Peach Gum / Tao Jiao

1. 桃胶5克，清水1000毫升。将桃胶放入清水中浸泡一夜（12小时左右）至软涨，体积大概能涨大10倍。
2. 再仔细将泡软的桃胶表面的黑色杂质去除，用清水反复清洗后，掰成均匀的小块。
3. 银耳用清水泡20分钟变软后，用手掰成小朵。雪梨去皮切成1cm大小的丁。
4. 将桃胶、银耳和水放入锅中，大火煮开后改小火继续煮30分钟，此时汤汁开始变得有些粘稠。
5. 放入梨丁煮5分钟，再放入冰糖和蔓越梅，边搅拌边煮3分钟，至冰糖彻底融化，汤汁浓稠即可。

1. 桃胶和皂角米分别清洗后用清水浸泡，浸泡8个小时后把桃胶、皂角米简单冲洗后放进砂锅里，加上6颗红枣。
2. 砂锅加足够的水，大火烧开，转中小火2个小时就煮好了，期间要时不时的搅拌一下，别糊锅了。
3. 碗里加1勺玫瑰酱，趁热把煮好的桃胶、皂角米倒进去搅拌均匀即可。 

Tears of peach/Prunus persica/Peach gum

Tao Jiao 桃胶 Peach gum, the delicious resin collected from Chinese peach trees, is rich in collagen, galactose, rhamnose, an anti-inflammatory, rejuvenating, skin-beautifying natural sugar, and amino acids. Collagen does far more than make our skin look youthful and taut. It’s a triple-helix protein that makes up a good deal of our body mass, in the form of tendons, bones, muscles and, yes, skin. Collagen is present in our corneas and the space between each vertebra. It’s a critical part of the human body, and peach resin is used in traditional Chinese medicine to replenish and preserve it.

From the manufacturer: Peach tree gum is a resin secreted from the bark of Rosaceae peach or mountain peach harvested in summer. Rinse it and soak it in water overnight, wash away impurities, and dry it. [When soaked, it expands 8-10 times it size and the dried gum has a long shelf life.]

The taste is delicious, sweet and bitter; and its effects are neutral [not heating and is slightly cooling.]  

This product has irregular lumps, teardrops, etc., with different sizes. The surface is light yellow, yellowish-brown, and translucent. The texture is soft, dry and hard, and the drops are shiny. Slightly airy, sticky [gummy] in water. 

It is traditionally used for chyluria, the urinary excretion of chyle, a lymphatic fluid. [Non-parasitic causes of chyluria include tuberculosis, congenital anomalies, trauma, post-surgery infections and malignancy. The cause of the disease is due to the obstruction and the rupture of the lymphatic system into the urinary system.]

Peach gum is also used for diabetes, urinary tract infection, dysentery, stone leaching, blood cleansing. It enters the  Large intestine and Bladder meridians.

Dosage  Oral administration: decoction, 9-15g, or into pills or powder.

Diet Therapy 

1. Papaya stewed peach gum  

Ingredients:

1 papaya, 10 grams of peach gum. 

Peach gum is soaked in clean water for more than 12 hours until it becomes soft and the volume can increase more than 10 times. 10 grams of peach gum is enough to eat two meals.

Wash the soft soaked peach gum carefully and repeatedly to remove black impurities and break it into small pieces. Add a little water to the peach gum and steam it for about 30 minutes.

Cut the papaya in half, remove the seeds, pour the water-steamed peach gum into the papaya, sprinkle a little rock sugar, and continue steaming for about 20 minutes.   

2. Peach gum Tremella syrup

Ingredients: 

15 grams of peach gum, 1 pear (300 grams), 30 grams of rock sugar, 5 grams of white fungus.

For 5 grams of peach gum, soak in 1000 ml of water. Soak the peach gum in clean water overnight (about 12 hours) until it softens and the volume can increase by about 10 times. Then carefully remove the black impurities on the surface of the soft soaked peach gum, and after repeated washing with water, break it into even, small pieces.     

Soak the white fungus in water for 20 minutes to soften, then break it into small flowers by hand. 

Peel the Sydney pear and cut into 1cm-sized cubes.     

Put the peach gum, white fungus, and water in a pot. After it is boiled on high heat, change to low heat and continue to cook for 30 minutes. At this time, the soup begins to become a bit sticky.

Add the diced pears and cook for 5 minutes, then add rock sugar and cranberry, and cook for 3 minutes while stirring, until the rock sugar is completely melted and the soup thickens.  

3. Peach gum and jiao rice soup

Ingredients: 

a spoonful of saponified rice, peach gum, rose sauce, 6 red dates. Wash the peach gum and saponia rice separately and soak them in water. After soaking for 8 hours, rinse the peach gum and saponia rice briefly, then put them in a casserole, and add 6 red dates.

Add enough water to the casserole and bring it to a boil. Turn to medium and low heat for 2 hours and it will be ready. Stir it from time to time during this period. 

Add 1 tablespoon of rose sauce to the bowl, pour the cooked peach gum and saponia rice into the bowl while it is hot and stir well.