Chinese Dietary Advice and Health Recipes to Promote Ear Health
Chronic ear problems such as ear ringing or hearing loss tend to be complex, as they can involve multiple causes, a combination of strategies is therefore necessary for the management. Besides medical treatment, appropriate living habits and surroundings can greatly contribute to hearing health, including hearing protection, healthy eating, limited alcohol, quitting smoking, a supportive bedroom, regular exercise, stress management, being socially active and optimistic!
The stomach and spleen are responsible for digestion, absorption and distribution of nutrient essence to the entire body, keeping them running properly is the key for optimal body as well as recovery. For ear problems, TCM physicians will give their patients some dietary suggestions that aim to ensure the stomach and spleen functioning, and arrest further progression of their conditions:
1. External pathogenic attacking: the ear problems usually developed after regional infections such as cold and flu, and middle ear inflammation. Individuals should eat more heat clearing ingredients such as bok choy, chrysanthemum, celery, wax gourd, loofah, mint, reed rhizome, and honeysuckle.
The drink helps clear heat, promote urination, unblock ear orifices and arrest pain.
Chinese pork’s kidney soup
Asian ginseng porridge
Red date and peach kernel drink
Notoginseng and chicken soup
Good eating is the foundation for optimal bodily functioning, disease prevention and recovery as well. A range of practices should be encompassed, that means what, how and when you eat are equally important. Eating slowly and mindfully, ensuring you're truly hungry before a meal, and avoiding distractions like TV or mobile during meals can significantly improve your digestion. Regular mealtimes and portion control are also key factors, which help regulate your body's hunger signals and energy levels throughout the day. Additionally, staying hydrated, limiting salt, sugar and fat intakes, and incorporating a variety of foods to ensure a balanced intake of nutrients are all part of a healthy eating routine. Adopting such habits may not always be easy, but the positive impact on one's health is well worth the effort. 
There is little evidence to confirm a relationship between diet and ear problems, however a well-planned diet has many health benefits to the individuals, such as reducing hypertension and weight, improving blood flow, heightening energy levels, and emotional state, all of these promote inner ear health and hearing capabilities, even slow down the progression of hearing problems.
Some people may find certain foods or beverages would temporarily worsen their hearing symptoms, a food and hearing diary can identify an individual pattern, knowing the triggering foods and change symptoms. Individuals will then know what should eat in moderation and how to lessen the fluctuation of their symptoms.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views the body as an organic whole, the ears are closely connected with the internal organs. Through a meridian network inside the body, the ears rely on constant support and nourishment of internal organs to function properly, ear problems such as declined hearing or ringing in the ears can often be the outward signs of internal disharmonies. TCM physicians often consider internal disharmonies when treating ear problems. The internal disharmonies are diagnosed by a group of symptoms and signs of individuals, known as diagnostic patterns. Diet and health recipes are incorporated as part of the daily management, TCM physicians will give specific dietary advice to their patients.
Clinically, common disharmonies for ear problems include external pathogenic attacking, phlegm and fire irritating ear orifices, qi stagnation, blood stasis, blood deficiency in the spleen and heart, and kidney essence insufficiency; eat according to these disharmonies is part of the holistic approach in promoting ear health or recovery.
The stomach and spleen are responsible for digestion, absorption and distribution of nutrient essence to the entire body, keeping them running properly is the key for optimal body as well as recovery. For ear problems, TCM physicians will give their patients some dietary suggestions that aim to ensure the stomach and spleen functioning, and arrest further progression of their conditions:
- Limit food in extreme energy, especially ingredients with hot properties such as beef, mutton, venison or roasted chicken.
- Keep a light and digestible diet, and limit the intake of fatty, spicy and hardly digested food, cut frozen and raw foods too.
- Eat more fresh vegetables, fruits and beans to promote bowel movements.
- Since ear functioning is closely associated with the spleen and kidney inside the body, foods like walnut, black sesame and black fungus are beneficial to these organs.
More specifically, physicians will select some health recipes for their patients to incorporate in daily meals:
Clear hearing tea
Ingredients: kudzu root (9-15g) and liquorice root (3g).
Methods: pound the herbs into coarse mixtures, put in a thermos bottle and pour in the proper amount of boiling water, brew for 20 minutes. This is a daily amount, drink the herbal tea frequently during daytime.
