Medlar and Sheep Kidney Congee

[Important Principles of Food and Drink]

The author of this book, Hu Sihui, was a Mongolian and a nutritionist in the Yuan Dynasty. He served as the Imperial Dietary Physician during the Yanyou period (1314 – 1320 AD), managing the dietary and culinary affairs of the imperial court. He “compiled into one book the rare and precious dishes served to the emperors in successive dynasties, the preparation of soups and decoctions, as well as the knowledge from various herbal classics and the medical skills of famous doctors, along with the grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables that were daily necessities, selecting those with nourishing properties and beneficial flavors. The book was named [Yin Shan Zheng Yao] (Important Principles of Food and Drink).” In this book, there is in-depth research on various nutritious foods and tonic medicines. The book records a total of 22 medicinal porridge recipes, and the Lycium Barbarum and Sheep Kidney Porridge is selected from [Yin Shan Zheng Yao, Volume II].

[Porridge Composition] Half a jin of wolfberry leaves, one sheep Kidney, two liang of lamb meat, two stalks of scallion whites, a little refined salt, and 2 to 3 liang of japonica rice.

[Efficacy and Indications] Nourishes Kidney yin, tonifies Kidney qi, and strengthens primordial yang. It is indicated for Kidney deficiency with strain and overwork, yang qi decline, lumbar and spinal pain, weakness in the legs and feet, dizziness and tinnitus, hearing loss or deafness, impotence, frequent urination, or enuresis.

[Boiling Method] Clean and dissect the fresh lamb Kidneys, remove the inner membranes, and finely chop them. Then, wash and mince the lamb meat. Boil the wolfberry leaves to extract the juice and discard the dregs. Cook the lamb Kidneys, lamb meat, scallion whites, and japonica rice together to make porridge. Once the porridge is cooked, add a small amount of fine salt and cook for a short while longer.

[Explanation of Congee Efficacy] Wolfberry and Sheep Kidney Congee is an effective imperial recipe for dietary nourishment. Wolfberry leaves are the tender leaves of the Solanaceae plant Lycium barbarum. In folk practice, the seedlings of Lycium barbarum are commonly eaten as vegetables, so they are known among the people as wolfberry vegetables, beet, or wolfberry tops. Wolfberry fruit is a traditional Chinese medicine that nourishes the Liver and Kidneys, and wolfberry leaves similarly have the effects of tonifying deficiency, benefiting essence, and improving eyesight. The “Ben Cao Shi Yi” (Food Therapy Materia Medica) records that “wolfberry leaves strengthen tendons, resist aging, dispel wind, nourish and strengthen tendons and bones, benefit people, and helps with occasional deficiency and fatigue.” The “Sheng Cao Yao Xing Bei Yao” (Compendium of Materia Medica on the Properties of Fresh Herbs) also states that it “improves eyesight and benefits Kidney qi.” In traditional Chinese medicine, it is commonly used to supports signs of imbalance such as fever due to deficiency and fatigue, restlessness and thirst, red and painful eyes, cloudy vision, and night blindness. Congee recipes involving solely wolfberry leaves boiled with japonica rice have been documented in numerous ancient medical texts.

Sheep Kidney, commonly known as lamb testicles, is sweet and warm in nature. It specializes in tonifying Kidney qi, warming Kidney yang, and nourishing essence. It is quite effective for conditions caused by Kidney qi deficiency, such as Kidney deficiency and strain, cold pain in the lumbar spine, weakness in the feet and knees, deafness and brain ringing, impotence, enuresis, frequent urination, etc. Lamb meat can tonify deficiency and fatigue, dispel cold, warm and nourish qi and blood, stimulate appetite, and strengthen the body. It is also the best tonic for patients with deficiency-cold conditions such as Kidney-deficiency-induced low back pain, impotence and spermatorrhea, emaciation and aversion to cold. A porridge made by boiling sheep Kidney, lamb meat, wolfberry leaves, and scallion whites together has a good effect on all Kidney deficiency conditions. Adding a little salt not only serves as a seasoning but also acts as a guiding herb to enhance the Kidney-tonifying effect. The book Yin Shan Zheng Yao records: “To supports yang qi decline, low back and foot pain, and the five types of labor and seven types of injury, take one jin of wolfberry leaves, two pairs of sheep Kidneys (finely chopped), one scallion white, and half a jin of lamb meat (stir-fried). Mix the four ingredients evenly, add the five flavors (seasonings), boil into a juice, add rice, and cook into a porridge. Consume it on an empty stomach.” If wolfberry leaves are not available, wolfberry fruits can be used as a substitute.

[Precautions] It is better to consume wolfberry and sheep Kidney porridge in winter. It should not be selected for those with yang excess and fever or hypersexuality.

[Reference Materials]

[General Records of Holy Benevolence · Volume 108 · Food Therapy Section]: “For supports yang qi decline, lumbago and foot pain, and the five types of labor and seven types of injury, here is the recipe for Lycium chinense and sheep Kidney porridge. One jin of Lycium chinense leaves, one pair of finely chopped sheep Kidneys, three he of rice, and fourteen stems of scallion whites. Finely chop the above four ingredients, add the five flavors, and cook the porridge as usual. Consume on an empty stomach.”

[New Book on Nurturing Life for the Elderly · Volume II · Dietary Therapeutic Prescriptions]: “Wolfberry Leaf Porridge: Half a catty of wolfberry leaves, finely chopped, and two sheng of polished round-grained rice. Combine these two ingredients in a stone vessel and cook into porridge. Season with ground five-flavor powder, scallion whites, etc., and consume.”

[Health Preservation Food Evaluation · Food Therapy Recipes · Yin Deficiency]: “For Lycium barbarum leaf porridge, pick the leaves and cook them as usual to make porridge. Add an appropriate amount of salt for flavor and consume it on an empty stomach.”