Did you know? Astragalus, Daifen, Shuzhi, Baiben, Wangsun, Baiyaomian, Mianqi, Saridema, Errenti... These are the names of the herbal medicine "Astragalus", which has the same source of medicine and food. Don't think that Astragalus is a bad name. It seems ordinary, but in fact there are many stories about it in history. Even two great poets, Su Shi and Bai Juyi, wrote poems about it.
01
The Story of Astragalus
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There is a touching legend about the origin of Astragalus. According to legend, in ancient times, there was a kind-hearted old Chinese medicine doctor named Dai Mingji. He was good at acupuncture, kind and courteous to others. He was willing to help others throughout his life, and later died saving a child who fell off a cliff. The old man is thin and has a yellow complexion. People call him "Huang Qi" to show respect, which means an old man with a yellow complexion and a thin body. After the old man passed away, in order to commemorate him, a herb growing next to his grave was named "Astragalus".
The use of astragalus as medicine was first recorded in the classic medical book "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". The book included it as "mainly nourishing life and responding to the sky, and is non-toxic. Taking it more often and for a long time will not hurt people. If you want to lighten your body, It is one of the top-grade medicines that has the effect of "replenishing qi, preventing aging and prolonging life." Another pharmaceutical book, "Compendium of Materia Medica", accurately summarizes its name and effects: "Astragalus means long, and the color of Astragalus is yellow, which is the length of the tonic, hence the name."
Astragalus Known as "the best in replenishing qi", there is also a folk saying that "drink astragalus soup regularly to prevent diseases and maintain health". Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem called "Zhaiju" to describe the scene of drinking astragalus porridge: "The incense is more relative, and the meat and fishy taste has not been tasted for a long time. Astragalus has several spoons of porridge, and Red Arrow has a cup of soup."
Su Shi, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, often drank astragalus porridge to replenish his weak body after illness. He also wrote the famous poem "Ode to Astragalus": "The lonely lamp shines on the shadows for a long time, and I can't bear to look at the flower branches. I am ashamed to knock the hairpin on my white hair. "Cai Sheng, Astragalus porridge is recommended for spring dishes." The above is enough to show the importance of astragalus, which has the same origin as medicine and food, in daily diet.
02
Astragalus Knowledge
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Huang Guanxiu, a famous doctor in the Qing Dynasty, praised Astragalus as "the best of all Qi-tonifying medicines" in "Materia Medica Seeking Truth", and there has always been "Astragalus" among the people. "Panax ginseng", you need to know this knowledge to correctly understand Astragalus.
? The difference between astragalus and ginseng
Ginseng is sweet, slightly bitter, and slightly warm in nature; astragalus is sweet in taste and warm in nature. Although both have the effect of replenishing qi and can be compatible with each other, ginseng has a stronger effect. Moreover, ginseng has some other effects that astragalus does not have, and ginseng is far better than astragalus in replenishing qi, so there are still differences in the specific use of the two.
? Astragalus origin selection
Astragalus is mainly produced in the Yangtze River Basin and the north. Currently, commercial astragalus is mainly cultivated products. Wild ones can form commercial products in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and other provinces and regions. Based on the place of origin, it is generally believed that those produced in the north have better quality: those produced in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia are of high quality and are called Beiqi; those produced in Jiexiu Jieshan, Shanxi are regarded as authentic medicinal materials, and are customarily called Western Astragalus and Mianqi; Shanxi Hunyuan is my country's most famous medicinal material. "Hometown of Astragalus"; Longxi, Gansu Province is the emerging "Hometown of Astragalus".
?Identification and Selection of Astragalus
How to choose good Astragalus? Remember these points: first look at the outer skin, if the outer skin is white and the inner part is yellow, then look at the cross section of the astragalus slices to see if there are any holes, because astragalus is easy to be moldy, and black holes represent poor quality; the cross section of good astragalus slices will look like calendula silver. The center of the chrysanthemum flower is clearly visible, with clear lines and full toughness. Secondly, you can taste it. Astragalus can be chewed raw. Take a piece and put it in your mouth to taste. Good astragalus tastes sweet. If it has a sour and strange smell, it means it has been smoked with sulfur. It can also be distinguished by the degree of dryness and wetness. Good astragalus should be neither dry nor wet. Grab a handful and hold it tightly without breaking and can stick together. When you loosen your hand, it can naturally loosen. This kind of dryness and humidity is the best.
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Daily Use of Astragalus
Astragalus appears in many classic formulas. How to use astragalus in daily life? You can learn from these medicinal foods and teas.
√ Astragalus and Guizhi Wuwu Decoction
Ingredients: 30 grams of astragalus, 15 grams each of red peony root and cinnamon twig, 10 grams of ginger and 10 jujubes.
Method: Wash all the ingredients and put them into the pot, pour 2000 ml of water, decoct the soup and drink it.
√? Astragalus and Huaishan Soup
Ingredients: 4 figs, 50g lotus seeds, 50g gorgon fruit, 75g astragalus, 50g lily, 50g dehydrated yam
< p> Method: Wash all the ingredients with clean water, add 2000 ml of water into the pot, put all the ingredients into the pot, boil over high heat first, then turn to medium heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.√? Astragalus and wolfberry tea
Ingredients: 9 grams of astragalus and 15 grams of wolfberry
Method: Put the ingredients into a cup and pour 200 ml of warm Boil water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes and drink instead of tea.
It should be noted that due to long-term large-scale mining, the number of wild astragalus has decreased sharply in recent years, and is even in danger of extinction. Although artificial cultivation has reached a certain scale, we still need to establish the concept of protecting wild herbal resources, purchase astragalus from regular channels, and use astragalus correctly and rationally in compliance with medical advice.