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Adding Chinese Food Remedies to Your Diet to Lower Blood Pressure


Deficiency of Both Yin and Yang

Manifestations: hypertension, sometimes there may be dizziness with a hollow feeling in the head, blurred vision, ear ringing or hearing loss, palpitations, breath shortness, mental fatigue, general weakness, coldness and numbness in the limbs, lumbar and knee weakness, abdominal distention, diarrhea, frequent urination or night frequency, a pale red tongue with little or without coating, the pulse is hesitant or knotted especially in the chi region.

TCM dietary suggestions: nourish yin and aid yang

This type of hypertension should eat more foods that have warming and invigorating properties, such as mushrooms, dates, longan pulp, honey, glutinous rice, Chinese yam, carrot, soy bean, walnut, chestnut, eels, Chinese chives, beef, venison, mutton, quail, loach, rabbit meat and silver carp. The daily diet should be easily digested and light, raw and frozen food and cold property food are better to avoid.

Fresh Chinese yam Wild reishi mushroom Walnut salad
Fresh Chinese yam
Wild reishi mushroom
Walnut salad

Kelp, laver and soy bean soup

Ingredients

Dried kelp (15g), laver (15g), and yellow soy bean (150-200g)

Preparing method

Wash and soak the ingredients with water thoroughly, then put in a saucepan and cook with 1000ml of water, simmer for one hour, turn off the heat and add rock sugar to taste

Health benefits

The kelp and laver clear liver heat and soften blood vessels; the soy bean replenishes yin and aids yang, invigorates spleen and promotes qi (vital energy) production. This soup is suitable for hypertension and atherosclerosis.


Double steamed pig’s brain

Ingredients

Tall gastrodia tuber (6g) and Siberian solomonseal rhizome (6g), and one pig’s brain

Preparing method

Rinse the pig's brain and remove the thin layer, put the brain in a bowl, and marinate with salt, millet wine, mashed ginger; prepare a double steam container, put in the brain and herbs, and add in 500ml of water, cook under high heat for 90 minutes, season with salt and sesame oil to taste, and further cook for several minutes. Serve warm, drink the soup and eat the brain, which can be divided for 3 times

Health benefits

The Siberian solomonseal rhizome replenishes qi and nourishes yin; the tall gastrodia tuber soothes liver and extinguishes internal wind; the pig’s brain replenishes marrow, nourishes yin and aids brain functioning; they work together to regulate blood pressure


Steamed sea cucumber

Ingredients

Sea cucumber (100g) and rock sugar (15g)

Preparing method

Marinate the sea cucumber with a little millet wine, mashed ginger and pepper for 30 minutes, put in a double steam container, add 100ml of water, and cook for one hour. Melt the rock sugar under low heat and pour the juice on the sea cucumber as sauce. Serve warm, eat the sea cucumber and drink the soup

Health benefits

Sea cucumber nourishes the body and invigorates kidney; rock sugar promotes digestion and absorption. This dish is suitable for hypertension accompanied with general weakness


Stewed rabbit meat with astragalus root and Sichuan lovage rhizome

Ingredients

Rabbit meat (250g), astragalus root (10g), Sichuan lovage rhizome (6g), ginger (4 slices)

Preparing method

Chop the meat into pieces, blanch in boiling water and drain; put all the ingredients in a pot, fill with water to about 2cm from the top; bring to a boil quickly, then simmer for about 2 hours. Season to taste, serve hot, drink the soup and eat the meat

Health benefits

This recipe replenishes qi, activates blood and unblocks the meridians, which are suitable for hypertension accompanied blood and qi depletions


Reishi mushroom porridge

Ingredients

Reishi mushroom (9g), and rice (50g)

Preparing method

Decoct the herb with 100ml of water to make a thick juice; cook the rice with 800ml of water, bring to a boil quickly, then simmer until the liquid turns thick, add in the herbal juice and further cook for 15 minutes. Add rock sugar to taste. Serve warm in the morning and evening

Health benefits

This porridge calms the spirit, nourishes the heart, replenishes blood and qi, which are suitable for hypertension accompanied with restless and palpitations


Stewed chicken with fleece flower root

Ingredients

One baby chicken, fleece flower root (10g) and ginger 4 slices

Preparing method

Take off the chicken skin, clear its chest, put the herb inside the chest; put the chicken in a clay pot, fill with water to cover it, simmer under low heat until it is tendered; take out the herb from the chicken chest, season the stew with salt, rice wine, sesame oil and ginger to taste, cook under medium heat for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and serve hot

Health benefits

The dish nourishes the body, and promotes the liver and kidney functioning, which are very suitable for hypertension accompanied with dizziness, ear ringing, general weakness and headache