Tangerine Peel Porridge

[Records on Diet Differentiation]

[Porridge Composition] 15-20 grams of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (30 grams if fresh), 30-60 grams of Coicis Semen.

[Efficacy and Indications] Regulates qi, strengthens the stomach, resolves phlegm, and stops cough. It is applicable for Qi Stagnation in the Spleen and stomach, abdominal distension and fullness, indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, cough with excessive phlegm, and chest and diaphragm fullness and oppression.

[Decoction Method] First, decoct the tangerine peel to obtain the medicinal juice and remove the dregs. Then, add glutinous rice to cook into porridge. Alternatively, dry the tangerine peel in the sun, grind it into a fine powder, and mix 3 to 5 grams of it into already-boiled thin porridge each time, then continue to cook into porridge.

[Explanation of Congee Efficacy] Tangerine peel was anciently called Guilao or Hongpi. Since fresh tangerine peel has a pungent taste, aged tangerine peel is preferred, and the tangerine peels from Xinhui mandarin and Chazhi mandarin produced in Guangdong Province are of the best quality. Therefore, in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, it is often written as “Guang Chenpi” or “Xinhui Pi”.

According to records in medical books of past dynasties, tangerine peel tastes pungent and bitter, is warm in nature, non-toxic, and has a strong aroma. It enters the Spleen and Lung meridians. It is a commonly used medicine for supports Qi Stagnation in the Spleen and stomach, abdominal distension and fullness, loss of appetite, belching, vomiting, and indigestion. Additionally, because it can dry dampness and resolve phlegm, whenever there are signs of imbalance of excessive cough with phlegm and chest and diaphragm fullness and discomfort caused by acute or chronic tracheitis, tangerine peel is also an essential medicine. According to modern medical research, the reason tangerine peel has the above two effects is that its pharmacological actions are related to its constituent components. Tangerine peel contains a variety of volatile oils, mainly limonene. Due to its stimulating effect on the digestive tract, it can increase gastric juice secretion, accelerate gastrointestinal peristalsis, and have the effects of invigorating the stomach and dispelling wind. At the same time, volatile oils can also increase the secretion of respiratory mucosa, facilitating the discharge of phlegm and thus having the effects of resolving phlegm and relieving cough.

Cooking porridge with tangerine peel and rice is also an experience-based食疗 recipe from ancient medical experts. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Mu recorded in Yin Shi Bian Lu (Volume II): “Tangerine Peel Porridge. Grind dried tangerine peel into powder and add it to porridge, or chop up preserved tangerine from Zhangzhou and cook it with rice. It can supports Spleen Qi Stagnation and abdominal distension caused by food.” Combining rice and the medicinal herb in this way not only enhances the ability of tangerine peel to regulate qi and resolve phlegm but also strengthens its effect in invigorating the Spleen and nourishing the stomach.

[Precautions] Tangerine Peel Porridge is suitable for patients with excessive phlegm and cough. It is not recommended for patients with cough due to Yin Deficiency and dryness or dry cough without phlegm. Patients with hemoptysis should avoid taking it. Generally, a course of supports lasts for 2 to 3 days.

[Reference Materials]

[Taiping Shenghui Fang · Volume 97 · Various Prescriptions for supports Foot Qi Through Diet]: “Prescription for Orange Peel Porridge to supports foot qi, with signs of imbalance of chest oppression, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite: One liang of aged orange peel, soaked in boiling water to remove the white pith and then baked; one liang of perilla stem and leaves; three areca nuts; one and a half liang of mulberry root bark; three slices of ginger; two he of polished round-grained rice. The above-mentioned medicinals should be finely chopped, boiled with three large bowls of water to obtain one and a half bowls of liquid, then the dregs should be removed. Add the rice to make porridge and consume it on an empty stomach. “

[New Book on Health Preservation for the Elderly · Volume II · Dietary Therapy Prescriptions for Women and Children]: “Chen Jupi Porridge. To supports unbearable abdominal pain due to cold and heat qi during pregnancy: Take one liang of Chen Jupi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, soaked in boiling water, the white part removed and dried by baking), one liang of Ramie root (Boehmeria nivea root, scraped to remove soil and dried in the sun), three qian of Galangal powder (Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum), half sheng of cleaned white japonica rice, and one qian of salt. Cook them together to make porridge and consume it. Take one dose on an empty stomach in the morning and another dose in the evening.”

[Porridge Recipes · Porridge Type IV · Wood and Fruit Category]: “Orange porridge nourishes the Lungs.”

[Dietary Therapy]: “For supports vomiting: 9 grams of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (dried tangerine peel), a pinch of rice, decoct in water, and take with a small amount of ginger juice.”