Almond and Lotus Seed Drink，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Nourishes the lungs and strengthens the spleen; relieves coughing and dissolves phlegm. Suitable for chronic bronchitis caused by deficiency of both the lungs and spleen, characterized by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, a heavy and sluggish body, loose stools, a pale and swollen tongue, and a white coating on the tongue.
Almond and Lotus Seed Drink
Herbal Tea Name: Almond and Lotus Seed Drink
Chinese Name: 杏仁莲子饮
Formula
20 grams of almonds, 30 grams of lotus seeds, 30 grams of diced hawthorn cake, and 10 grams of white sugar.Main Ingredients
How To Make
Rinse the lotus seeds and almonds, then steep them in boiling water for a while before draining. Remove the skins from the almonds and the inner cores from the lotus seeds. Place them separately in two bowls, add white sugar and water, stir a few times with chopsticks, and steam in a steamer for about 30 minutes. Remove the lotus seeds and almonds.Place a clay pot on the stove, add water and white sugar, bring to a boil, then let cool. Take three small bowls and place the lotus seeds, almonds, and the sugar syrup and original liquid into them respectively. Sprinkle with hawthorn cake cubes to serve.
Efficacy
Nourishes the lungs and strengthens the spleen; relieves coughing and dissolves phlegm. Suitable for chronic bronchitis caused by deficiency of both the lungs and spleen, characterized by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, a heavy and sluggish body, loose stools, a pale and swollen tongue, and a white coating on the tongue.
Usage
Serve as a dessert and consume the same day.
Commentary
Lotus seeds (Lian-zi) function as the chief herb; neutral and sweet, astringent in character, it channels into the Spleen, Kidney, Heart meridians, working chiefly to tonify the spleen, astringe the kidney and calm the spirit. Almonds (Xing-ren) stand in the deputy (minister) seat; warm and bitter in character, it travels through the Lung, Large Intestine meridians to descend lung qi and relieve cough and wheezing. Diced hawthorn cake complements it, working to dissolve food stagnation and activate blood. White sugar (Bai-tang) rounds out the formula as the envoy herb, working to moisten and harmonize the formula and moderate the overall properties. Taken together these herbs nourish the lungs and strengthen the spleen, relieve coughing and dissolve phlegm, in keeping with the chronic bronchitis pattern and its manifestations such as coughing, wheezing.