Chinese Medicated Food: Pan Fried Chicken with Orange Day Lily and Lily

Both Orange Day Lily and Lily can be eaten when cooked.  The ingredients for this dish are:

• dried Orange Day Lily (金針花)
• Lily (百合), preferably fresh
• sliced chicken

Soak the dried Orange Day Lily in hot water for a few minutes.  Keep changing the water until it becomes clear.  Put the Orange Day Lily in a hot pan and fry.  Add the chicken slices and fry them until they are thoroughly cooked.  Add the Lily and once the Lily turns transparent, turn off the heat (this should happen fairly quickly).

What is this dish good for?  Orange Day Lily can refill the blood level in a human body and can make people feel calm. Lily also has the ability to make people feel calm.  This dish is good for people who need to think a lot in their daily routines.

Introduction to Chinese Medicated Food: Potato Soup

There is an old Chinese saying:

Medicine and food come from the same origin.

That means in the Chinese medicine philosophy, medicine and food are actually the same thing.  There is a subject area in Chinese medicine that studies the use of Chinese medicine in food for medical purposes.

Medicated Chinese dishes are actually quite easy to cook.  Here's an example of potato soup.  The ingredients are:

• Dang Shen (黨參, English name: Radix Codonopsis)
• Ginger
• Potatoes

Peel the potatoes.  Add water and all the ingredients in a pot.  Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat all the way down.  Keeping the soup heated for about 30 minutes.

What is this soup good for?  Dang Shen can refill the air and blood inside a human body.  It is sometimes referred to as the ginseng substitute because it is cheaper.  Potatoes can provide detoxification to the body and prevent constipation.

Yin Yang and the Chinese Medicine Philosophy

Chinese Medicine has thousand of years of history through real-world practice.  It has a very different philosophy than the world's other medical system, Western medicine which is based on science.  Some say that Chinese medicine is not science and they refuse to believe that Chinese medicine can cure any disease.  This controversy has been going on forever, but nowadays there is a trend to find the best possible cure for patients by blending Chinese and Western medicine practices.

One of the core foundations of Chinese medicine is that it is based on the notion that the Yin (陰) and Yang (陽) in a human body must be balanced:

So what are the Yin and Yang in the human body?  Yin can be interpreted as either the coldness or wetness.  Yang can be interpreted as either the hotness or dryness.  A Chinese doctor can determine whether a person has too much Yin or Yang inside his/her body by using a variety of techniques, such as looking at the color of the tongue, checking the pulse pattern etc.  The idea is the maintain the right amount of Yin and Yang such that the person can feel normal.

We can also maintain the right among of Yin and Yang ourselves without taking any Chinese medicine.  Use common sense.  For example, in the winter, when it is cold, try not to eat any ice-creams.  In the summer, when it is hot, try not to eat hot and spicy food.  Too much Yin or Yang can make a person feel sick and it is best to maintain the correct balance between them.