春季飲食的智慧——三月三薺菜賽靈丹
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春到人間，草木先知。立春前後發出的野菜嫩芽，既積蓄了整個冬天的能量，又帶著立春一陽初生的活力，可以說是陰陽並濟，能幫助化解腸胃殘留的濁熱，注入新的生命活力。
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《黃帝內經》：「冬傷於寒，春必病溫。」提到在冬天受了凍，如果沒有及時化解，寒氣會深入體內潛伏下來。到了春天，陽氣升發，這些潛伏的寒氣發作起來，寒極生熱，就會容易引發流感。為了防止伏寒化熱，春季進補忌用大辛大熱的藥物。薺菜性平，能祛寒，卻不會引起內火；能祛熱，卻不會導致寒涼傷身，所以在春季特別適合食用薺菜。
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農曆三月三薺菜賽靈丹由來──
傳說三月三華陀曾到沔城採藥，偶遇大雨，到一民宅中避雨，見民宅老者患頭痛頭暈症，痛苦難耐。華佗替老者診斷後，採了一把薺菜取汁煮雞蛋給老者服用。老者照此方法服用數次，病即痊癒。後來此事傳開，人人仿效，在農曆的三月三煮薺菜雞蛋湯的習俗也就流傳了下來。
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薺菜又名護生草、雞心菜、地菜。清炒、涼拌皆可，但更多的是做湯、做餡兒。今年的三月三是國曆3月30日，推薦大家在這個時節吃上一碗「薺菜雞蛋湯」，清熱降壓、養血安神，材料與作法如下。
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材料──
1. 薺菜一把
2. 紫菜一片(手掌大小)
3. 雞蛋一個
4. 鹽適量
5. 香油適量
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作法──
1. 薺菜摘好，洗淨，切成2釐米左右的小段，紫菜一小片在水中泡好，雞蛋一個打散。
2. 鍋內放適量水，燒開後，放入薺菜、紫菜，1分鐘後倒入攪好的雞蛋液，關火後，撒少許鹽，滴幾滴香油，即可食用。
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#春季養生、#薺菜、#三月三、#皇帝內經rnrn[Wisdom of traditional spring diet –”Sanyuesan” festival (third day of the lunar third month) —
Shepherd’s purse is good as a panacea]
As if knowing what is soon to come, the plants and trees start to bud and blossom as spring arrives. At the start of spring, wild herbs proliferate, releasing the energy accumulated through the winter. The spring also brings along fresh energy. This can be described as a combination of yin and yang strength, which can clear the turbid heat that remains in the digestive system and inject new vitality into life.
《The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine》: Illness from cold in the winter invariably results in warm disease in spring. When a person has a cold during winter and does not fully recover, the chill can remain dormant in the body. In spring as the weather begins to warm, this hidden infection may then flare up. Extremes of cold generates heat. As a result, influenza may arise. To prevent this dormant winter chill from eventually turning into heat in spring, one needs to take herbal tonic to enhance the health and strength. One should also avoid spicy and heaty Chinese medicine. Shepherd’s purse is mild in nature. It dispels cold yet does not cause any heatiness. Its cooling effects suppress heat, yet will not cause a chill. Therefore, Shepherd’s purse is a very appropriate herb to take during spring time.
Origin of taking Shepherd’s Purse as a panacea during the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month
There is a legend that on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, Hua Tuo (an ancient Chinese physician from the Eastern Han period) had gone to Miancheng to gather medicinal herbs. Caught in a sudden downpour, he went to a villager’s shed to take shelter from the rain. He observed that an old man in the house was suffering miserably from headache and dizziness. After making a diagnosis, Hua Tuo collected one handful of shepherd’s purse, extracted the juice and boiled it with eggs. He then passed the medicine to the old man to take. After taking the medicine a few times using the same method of preparation, the old man fully recovered. News spread and other people repeated the same preparation. From then on, this preparation of shepherd’s purse with egg soup on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month was handed down for generations.
Shepherd’s purse is also known as capsella bursa-pastoris. It can be plain-fried, taken cold with sauce dressing, or commonly made into soup or as stuffing for dumplings. This year, 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month falls on 30th March on the Gregorian calendar. It is recommended that during this time, everyone should eat a bowl of shepherd’s purse egg soup, for its cooling effect, lowering of blood pressure, nourishing the blood and its calming effect. The ingredients and methods of preparation are as follows.
Ingredients:
1. a handful of shepherd’s purse
2. one piece of seaweed (size of a palm)
3. an egg
4. salt for taste
5. appropriate amount of sesame oil
Method:
1. Pluck the shepherd’s purse leaves, wash clean and cut into 2mm sections.
Boil seaweed in the water, break an egg and stir it.
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2. Pour appropriate amount of water into a pot to boil. Put in the shepherd’s purse and seaweed. One minute later, add the stirred egg into the pot. Then, turn off heat.
Add a pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil. The soup is now ready for consumption.
#WisdomOfTraditionalSpringDiet, #Sherphard’sPurse, #3rdDayOfThe3rdLunarMonth, #TheYellowEmperor’sClassicOfInternalMedicine