Plum Blossom Porridge

[Shanjia Qinggong (Simple Dishes from a Mountain Home)]

The author of this book, Lin Hong, was from the Song Dynasty. His work Shan Jia Qing Gong was successively included in Shuo Fu compiled by Tao Zongyi of the Yuan Dynasty and Yi Men Guang Du compiled by Zhou Lujing of the Ming Dynasty. Plum Blossom Congee is selected from Shan Jia Qing Gong.

[Ingredients of the Porridge Recipe] 3-5 grams of Flos Mume Albo (white plum blossom), 30-60 grams of japonica rice.

[Efficacy and Indications] Soothes the Liver and regulates qi, strengthens the Spleen and stimulates appetite. Applicable for Liver-stomach qi pain, plum-pit qi, neurasthenia, chest oppression and discomfort, belching, reduced appetite, as well as skin sores and toxins.

[Boiling Method] First, boil the round-grained rice into porridge. When the porridge is nearly done, add white plum blossoms and boil together for two or three boils.

[Explanation of Plum Blossom Congee] Plum blossom is the flower bud of Prunus mume, a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family. The flower buds, which are in bud but not yet in bloom, are collected between January and February each year, spread out to dry in the sun, and then reserved for future use. There are two types of plum blossoms: white plum blossoms and red plum blossoms. White plum blossoms are mainly produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other places. The best quality white plum blossoms are uniform, intact, in bud, with green calyxes and white petals, and have a delicate fragrance. Therefore, when veteran traditional Chinese medicine practitioners write prescriptions, they often prefer to use the term “green calyx plum blossom”. Red plum blossoms are mainly produced in Sichuan and Hubei, but white plum blossoms are predominantly used in medicinal preparations, with red plum blossoms being less commonly used.

According to ancient medical books, plum blossoms are sour and astringent in taste, neutral in nature, non-toxic, and enter the Liver meridian. They are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine as a supports for soothing the Liver and harmonizing the stomach. They are often used to supports plum-pit qi (a sensation of obstruction in the throat without any positive physical signs, a type of neurosis), Liver and stomach qi pain, melancholy and discomfort, reduced appetite, etc., with good effects. Cooking plum blossoms into porridge is mentioned in Lin Hong’s Shan Jia Qing Gong from the Song Dynasty: “Sweep up the fallen plum blossoms, pick and clean them, then cook them with snow water and polished white rice into porridge. When the porridge is cooked, add the blossoms and cook together.” “Ying” means flower, so “mei ying” refers to plum blossoms. Yang Chengzhai’s poem says: Just after the twelfth lunar month, spring abounds in sight, yet I fret to see it turn to snow in the wind’s flight. I’ll gather the fallen petals to stew in porridge to eat, and the blossoms that fall are still good to burn as incense sweet.

[Precautions] Plum Blossom Porridge should be taken as a course of supports lasting 3 to 5 days, consumed warm on an empty stomach twice daily.

[Reference Materials]

[Collection of Treasured Recipes]: “Plum Blossom Porridge: Petals of Mume flos (green calyx type), cook porridge with snow water to helps with occasional heat toxin.”

[Records of Hundred Herbs]: Plum blossoms “have a delicate fragrance, stimulate the appetite and disperse melancholy. When cooked in porridge, they help the ascending movement of clear yang qi.”

[Yong Le’s Constant Remarks · Volume Five]: “Plum Blossom Porridge supports various sores and toxins. Plum blossoms bloom in the cold of winter and emit fragrance as spring approaches, being the first to receive the vital energy of nature. Their fragrance carries a pungent nature and they are not purely cold in property. Add them to the porridge after it is cooked.”

[Porridge Recipes · Porridge Varieties V · Plant Medicine Category]: “Plum Blossom Porridge: Wash the plum petals, add them to the porridge, and serve immediately.”

[Dietary Therapy Guideline]: “Cooking and consuming plum blossom porridge can invigorate the spirit.”