bed day after day.

Reasons for bed-wetting

For some, bedwetting may be an inevitable part of growing up, but it doesn’t have to be traumatic. Understanding bed-wetting’s causes is the first step to dealing with this common childhood problem.

A small bladder  For young children, usually under age 5, the bladder’s size causes the child to wet the bed. Their bladder may not be developed enough to hold urine produced during the night.

A hormone imbalance  In most people, the body produces ADH during the night to suppress kidney activity. However, some kids don’t produce enough anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) to slow nighttime urine production.

Urinary tract infection  This infection can make it difficult for your child to control urination. Urinary tract infections can cause bed-wetting, especially if a child begins to wet the bed after age 5.

Stress  Stressful events — such as becoming a big brother or sister, starting a new school, or sleeping away from home — may trigger bed-wetting.

Chinese Herbs for bed-wetting

According to Chinese medicine theory, bed-wetting may be due to deficient kidney. Because the kidneys are responsible for urination and the bladder’s retention, it follows that a child’s not yet fully developed kidneys may lead to urinary problems. If bed-wetting is due to weak kidneys, it will involve nighttime enuresis of 1, 2 or more times per night, clear urination, pale complexion, lower back or knee soreness or weakness, and possibly cold limbs and an aversion to cold. Bed-wetting may also be due to a weakness in the spleen and lung organ-meridians, in which case the symptoms will involve nighttime enuresis, shortness of breath, white face, weak appetite, loose stools, spontaneous perspiration, lack of strength, and a dispirited nature.

Treatment for bed-wetting is straightforward once the correct cause is determined. Chinese herbal medicine can help to strengthen the organs and correct imbalances for your child.