The two herbs work together to expel the pathogens in the superficial part of the body, promote respiratory functioning, and unblock the ear channels. |
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| kudzu root | mulberry leaf | liquorice root |
Mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum tea
Ingredients: chrysanthemum (15g), mulberry leaf (15g), poria (20g), oriental water-plantain rhizome (5g).
Methods: boil the herbs with 400ml of water for 15 minutes. This is the daily amount, and the herbal solution can be divided into 3-4 portions to drink for the day.
The herbs work together to expel the pathogens and unblock the ear orifices.
2. Liver fire flaring-up: The ear problems usually aggravated by emotional distress, individuals should eat more heat clearing ingredients such as chrysanthemum, celery, tomato, cucumber, radish, lettuce, purslane, banana, kelp, water chestnut, pomelo and kiwifruit.Shepherd's purse and pork soup
Ingredients: lean pork meat (500g), fresh Shepherd’s purse (250g), fresh scabrous doellingeria herb (250g), candied dates (2 pieces).
Methods: wash the ingredients, cut the pork in thin pieces, put all the ingredients in a soup pot, add in 2000ml of water, bring to a boil first and then simmer for one hour, turn off the heat, add sesame oil and salt to taste, and serve hot. Eat the meat and drink the soup.
This soup clears the liver fire and promotes urination.
Cleansing liver tea
Ingredients:
(I) green tea leaf (5g), red sage (10g) and Siberian solomonseal rhizome (10g)
(II)mulberry leaf bud (9g), chrysanthemum (9g), lophatherum herb (20g)
Methods: pound the ingredients into coarse mixtures, put in a thermos bottle and pour in the proper amount of boiling water, then brew for 20 minutes. This is a daily amount, drink the herbal tea frequently during daytime.
The herbal tea clears liver fire, activates blood circulating and nourishes liver and so helps to alleviate ear problems.
3. Phlegm accumulation: the ear problems are likely aggravated by improper eating or heavy meals, individuals should plan a light and easily digested diet, and eat more ingredients like Chinese radish, laver, kelp, onion, hawthorn, fresh ginger, red dates, white hyacinth bean, coix seed, rice bean, tangerine peel, and mint to smooth the metabolic processing of the body.
Bitter gourd drink
Ingredients: one bitter gourd, and sugar (60g)
Methods: wash the bitter gourd, remove the pulp, and cut into small pieces, put them in a bowl, mix with the sugar evenly, steam under high heat for one hour, turn off the fire and wait for it to cool down, separate the dregs from the juice, then ready for drink.
The drink helps clear heat, promote urination, unblock ear orifices and arrest pain.
Seaweed, kelp and soybean stew
Ingredients: seaweed and kelp 30g each, soybeans 120-150g.
Methods: wash the ingredients, cut the kelp and seaweed into big pieces, stir fry the soybeans slightly, put all the ingredients in a soup pot and add 2000ml of water, and stew under low heat for one hour. Add sugar or salt to taste and serve hot.
The ingredients work together to resolve the phlegm and restore the circulation.
4. Deficiency of spleen and heart: individuals with this type usually accompanied panic attacks, fatigue, sweating and poor sleep. They should eat more qi tonic ingredients such as lotus seed, longan pulp, red dates, Chinese yam, mulberry, milk, animal liver, pork’s heart, egg, wolfberry, peach, grape, sweet potato, tomato, black fungus, black sesame, peanut to replenish the organs.
Pork’s stomach stew with white pepper
Ingredients: pork’s stomach (one), white pepper (15g), a few ginger slices and scallions.
Methods:
- Put the white pepper in gauze and pound slightly.
- Clean and prepare the stomach: cut away the fats on the surface, rinse it in and out; invert the organ and cut away any fat tissues, pour vinegar, salt and cornstarch all over it, knead through for 10 minutes to get away the dirt and smell, rinse again several times; flip the organ back to its original form, blanch in boiling water with 3 ginger slices and scallions for 3 minute, pick up and drain.
- Put the white pepper bag and the ginger slices inside the organ and inject the right amount of water, tighten the opening and the bottom, cook in a soup pot with 1400ml of water, bring to a boil and then simmer under low heat for 2 hours or until the organ turns tender.
- Take the organ out and slice it up, put back into the pot, keep cooking for 15 minutes, add salt to taste and serve hot. Drink the milky soup and eat organ slices.
The ingredients work together to warm the spleen and invigorate overall body functioning.
Walnut, peanut and black sesame candy
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| Pork's stomach soup | traditional healthy snack |
Walnut, peanut and black sesame candy
Ingredients: walnut (30g, crushed slightly), black sesame (60g), peanut (30g, crushed slightly), maltose (60g), sugar (30).
