Hawthorn Fruit Porridge

[Porridge Recipes]

[Porridge Composition] 30-40 grams of Crataegus pinnatifida, or 60 grams of fresh Crataegus pinnatifida, 60 grams of japonica rice, and 10 grams of granulated sugar.

[Efficacy and Indications] Strengthens the Spleen and stomach, resolves food stagnation, and disperses blood stasis. It is applicable for food stagnation, indigestion of meat, abdominal pain, diarrhea, postpartum blood stasis pain, persistent lochia, delayed menstruation, dysmenorrhea, indigestion of milk and food in children, as well as hypertension, coronary Heart wellness, insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, angina pectoris, and hyperlipidemia.

[Decoction Method] First, add hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) into a casserole to decoct and obtain a concentrated juice, strain out the dregs, then add round-grained rice and granulated sugar to cook into porridge.

[Explanation of Porridge Efficacy] Hawthorn, also known as azalea fruit, tangqiu, chizaozi, and haihong. Since it is a mountain fruit favored by wild mice and mountain monkeys, it is also called shuzha (mouse hawthorn) and houli (monkey pear). It is distributed in most regions of China. The variety produced in the north is called northern hawthorn, and that produced in the south is called southern hawthorn. Northern hawthorn has large fruits, red skin, thick flesh, and a sweet and sour taste. It is often sliced and dried in the sun for medicinal use, primarily for strengthening the stomach, promoting digestion, and resolving food stagnation. Southern hawthorn has smaller fruits, red color, firm texture, and a sour and astringent taste. It is often used in its whole form for medicinal purposes, commonly for astringing and stopping diarrhea.

Hawthorn is not only a much-loved fruit but also an excellent traditional Chinese medicine. There are numerous records about hawthorn in traditional Chinese medicine, which consider it to have a sour and sweet taste, a slightly warm nature, and to be non-toxic, entering the Spleen, stomach, and Liver meridians. Li Shizhen, in the Compendium of Materia Medica, stated that hawthorn “digests food, resolves meat accumulation, abdominal masses, phlegm-fluid retention, fullness and acid regurgitation, and stagnant blood causing pain and distension.” The Daily Use Materia Medica records that it “digests food accumulation, moves stagnant qi, strengthens the stomach, widens the diaphragm, and resolves blood stagnation and qi masses.” Clinical practice has proven that hawthorn can stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, resolve food stagnation, promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis, and astringe to stop diarrhea, making it an important medicine for promoting digestion and resolving accumulation. It is commonly used and highly effective for conditions such as excessive meat consumption leading to indigestion, belching with a foul odor and acid regurgitation, fullness and distension in the epigastrium, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dysentery. According to modern medical research, hawthorn contains a large amount of vitamin C and acidic substances such as malic acid, citric acid, tricarboxylic acid, and crataegolic acid, which increase the levels of amylase and lipase in gastric juice, thereby aiding digestion. In traditional Chinese medicine gynecology, hawthorn is also frequently used for women with amenorrhea, menstrual pain, incomplete lochia discharge after childbirth, and postpartum abdominal pain due to retained placental tissue. This is because hawthorn can contract the uterus, facilitating the expulsion of blood clots from the uterine cavity, promoting postpartum uterine recovery, and providing analgesic effects.

It is reported that hawthorn can dilate coronary arteries, relax blood vessels, increase coronary blood flow, improve cardiac vitality, stimulate the central nervous system, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels, and strengthen the Heart. It has shown remarkable effects in supports hypertension, senile cardiac debility, coronary Heart wellness, and hyperlipidemia. In the Qing Dynasty, Huang Yunhu recorded in Zhou Pu · Zhou Pin Si that “hawthorn porridge can supports hernia and resolve meat accumulation through dietary therapy,” but regular consumption can also be highly beneficial for cardiovascular wellness in middle-aged and elderly individuals.

[Precautions] Hawthorn porridge is sweet and sour and can be taken as a snack in the morning or afternoon. It should not be consumed on an empty stomach. A course of supports lasts 7 to 10 days. It is not suitable for patients with chronic Spleen-stomach deficiency.