Healthy Recipes for Premenstrual Syndromes (PMS)
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) highly recommends using foods to boost body systems and speed up its recovery, which are usually provided by a carefully selecting and combing of foods. This is referred to as a "medicinal diet" as many herbs are added in the dishes. Such functional foods are popular in Chinese households where the knowledge of certain foods as medicine has been passed down through the generations.
During the premenstrual period, the uterus, Conception Vessel and Thoroughfare Vessel work in their peaks, the basal body temperature rises and stays up for several days. These indicate the body has prepared for conception or menstruation. TCM interprets the body’s functional stage as a phase of yang rising and yin falling. In order to support the yang in premenstrual period, TCM aims to invigorate kidney yang and soothe liver qi.
For women with premenstrual syndromes (PMS), the special dishes will mainly follow the above principles:
- Foods beneficial to kidney yang are like Chinese leeks, chestnut, walnut, mutton, venison, rooster meat, pigeon, sparrow, loach, shrimps, and animal kidneys.
- Foods beneficial to soothe liver qi are like tangerine peel, barley, celery, dried daylily, orange juice, finger citron fruit, medical citron fruit, radish and tea leaf.
Below are the healthy recipes that can be consumed during the premenstrual phrase or for more long-term use.
1. Mood Swings
Recipe (1) : bupleurum root (10g), selfheal fruit spike (12g), white peony root (15g), sub-mature bitter orange (10g), red sage root (20g), and brown sugar to taste.
Methods: Boil the herbal ingredients with 600ml water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the decoction remains about 150ml. Filtered or strained the liquid into a container, add red sugar to taste. Serve hot, once a day.
Recipe (2) : fresh reed rhizome (150g), bamboo shavings (15g), rice (100g), fresh ginger (3 slides).
Methods: boil the herbal ingredients with 600ml water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the decoction remains about 150ml. Filtered or strained the liquid into a container, add red sugar to taste. Serve hot, once a day.
Recipe (3) : finger citron fruit (10g) and fresh ginger (6g), boil with water, then add rock sugar to taste and serve warm.
Recipe (4) : celery juice drink regularly.
2. Breast Tenderness
Goat Liver fried with Chinese leeks : prepare goat liver (150g), Chinese leeks (100g), green onion (2, diced), and ginger (5g, sliced), cumin (5g), and salt to taste.
Methods: wash and dice the chives; slice the goat liver. Heat a wok or frying pan; add oil for stir-frying. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and green onion, stir-fry briefly until their flavor is released. Add goat liver and stir fry for about 1 minute, and then add the chives, stirring evenly. Add salt and cumin to taste. Serve hot, once a day for 3~5 days.
: prepare smoked plum (20g), American ginseng (15g), rice (100g), and rock sugar to taste.Methods: firstly, decoct the plum and ginseng for 15 minutes to make a 100ml thick juice. Boil the rice with 1000ml water; add the juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat but allow the ingredients to remain at a brisk simmer. Place the lid on the pot, leaving it slightly open so the congee doesn't bubble up and spill over. In about 30 minutes the congee is almost done; add rock sugar to taste and serve hot, once a day for 3~5 days.
3. Headache
Chrysanthemum tea : prepare chrysanthemum (15g), selfheal fruit spike (10g) and sugar. Boil chrysanthemum and selfheal fruit spick with 800 ml of water under medium fire; turn off the fire when the solution remains about 150 ml. Filtered or strained the liquid into a container, add rock sugar to taste. Serve hot, once a day
Fleeceflower eggs
: prepare fleeceflower root (60g), and two eggs. Boil the fleeceflower root and eggs with 1000ml water. After 15 minutes, take out the eggs and peel them. Put the peeled eggs in again, boil on medium heat until there is 150ml of liquid left. Add rock sugar to taste. Eat the eggs and drink the solution, once a day for 3~5 days. 4. Low spirit and general aching
Notoginseng and chicken stew : prepare notoginseng (10g), blackbone chicken meat (500g), motherwort herb (30g), salt and pepper powder to taste.
Methods: chop the chicken in small pieces, rinse the motherwort herb and notoginseng, put together with the herbs in a casserole, add in 3 liters water, bring to a boil first, reduce the heat but allow the ingredients to remain at a brisk simmer. In about 90 minutes the soup is almost done; add salt and pepper powder to taste. Serve warm, drink the soup and eat the meat daily until the arrival of menstruation.
Methods: chop the chicken in small pieces, rinse the motherwort herb and notoginseng, put together with the herbs in a casserole, add in 3 liters water, bring to a boil first, reduce the heat but allow the ingredients to remain at a brisk simmer. In about 90 minutes the soup is almost done; add salt and pepper powder to taste. Serve warm, drink the soup and eat the meat daily until the arrival of menstruation.
5. Dizziness
Mutton and angelica soup : prepare angelica root (10g), tangerine peel (6g), Sichuan lovage rhizome (10g), mutton (250g), fresh ginger (10g), salt and pepper powder to taste.
Methods: rinse the ingredients, cut the mutton into pieces. Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, add 3000ml of water, first bring quickly to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes. Add salt and pepper as desired; simmer 20 minutes. Serve hot, drink the soup and eat the meat, once a day for 7 days.
Mussel and preserved egg porridge : prepare dried mussels (30g), one preserved egg (peeled and cut in small pieces) and rice (100g). Boil the mussel and rice with 1500ml of water, when the liquid turns thick, add in the preserved egg, then add salt to taste.
6. Edema and Diarrhea
Recipe (1) : boil corn silk (30g) and wax gourd peel (30g) with 1000ml of water, cook for 20 minutes. Sever as a regular drink.
Recipe (2) : prepare lotus seed (30g, remove the plumule), coix seed (30g), Chinese yam (30g), euryale seed (30g) and brown sugar to taste.
Method: boil the above ingredients with 2000ml of water over a medium flame, turn off flame when ingredients are almost mushy, add brow sugar to taste. Serve hot, once a day for half a month. Consume in the middle of the period.
Recipe (3) : rice beans (30g), coix seed (30g), Chinese dates (10 pieces), and brown sugar to taste.
Methods: boil the above ingredients with 1500ml of water on medium heat until they are almost mashed. Add red sugar to taste. Serve hot, once a day for 7 days.
Carp and radish soup : prepare Chinese radish (120g), carp (500g, scaled and remove the organs), fresh ginger (15g), salt and pepper powder to taste.
Methods: put the above ingredients and 2500ml of water into a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat but allow the ingredients to remain at a brisk simmer. In about 90 minutes the soup is almost done; add salt and pepper powder to taste. Serve hot, once daily for 7 days.
7. Mouth sores
- European verbena herb (30g) boil with 300ml of water, drink daily.
- Mung bean (150g) boil with 600ml for 30 minutes, turn off the fire and then add one egg, stir to make a soup, drink daily
- Watermelon juice, drink regularly.
8. Hives
Recipe (1) : red sage root (30g, wrapped in gauze), red rice beans (100g) and red dates (30g). Boil the ingredients with 1500ml of water until them turn tender. Serve warm, eat the food and drink the soup.
Recipe (2) : wax gourd peel (100g) and coix seed (100g). Boil the ingredients with 500ml of water for 20 minutes, drink the solution every day. Start 10 days before menstruation.
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