Methods: bake the black sesame under 180°C for 5 minutes, bake the walnut and peanut under 180°C for 15 minutes, then put aside and keep them warm; pour the maltose and sugar in a saucepan, add in 30 ml water and a little salt, boil under low heat to let them totally blended, keep stirring until the juice turns dark brown and appears small bubbles, turn off the heat and pour in the walnut, sesame and peanut quickly, mix well and pour into a non-stick baking pan, press down to form a long strip, wait for it to cool down a little bit, cut into thin pieces. This well-known healthy snack can be taken 20-30g daily.
5. Kidney essence depletion: this disharmony often appears in elderly people or those with chronic problems, the ear problems tend to be more obvious at nighttime. Individuals should eat more kidney friendly ingredients such as black beans, black fungus, mushrooms, black color grains, black sesame, black dates, walnut, mulberry, laver, kelp, black bone chicken, fish heads, animal kidneys, sea cucumber, and sheep brain.
Chinese pork’s kidney soup
Ingredients: pork’s kidney one pair, lean pork (450g), eucommia bark (30g), Gordon euryale seed (30g), poria (30g), Chinese yam (100g), corn on the cob (2, cut in small sections), a few ginger slices and scallions.
Methods: Rinse the kidney with water, remove any connecting tissues on it, use a sharp knife to cut the kidney into half lengthwise, remove the white tendons in the middle of each half, then rinse the kidney in cold water and peel off its outer membrane, score the smooth side in a cross-hatch pattern (slicing 3mm-5mm deep depending on the thickness) and then cut the kidney into 2cm-wide pieces; cut the pork meat in big pieces; rinse the other ingredients. Put all the ingredients in a soup pot and add 2000ml of water, bring to a boil for a few minutes, skim off scum from the surface, simmer over low heat for 2 hours, add salt to taste and serve hot. Take off the bark, eat the ingredients, and drink the soup.
The ingredients work together to replenish essence, nourish the organs, and promote hearing recovery.
Asian ginseng porridge
Ingredients: Asian ginseng (1g), ledebouriella root (0.33g), magnetite (30g), pork’s kidney one pair, rice (100g), a few ginger slices and scallions.
Methods: the pork’s kidneys are cleaned and prepared as above, blanch the kidney pieces in hot water with ginger slices and scallions for 2 minutes, then put aside; grind the ginseng into powder; rinse the ledebouriella root and magnetite, and place them in a gauge soup bag. Firstly, put the rice and the soup bag in a soup pot, add in 1500ml of water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then simmer over low heat until the liquid turns thick, take off the soup bag, add in the ginseng powder and kidney pieces, keep boiling for 5 minutes, add salt to taste and serve hot.
The ingredients work together to invigorate body functions and promote hearing recovery.
6. Qi stagnation and blood stasis: the ear problems often appear in chronic or lingering states, individuals might have a history of injury before. They should eat more ingredients such as tangerine, garlic, ginger, onion, hawthorn, black soybean, vinegar, rose bud, black fungus, dark brown sugar and red wine.
Red date and peach kernel drink
Ingredients: peach kernel (15g), red dates (12 pieces, stone removed), fresh ginger (3 slices), and brown sugar.
Methods: soak the peach kernel in water for 3 hours, rinse the red date, put three ingredients in a soup pot, cook with 1000ml of water in high heat for 30 minutes, add brown sugar to taste and boil for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the dregs, server hot.
The ingredients work together to activate blood circulation and resolve blood stasis.
Notoginseng and chicken soup
Ingredients: notoginseng (15g, sliced), black bone chicken (450g), red dates (5 pieces), wolfberry (10 pieces), a few ginger slices and rice wine.
Methods: rinse the ingredients, chop the chicken into big pieces and blanch in boiling water with ginger and wine for 5 minutes, then put all the ingredients in a double steam container, add in suitable amount of water, steam under high heat for 2 hours, turn off the heat, season to taste and serve hot. Drink the soup and eat meat.
The soup promotes qi production, enriches blood, and activates the circulation through the body.
Besides the health recipes for ear problems, individuals can also ask their physicians to tailor-make herbal wines or syrups, that are also traditional tonics to serve for bodily enhancement.
Since food cures are not one-and-done treatment, the results are gradual and require consistency. They should be part of your everyday diet if you want to see long-term improvement.
