American Ginseng Winter Melon Soup-西洋參冬瓜湯

American Ginseng Winter Melon Soup

Ingredients:

Winter melon-250g

Pork bone or  Pork ribs-200g

American Ginseng-10g

Sweet date 蜜棗-1

Method:

1.       Boil a pot of water and cook pork bones. When it’s done, take them out and rinse with water.

(Cleaning process)

2.       Prepare a pot, add all the ingredients into the pot, including the pork bones. Add 1200cc of water. Cook them with high heat first. When it starts to bubble, turn to low heat and cook them for 2hrs or until the bones are soft.

Benefit of this soup:

Benefits: Winter melon is a good source of Vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin C, rich in beta carotene, calcium and so on. Helps clear the heat and toxin, promotes urination, reduce water retention, expels phlegm, stop cough, improves metabolism, reduce fats and etc.

American ginseng contains ginsenosides, which are thought to fight fatigue and stress by supporting the adrenal glands and the use of oxygen by exercising muscles.

If you are the type that get tired and have diarrhea easily, you can add Chinese Peral Barley 20g and Semen Lablab Beans 30g.

You can also add Coix Seed or Chinese pearl barley or Job's Tears (生薏仁) 20g.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS  of Chinese pearl barley :
Promote diuresis and invigorate the spleen; relieve dampness obstruction and eliminate phlegm; clear away heat and drain the pus; anti-rheumatic. Suitable for scanty urine; swelling and pain in joints and sinews; rheumatism; lung infections; cough with blood in sputum and dry scaly skin.

You can also add SEMEN LABLAB Beans(白扁豆) 30g

Benefit of Semen Lablab beans- The white hyacinth bean is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to invigorate the spleen and remove damp. It is especially beneficial during the summer months to alleviate “summer damp”.

*Women during menstruation, shouldn’t drink this soup.