A Tea for Summer: Fresh Ginger Root & Jujube Date
In 2019 I traveled to China with Heiner Fruehauf and the National University of Natural Medicine to study Classical Chinese medicine and practice traditional forms of qigong. An enlightening experience! One of our guest speakers was Dr. Ding who was wonderful at explaining these ancient practices in a contemporary and upbeat modern way. There is nothing old or dusty about this. Rather these health practices are alive and more relevant today in our over populated world than ever before. So I will use this space to offer translations of his posts periodically. This one here is on a delightful and delicious healing brew of Ginger and Jujube Dates. Small adjustments to diet and lifestyle will keep you in alignment with your optimal and innate health and well being.
Ginger Jujube Date Tea- Source Classical Chinese Medicine Dr. Ding
In summer, you should drink "ginger and jujube tea" which can wipe out all your sickness for one year! Drinking it not only strengthens the stomach and drains moisture, but also nourishes blood and qi. Because after a winter and a spring people will accumulate more sickness in the body. The summer is hot, the body is open, and the yang in the body is empty. Drinking a cup of ginger and jujube tea at this time can not only fill the deficiency of yang energy in the body to warm the body but also help the yang energy disperse to expel cold. It just fits the principle of "Yangyang " in the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic.
This tea has been drunk from the beginning of Lixia (approx. first week of May) until the first day of three volts (the beginning of Fall), which can basically drive off the disease in the body so that the whole summer will be much better. Moreover, the spleen and stomach are relatively cold after the weather is hot and the spleen and stomach will be supplemented with ginger and dates in advance which will make you feel more comfortable in summer.
Ginger jujube tea making recipe: The method of ginger jujube tea is very simple: boil fresh ginger, root red dates (most Asian markets have these) and wolfberry (goji) into tea.
Raw Material:
6 red dates, a handful of goji berries, dozens of Szechuan peppercorns, 4 slices of fresh ginger root (the ginger should not be peeled, the amount of ginger should not be less, the boiled water should be a bit spicy to drink) and the red dates should be pitted.
Method:
Add the ginger, jujube and 1/2 liter of water to a pot and bring to boil and simmer about 15 minutes until light red. Turn off heat, cover and let sit to cool then strain and put it in a clean bottle and put it in the refrigerator. Add the goji berries at this point. When you drink water add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of this tea concentrate (and some of the goji berries). You can drink it with hot or ambient temperature water. Of even add it to your favorite tea or juice. The body is cold and afraid of cold so I added a few more peppers and boiled the pepper and ginger jujube tea. The effect of removing cold and dampness is stronger. You can also add some honey to the ginger and jujube tea, which has a good lung-invigorating effect, but wait until the ginger and jujube tea is warm before adding honey. Don’t peel the ginger, no need to lose part of the ginger root. The boiled water should be a little spicy; goji berries should be put last after the boil phase in order to maximize the preservation of their nutrition.
The efficacy of ginger jujube tea:
Jujube is sweet and warm, it can nourish the spleen and stomach and has the effect of nourishing qi and nourishing the blood. It is mainly used for the treatment of symptoms such as insufficient energy, weak spleen and stomach, fatigue, fatigue, lack of food, loose stools, blood deficiency and yellowing, and women's irritability. However, due to the high sugar content of jujubes, people with diabetes should eat less.
Ginger is warm and dissipates cold. It can dilate blood vessels and accelerate blood circulation, which can promote the opening of pores on the body. Ginger has a long-standing method of removing diseases and health care. In this way, not only can the excess heat be taken away, but also the bacteria and cold in the body can be brought out.
Goji berries: In the "Compendium of Materia Medica" goji berries are introduced "long service, strong bones, light weight, not old, resistant to cold and heat".
However, the main herbs in ginger jujube tea are ginger and jujube. Although the two medicines are just plain foods they are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. This is fully reflected in "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and "Golden Chamber". Statistics Zhongjing "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" 112 recipes, 37 with ginger, 40 with jujube, and 33 with ginger jujube; and among the 205 recipes of "The Golden Chamber", 83 with ginger, jujube 49, Jiang Zao used up to 41.
The theory of traditional Chinese medicine believes that ginger has a spicy and warm taste, and function that specializes in warming the stomach and dispersing cold; jujube has a sweet and warm taste, and is good at supplementing qi and restoring the heart and spleen. The ginger is fragrant. The jujubes are combined so that they are not too scattered and consume gas; the jujube is sticky and sweet, and the ginger is spicy, but it is not too defensive and hinders the spleen. The two medicines cooperate with each other to get the power of Xin Gan Gan Yang, but they are both strong and soft. It can be seen that Jiangzao is indeed a pair of babies.
Some questions you should know before drinking ginger jujube tea:
Especially suitable for people with cold constitution
The so-called cold physique is characterized by being cold all year round. The hands and feet are cold to the touch. Some parts of the body are prone to pain. For example, the legs or stomach will be painful, and it is cold. It feels cold and cold. Every year, starting from the day of Lixia, drink ginger and jujube tea every morning until the first day of the fall.
When should I drink ginger jujube tea
Jiangzao tea is better from Lixia to the first day of drinking. The best way to drink each day is to finish it in the morning, no more than noon, because ginger is suitable for eating in the morning, and it is not suitable for drinking in the afternoon and evening. Drinking after 3 pm will affect sleep. Many people are afraid that it is easy to get angry after drinking ginger and jujube tea. As long as they drink it in the morning, they will not.
Ginger jujube tea who can't drink
Only people who are very hot can't drink ginger and jujube tea. Such as lip gloss, dry mouth, and five upset fevers are forbidden for those with yin deficiency and flaming physique. Those with hot spleen and stomach cannot drink it, which will cause dampness and heat.
Other ginger and jujube tea recipes:
1. Simple ginger and jujube tea
8-10 slices of ginger; 8-9 jujubes (break apart), cook in the pot for 20 minutes, add brown sugar, and cook for another 10 minutes. Don’t drink too much at a time, eat ginger first, then Eat red dates and drink ginger jujube tea.
Fang Zhongsheng Jiang Xin Wen disperse cold, after frying to enhance the power of warm stomach and astringent intestines. The jujube is sweet and warm, and it can nourish the spleen and stomach, and is suitable for people with cold and cold physique.
2. A cup of ginger and jujube tea is not cold in winter
Ingredients: 5 large red dates, 5 longan, half a piece of ginger, a handful of goji berries and an appropriate amount of brown sugar. Wash the jujube, remove the pit and cut into small pieces, cut the ginger into small filaments, and the longan is also shelled to leave the flesh.
Next, put all the ingredients except the brown sugar in the pot, add most of the pot of water and cook on the fire for a quarter of an hour. Then add brown sugar to your cup and pour ginger and jujube tea to drink it. Jujube has the functions of nourishing qi, nourishing blood and nourishing the nerves. Ginger has the effect of warming to stop vomiting and dispersing cold. The combination of the two can jointly promote the circulation of qi and blood, and the blood circulation of the whole body will be improved accordingly. Of course, hands and feet will warm up with it.
3. Elderly ginger and jujube tea
Ingredients: 150 grams of ginger (peeled and washed), red dates added 500ml of water, decoction for 10 to 15 minutes, extract juice (can be decocted 3 times per dose), add appropriate amount of sugar, take it within a day, and serve as tea. Even taking half a month as a course of treatment.
Efficacy and indications: prevention and treatment of urinary frequency in the elderly, mostly due to kidney qi is not solid, the body is weak. In general, the symptoms of 2 to 3 courses can be obviously improved or disappeared, and satisfactory results are often obtained.