How much is Tongcao per jin? A detailed guide to its producing areas and how to eat it to promote milk production

Tongcao, also known as Koutuo, Linan, Huodui, Yishang, Huacao, etc., is the stem pith of the plant Tetrapanax papyrifer in the Araliaceae family. Let us take a look together: where is the producing area of the traditional Chinese medicine “Tongcao”? How much is it sold for per jin? How should it be eaten to promote milk production quickly?

1. Where is the producing area of the traditional Chinese medicine “Tongcao”?

Tongcao is mainly produced in Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. The product is cylindrical, 20-1000px long and 1-62.5px in diameter. The surface is white or pale yellow, with shallow longitudinal grooves. It is light in weight, soft and slightly elastic, and easy to break. The cross-section is flat and shows a silvery white luster. In the middle there is a hollow or translucent membrane 0.3-12.5px in diameter. The longitudinal section is arranged in a ladder-like pattern, and the solid form is rarely seen. The odor is faint and the taste is mild.

2. How much is Tongcao sold for per jin?

The price of Tongcao is currently very stable. The price of relatively ordinary-quality Tongcao is about 60-70 yuan per kilogram, the price of relatively better-quality Tongcao is roughly 125-140 yuan per kilogram, and some Tongcao even reaches about 200 yuan per kilogram, while the price of Xiao Tongcao is between 110-120. Because it can treat problems such as damp-warmth with red urine, strangury with painful urination, and failure of milk secretion, its demand in the market is still relatively large, and it has always sold well.

3. How should Tongcao be eaten to promote milk production quickly?

1. Three Immortals Tongcao Soup

[Ingredients] 1 pig trotter, 2 chicken legs, 50 grams dried cuttlefish, 3 grams Tongcao. Seasonings: 5 grams salt, 10 grams coriander root, a little pepper.

[Method] 1. Wash the pig trotter and chicken legs, cut into pieces, blanch in boiling water to remove blood impurities, put into a stewing jar, and add salt. 2. Wash the dried cuttlefish and place it on top, add coriander root, Tongcao and an appropriate amount of boiling water, stew over water for about 90 minutes until tender. 3. When removing from the pot, discard the medicinal residue and coriander root, and sprinkle with pepper.

[Effects] Harmonizes the stomach and tonifies the spleen, warms the middle and boosts qi, supplements essence and adds marrow, and promotes urination. It is suitable for drinking during postpartum weaning, insufficient lactation, and postpartum physical weakness.

2. Pork Bone Tongcao Soup

[Ingredients] 500 grams pork bones (shank bone, ribs, or leg bone are all suitable), 6 grams Tongcao.

[Method] Add 1000 milliliters of water, simmer for 1-2 hours, and cook down to about 1 small bowl of pork bone soup. Add a little soy sauce and drink it all at once, once a day, for 3-5 consecutive days.

[Effects] Pork bones have the effect of tonifying qi and blood and promoting milk production, and have the effects of promoting milk secretion, nourishing the body, and promoting recovery for postpartum women.

3. Peanut Tongcao Porridge

[Ingredients] 50 grams shelled peanuts, 8 grams Tongcao, 14 grams Vaccaria seed, 50 grams rice.

[Method] First simmer Tongcao and Vaccaria seed separately in water, remove the residue and keep the liquid, then mash the shelled peanuts, and cook porridge together with the rice and medicinal liquid. After the porridge becomes thick, add an appropriate amount of brown sugar and it is ready to eat.

[Effects] Treats poor appetite after childbirth, insufficient breast milk, and constipation.