Recent days, in most parts of the country, the high temperatures persist, accompanied by frequent rainfall, the combination of moisture and heat causing many people to feel sweaty and uncomfortable.
Severe symptoms such as oily skin, acne breakouts, intensified body odor, recurring mouth ulcers, and sudden occurrence of styes are signs of “excessive heat” invading the body.
In fact, this is caused by the invasion of damp-heat in the body!
To clear damp-heat, eat winter melon.
To eliminate this troubling damp-heat, winter melon is definitely the best choice!
As the saying goes, “spring eat sprouts, summer eat melons, autumn eat fruits, winter eat roots”. Melons can help replenish body fluids and relieve summer heat in the scorching summer days, making them an excellent choice for summer health.
Winter melon has a sweet, bland taste, slightly cold in nature, with effects such as clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and reducing swelling, making it a natural enemy against damp-heat in summer!
As recorded in the “Dietary Spectrum for Health Maintenance”, winter melon “nourishes the stomach, generates body fluids, cleanses impurities, promotes suppuration, clears heat, relieves dysentery, cholera, and poisoning from fish and alcohol. It is suitable for all illnesses, regardless of being vegetarian or non-vegetarian”.
The greatest effect of winter melon is to clear dampness, especially focusing on clearing lower jiao dampness.
When experiencing symptoms such as yellow urine, frequent but scant urination, painful urination, loose and foul-smelling stool, sticky stool, or difficulty defecating in summer, it indicates that the dampness in the middle jiao spleen and stomach is heavy, the dampness penetrates inward, transforming into heat, downward flow of damp-heat, affecting the lower jiao.
At this point, eating some winter melon is very suitable, and for better effects, stewing together the medicinal winter melon peel and seeds is recommended.
There are many ways to consume winter melon soup.
Winter melon is a versatile cooking ingredient that can be paired with both vegetarian and meat soups, creating irresistible flavors.
1
Winter melon lean pork soup
Ingredients: 60g winter melon, 20g minced lean pork, 5-10 wolfberries, oil, salt as needed.
Method: Wash and slice the winter melon, rinse the wolfberries. Place the winter melon slices in a steaming bowl, layer with minced lean pork in the middle, top with wolfberries, season with a small amount of oil and salt. Steam for 10-20 minutes over high heat until ingredients are cooked through.
Effect: Clearing heat, nourishing the spleen and stomach.
2
Lotus leaf winter melon soup
Ingredients: 30g lotus leaf, 300g winter melon, 15g white kidney beans, salt as needed.
Method: Wash lotus leaf and white kidney beans, clean and cut winter melon into chunks, put all in a casserole, add enough water, boil over high heat then simmer for about 30 minutes, season with salt.
Function: This nourishing soup has the effects of relieving heat and irritability, clearing heat, and promoting diuresis. Suitable for people who are thirsty, have yellow urine, and suffer from restlessness and insomnia in midsummer.
3
Winter melon old duck soup
Ingredients: 1 lotus leaf, 300g winter melon, 750g old duck, ginger, cooking wine, pepper as needed.
Method: Wash ingredients, peel and cut the winter melon into pieces, cut the lotus leaf into strips, blanch the old duck to remove blood stains. Put all the ingredients along with ginger, cooking wine, and pepper in a soup pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours, season with salt.
Effect: Clearing heat, eliminating dampness, boosting spleen yang. Particularly suitable for summer nourishment.
4
Winter melon kelp soup
Ingredients: 200g winter melon, 150g kelp, ginger, scallions, salt as needed.
Method: Wash and cut the winter melon and kelp, place ginger slices in a pot, add water and bring to a boil, add winter melon and kelp, boil on high heat then remove any foam, simmer until winter melon is translucent and kelp is cooked, sprinkle with scallions, season with salt.
Effect: Diuretic, dampness dispelling, heat clearing, ideal for consumption in the heavy and humid rainy season.
