Summer Coolers
As the summer heat beats down withering plants, pets, and people, keeping many inside with air conditioning, here are tasty treats to keep you naturally cool, calm and beautiful.
COOL DRINKS
These lovely dried flowers open in hot water to make a sweet, refreshing tea. In Chinese medicine the tea, served warm or cold, is recommended to prevent migraine headaches, heat stroke, dizziness and cloudy vision. The tea lifts our spirits as it cools a hot head and hot temper. The yellow flowers bloom in a clear glass teapot. No sugar is required to sweeten this lovely tea which can be enjoyed all summer long and by anyone who suffers from fevers and stress from the weather, hormonal changes and excess spicy foods.
Wing Hop Fung has blooming teas! You can find delightful, beautiful flower teas that bloom in your glass teapot and offer the joyful aroma and flavors of the garden. In our blooming tea selections you will find small red rose buds for a tea that can ease tension and chest pains and a large variety of flowers perfect for happy afternoon sipping.. They make great gifts.
Japanese Matcha tea powder adds a natural boost of chlorophyll to fresh green tea because the tea plants are protected in shade during the final weeks of growing and the entire leaf is ground to make the powder. Add a tablespoon of the powder to your blender when whipping up fresh kale, celery, carrot, onion, apple and sweeten as you like with honey. Matcha has energizing vitamins, antioxidants and healthy catechins found in other teas along with a fresh, crisp flavor and bright green color.
Chill a tall glass, add ice, condensed milk, cool brewed Matcha and cold water or coffee. Or serve the milky jade green icy punch in a large glass bowl for your party guests.
TCM for Summer
Traditional Chinese medicine aims to keep the body and mind well and help prevent disease by reducing the damaging effects of daily stress, extreme temperatures and unwise lifestyle. Tai chi and qigong keep us limber and strong. A balanced diet that is appropriate for our age and health as well as the season is important. During summer we increase fresh sweet fruits such as in season berries and melons which increase water content, green leafy vegetables, nourishing nuts, seeds and fish products which are considered more cooling than meat, eggs and dairy.
- Congee with dried shrimp, oysters or scallops
Congee is a popular go-to breakfast food that is often recommended for children, the elderly or people with weak digestion who may be recovering from illness. It is a soft soupy rice dish that can be flavored with chopped scallion, soy sauce and enriched with fish or other foods. By using dried fish products we enhance the flavor and nutrition of a soup or stir fry meal. Most fresh fish products are made up of at least 80% water. By drying dehydrated shrimp, oysters or scallops, we reduce the water content which increases flavor, protein content and other vital nutrients.
To make stovetop congee, thoroughly rinse white rice several times in order to reduce the starch content and glycemic index. Rinse the dried seafood such as scallops, oysters or shrimp in cold water and add it to cook with medium to low heat until the rice is soft and seafood is cooked. You can save time by using a slow cooker aka crockpot set on low heat for 8 hours overnight. Your breakfast will be ready and nourishing in the morning.
- A Cooling, Moistening Ginseng
Wing Hop Fung specializes in top quality ginsengs both cultivated in Asia and wildcrafted in America. Wild American ginseng aka white ginseng grown in Wisconsin is the best cooling, rejuvenating and moistening ginseng available. It is recommended for prevention and treatment of chronic thirst, hunger, diabetes, dry skin, general weakness and signs of aging. It may offer a good way to reduce menopausal discomforts. American ginseng root can be eaten fresh or brewed as a tea. It is especially helpful for people who smoke, eat spicy rich foods, people who may have hypertension, anxiety and insomnia. During hot weather it helps to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke which is dangerous.
The dried bitter flowers of tienchi ginseng can be brewed to make a cooling, relaxing tea recommended to reduce/prevent migraine headaches, stiff jaw, hypertension, irritability and skin blemishes around the mouth and cheeks. It has liver-protective effects and contains no caffeine or other stimulants.
Wing Hop Fung can keep you cool and happy this summer. Anti inflammatory teas and cooling refreshing American ginseng gently detoxify and protect the body, improve digestion, energy and help regulate sleep patterns.
