Rain Water

by 9vx1h7p67 on 2012-02-20 22:08:19

At the Rain Water solar term, what should we eat? Renowned expert and professor Yang Li from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences believes that the best foods for this season are: bean sprouts and shepherds purse.

Bean sprouts, commonly known as pea vines. As a food, bean sprouts were recorded in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Pea seeds come from the West Lake area, now they are abundant in the northern regions. They are planted in September, the seedlings grow soft and vine-like with tendrils. The leaves resemble thistle leaves, growing in pairs, and can be eaten when young." Bean sprouts are the young shoots of peas that have germinated with 2-4 cotyledons, fresh and fragrant, most suitable for making soup.

The nutritional value of bean sprouts is similar to that of peas. Both the pods and the tender leaves of the pea plant are rich in vitamin C and enzymes that can break down nitrosamines in the body, having anti-cancer properties. Bean sprouts contain substances such as coumarin, gibberellin, and lectins, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and help boost metabolism. Bean sprouts are also rich in fiber, which can prevent constipation and have a cleansing effect on the intestines. Bean sprouts are also high in calcium, vitamins B and C, and beta-carotene.

In traditional Chinese medicine, bean sprouts are considered slightly cold and have heat-clearing properties. Eating them in spring can help clear internal heat and reduce fire toxins, aiding in making the skin smooth and soft. Additionally, bean sprouts help eliminate edema.

There are many ways to cook bean sprouts. Below, I recommend a bean sprout mushroom soup. The basic ingredients include bean sprouts, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, etc. In pre-made chicken broth or stock (plain water works too), add two slices of ginger and button mushrooms. After boiling, add enoki mushrooms and cook for three minutes. Then add the bean sprouts and a little salt. Be sure not to cover the pot. Once it boils again, turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil before serving.

Shepherd's Purse - A Dual-Use Herb and Vegetable Known as "Life-Protection Grass"

Shepherd's purse has been consumed in China for thousands of years, with references found in the "Book of Songs" where it states, "Who says tea is bitter, its sweetness is like shepherd's purse," indicating that people during the Western Zhou dynasty already consumed shepherd's purse. Throughout history, it has been a much-loved wild vegetable. In many places in China, there is a custom of eating boiled eggs with shepherd's purse on the third day of the third lunar month. Some people collect large amounts of shepherd's purse on this day to dry and store for regular consumption. Others start picking it from the beginning of spring around the Spring Equinox, using it as a vegetable, believing it can cure all diseases, beneficial to health, and calling it "life-protection grass." Hence the saying goes, "On the third day of March, shepherd's purse is like a magical elixir."

Shepherd's purse is an ordinary yet delicious vegetable with numerous health benefits, closely tied to the lives of common people and impoverished scholars throughout history, leaving behind immortal verses. Du Fu wrote about "old spring shepherds' purses by the wall." Fan Zhongyan, who lived in poverty during his early years, often ate shepherd's purse and wrote in his "Shepherd's Purse Ode," "In Taoist homes, preserved green-yellow shepherd's purse, placed in the mouth, chewed to produce sounds of palace and commercial music." Su Dongpo made the famous "Dongpo Soup" with shepherd's purse, radish, and rice. Lu You, in his later years, was particularly fond of shepherd's purse, evidenced by his poem: "Only shepherd's purse is heaven's gift, covering hillsides greenly, precious without salt and cheese, resilient against snow and frost."

Shepherd's purse is highly nutritious, containing protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin C, along with flavonoid glycosides, choline, and acetylcholine. It is rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, helping enhance immune function. It can also lower blood pressure, improve digestion, and treat stomach spasms, gastric ulcers, dysentery, and enteritis.

In traditional Chinese medicine, shepherd's purse is considered sweet and neutral in nature, with high medicinal value. It has functions such as improving eyesight, cooling the body, reducing fever, promoting diuresis, and treating dysentery. It is used to treat dysentery, edema, urinary tract infections, chyluria, hemoptysis, hematochezia, menorrhagia, red and swollen eyes, among others. "Famous Physicians' Additional Records" states it "mainly promotes liver qi and harmonizes the middle energizer." "Daily Use Herbal" states it "cools the liver and improves eyesight." "Compendium of Materia Medica" states it "improves eyesight and benefits the stomach."

Shepherd's purse can be eaten raw in a salad. The method is: Boil water in a pot over high heat, add salt and a bit of oil. Blanch the vegetables until cooked, then rinse with cold water. Soften them but don't overcook. If you have a lot of vegetables, blanch them in batches. You can mix the whole plant or leaves directly, or cut them up before mixing. When mixing, add some salad oil, minced garlic, white vinegar, white pepper powder, salt, and sugar for flavor.