Orthomolecular Nutrition

[skylark99]

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[tcmgpt13]

Well, if mentioning sites gets one in trouble so be it. I have posted some from the ciguatera section from this site in my post on that subject, but really hadn't explored the rest of the site which has, as you say, some very interesting information.

I thought you might like to read this discussion by a forum member in UK from another site. You could look in Oriental food stores for this root which is commonly used in their cooking. In the US we have a lot of small Korean, Thai and Chinese grocery stores where fresh burdock root is available (or they can get some for you).

The red dates or jujubes, a special date in this recipe, also are found in oriental stores. They are often added to formulas or just regular food as in this recipe. Also sometimes supermarkets like Tesco will carry burdock root (I found someone on another site mention Tesco and buying fresh burdock root there) or they may be able to special order it for you from their suppliers (I know one supermarket where I am that will do that if the supplier has it available). Good luck and happy hunting. Sometimes it takes a bit of digging () to find what we are looking for:

General » Recipe Share Share » Fresh burdock root huai shan soup
ieatishootipost - Fresh burdock root huai shan soup
Fresh burdock root huai shan soup
Post by mywoklife on Mar 19, 2009, 11:04am

My Wok Life: Fresh Chinese Yam Root (Huai Shan) Soup with Corn

Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Fresh Burdock Root (Huai Shan) Soup with Corn

Today, I would like to share this clear soup recipe which involves fresh Chinese Yam aka Burdock Root. In Chinese, we called it fresh Huai Shan or Shan Yao. Whatever you called it, this is a very good natural food you should be taking regularly, in normal circumstances.

Why do I emphasize the word, fresh, here? As we know, burdock root is widely used as Chinese tonic soup ingredients, it is usually made into dried form for easy storage purpose. Hence, dried Huai Shan has became so common that we have forgotten the fresh type.

Fresh Huai Shan is mostly sold in supermarkets or wet markets. You probably can't recognise the fresh Huai Shan Its appearance looks different from the dried one which has already been thinly slices and harden before placing up the store rack for sale. The fresh one will be found in long stick-like root form with skin intact.

Do peel away the root skin using normal peeler. You will find it wet and excessively slimy. But no worries about it, the stickiness will disappear once it is boiled in water.

Huai Shan is widely utilized by Chinese physician in healing of liver problems, blood detoxication, hair loss, and to support kidneys function, despite the lack of clinical proof that supports the claimed effects. Some even say that it is the most natural food to aid in man's vitality! I guess it is very much to do with research on the effect of supporting kidney and liver functions (smile).

Well, saw many, heard many, give it a try as it won't go wrong with having it moderately. It's simple and easy to prepare!

The taste of this soup is good. Mild natural sweetness yields from red dates and fresh sweet corn, the fresh Huai Shan does not create much taste here. However, Huai Shan slices are very nice to chew on its crunchiness. Its texture is a little reminiscent of lotus seed when chewing it, despite the total difference in term of appearance of these two substances. Believe it or not, Huai Shan slices are something you will eat it freely without much worries on weight loading effect (chuckling)?

Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
200g of lean pork ribs, blanched
200g fresh Huai Shan peeled, thinly sliced, and blanched
1 ear of fresh corn, cob broken into half
6 - 8 pieces of seedless red dates
1 pot of water, 50% filled (about 1000ml)

Method
1) Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add in pork ribs, red dates, sweet corn, and fresh Huai Shan.

2) Bring all ingredients to a boil again. Add salt to taste. Reduce heat to low fire, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes. Cover pot with lid.

3) When all ingredients are cooked till tender, heat off. Serve hot.

Calorie count of this soup no more than 150kcal per regular bowl. Remember to eat the ingredients, too.

Tips:Blanch the burdock slices beforehand to get rid of the stickiness, if necessary. Nonetheless, it will still be gone when boil it in the soup. Taste will not be affected.
Re: Fresh burdock root huai shan soup
Post by oba on Apr 2, 2009, 8:41pm

Just a quick note - burdock root is known as gobo in Japanese and is different from Chinese yam. Gobo is not slimy but after cutting it, soak in a little vinegar to retain the creamy colour.

Fresh burdock root huai shan soup

Originally Posted by skylark99

I have been looking at orthomolecular nutrition, diet and nutrients, and thinking about GM foods, nutrient-deficient soils, organic farming and the nutrients in organic foods vs possible lack of nutrients produced by big farming practices.

One of the issues I have faced in diet has been lack of a variety of organic food choices in my area of the UK. The last time I went to the "health food store" the entire selection of organic fruits consisted 4 apples and a basket containing 3 pears. All of the other so-called organic foods available were pre-packaged in cellophane and plastic and were mainly wheat or corn based or dried fruits and nuts, a small selection of beans and lentils, and several boxes of pre-mixed mid-eastern foods (again in cellophane). There were many different types of organic juices but these do not fill up the corners or make much of a meal.
How I had wanted to find burdock root, dandelion greens and big glass jars of loose herbs that one could pour out into a bag and weigh for price! Organic tofu, tamari, cheeses, or fresh veg was no where to be seen.

In any event, I found an interesting site today while thinking about nutrition. If my food choices are limited and what I can find is not providing me with the nutrients my body needs for optimum health, maybe orthomolecular nutrition (supplementation) is one option. This idea particularly began to form when reading the methylation thread and doing some other research about KREBS cycle, methylation cycle, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, thyroid and adrenal insufficiency (and pituitary), and fibromyalgia.

The site I link below contains a wealth of information about using orthomolecular nutrition various conditions including CFS, thyroid issues, Ciguatera Fish Poisoning, asthma, adrenal gland issues and the use of the B Vitamins in health issues. Although this site is based in Australia, I see they are having some of the same issues there as in the UK and US regards to protecting people's rights to supplements, herbs and natural medicines.

I don't usually plug sites, and if doing so on this board is frowned upon, I apologize, and I am sure that admin can simply remove this thread.

Orthomolecular Nutrition and Megavitamins

[lamb]

TCM.. so interesting!

And here I always thought you were American! LOL!

East Anglia University or what old girl?

[jonsi]

tcm,

Please share your recipes in the healthy food threads for the people not reading this.

From hungry jonsi!