Wheat Congee

[Records of Dietary Differentiation]

The author of this book, Zhang Mu, styled himself Xingyun and was a native of ancient Fan in the Qing Dynasty. Zhang had a profound study of medicinal congee. Based on the statement in Su Wen · Yu Ji Zhen Zang Lun that “when congee and gruel enter the stomach and diarrhea stops, the weak will survive”, he believed that “congee can replace ginseng and astragalus”. He also said, “Since various medicines have different natures such as warm, cool, tonifying, and purging, once swallowed, they are all distributed by the stomach qi. If the patient’s stomach qi cannot act quickly and the medicine stays for a moment, its smell and taste will change… How can it have any effect? Only by using the grain qi to assist the stomach qi and the hot qi to speed up its action can there be an immediate response, which is far beyond what decoctions can achieve. This is the profound principle of using congee to supports wellness by the ancients, which has not been revealed for thousands of years.” On the basis of predecessors and combined with his own clinical practice, Zhang selected 55 formulas such as ginseng congee, astragalus congee, sea cucumber congee, and bird’s nest congee in the book Yin Shi Bian Lu. Wheat congee is selected from Volume II of Tiao Ji Yin Shi Bian in this book.

[Porridge Composition] Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) 30 – 60 grams, Nonglutinous rice 2 liang (100 grams), Jujuba fructus (jujube) 5 pieces.

[Efficacy and Indications] Nourishes the Heart spirit, stops spontaneous sweating, and tonifies the Spleen and stomach. It is suitable for Heart qi deficiency, neurogenic palpitations, restlessness and unease, insomnia, women’s hysteria (a condition characterized by mental confusion, frequent yawning, and a tendency to feel sad and want to cry), spontaneous sweating, night sweats, and Spleen-deficiency diarrhea.

[Boiling Method] Wash the wheat, add water and boil it until cooked. Remove the wheat and collect the juice. Then add japonica rice and jujubes to the juice and boil together. Alternatively, first crush the wheat, and then boil it with jujubes and rice to make porridge for consumption.

[Explanation of Porridge Significance] Wheat is a major food crop in China. Wheat has been used medicinally in China for a considerable length of time. For example, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the thinker and medical expert Tao Hongjing pointed out the medicinal value of wheat in the [Famous Physicians’ Supplementary Records], stating that it can “dispel heat, helps with occasional dry thirst, promote urination, nourish Liver qi, and stop uterine bleeding and hemoptysis.” [Ben Cao Zai Xin] considers that the functions of wheat are to “nourish the Heart, benefit the Kidneys, harmonize the blood, and strengthen the Spleen.”

In traditional Chinese medicine, Triticum aestivum (Huai wheat) is preferred for nourishing the Heart and tranquilizing the mind, while Triticum aestivum (Fu wheat) is superior for checking perspiration and stopping sweating. Huai wheat is the prescribed name for wheat in prescriptions. It is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, and can enter the Heart meridian. Its tranquilizing effect is stronger than that of Fu wheat. For conditions such as restlessness of the mind, absentmindedness, insomnia, neurogenic palpitations, and palpitations with anxiety, Huai wheat should be selected to make porridge. The well-known traditional Chinese medicine formula for supports hysteresis in women, “Gancao Xiaomai Dazao Decoction,” uses Huai wheat. Fu wheat is sweet and salty in taste and cool in nature, and is adept at stopping all types of spontaneous sweating. Li Shizhen stated in Compendium of Materia Medica that it “tonifies qi, dispels heat, stops spontaneous sweating and night sweating, helps with occasional bone-steaming febrile wellness due to Yin Deficiency, and supports febrile wellness in women due to overstrain.” Therefore, for checking spontaneous sweating, Fu wheat should be selected to make decoction or porridge. Zhang Mu of the Qing Dynasty recorded in Yin Shi Bian Lu (Volume II): “Wheat porridge. It is mainly used to calm the mind, check perspiration, quench thirst, and helps with occasional restlessness. First, boil the wheat, then remove the wheat grains and use the juice to cook rice into porridge for consumption. Aged wheat is better.” Adding jujube not only enhances the flavor but, more importantly, jujube has the effects of tonifying qi and blood, nourishing the Heart and tranquilizing the mind, and regulating the nutrient and defensive systems. For conditions such as palpitations, hysteresis in women, qi and blood deficiency, spontaneous sweating, and night sweating, consuming porridge made with wheat and jujube together can significantly enhance the therapeutic effect.

[Precautions] According to clinical medication, wheat can be divided into Huaimai wheat and Fuxiaomai wheat, and they should be selected respectively according to the patient’s condition. Take it warm 2 – 3 times a day for a course of supports lasting 3 – 5 days.

[Reference Materials]

[Yin Shan Zheng Yao · Volume II]: “To supports polydipsia and dry mouth, take an unspecified amount of cleaned wheat, cook it into porridge or steam it into rice, and consume it on an empty stomach.”

[Prescriptions from the Holy Benevolence · Food Therapy Section · Food Therapy for Red and White Dysentery]: “For the supports of persistent red and white dysentery, qi deficiency of the Spleen and stomach, and poor digestion of gruel, there is the Wheat Qu Gruel recipe. One liang of roasted yellow wheat qu, two he of washed clean japonica rice. Combine these two ingredients and cook them with water to make gruel. Consume it on an empty stomach. It is also used to supports innocent dysentery in children, with the amount adjusted according to the situation.”

[Porridge Recipes · Porridge Variety I · Grains]: “Wheat Porridge: Nourishes Heart qi, helps with occasional restlessness and thirst, supports the five types of strangury, pacifies Liver qi, and supports leakage of blood and spitting of blood. Floating Wheat Porridge: Supplements qi and dispels heat, stops spontaneous sweating due to Heart deficiency, and excessive sweating.”