What to eat for lung heat? Great Eastern Health has the answer for you

Great Eastern Health: What to eat for lung heat? 17 foods and 9 recipes to clear lung heat

Health guide:What is lung heat? When cold qi is stored in the lungs, and the body's blood and qi capacity has risen to an appropriate stage with the ability to expel the cold qi, it will first enhance the lungs' capacity to carry out the expulsion of cold qi; this state is lung heat. Sometimes when sleeping until four or five in the morning, you may suddenly feel very hot, and upon waking find a lot of sweat on your chest; this is one of the signs of lung heat expelling cold qi.

Symptoms of lung heat also include coldscough, runny nose, yellow phlegm, acne, etc. What to eat for lung heat? You can simmer lily bulb, rehmannia, dwarf lilyturf tuber, angelica, figwort and so on to nourish yin and clear the lungs. Great Eastern Health introduces them for you below.

What to eat for lung heat?

1. Duck meat

Duck meat is neutral in nature and sweet-salty in taste, with the effect of nourishing yin and the stomach. "Dietary Recipes for Daily Living" says it can "nourish the yin of the five viscera, clear the heat of consumptive strain, nourish the stomach and promote fluid production." Folk belief also holds that duck is the most ideal food for gentle tonification, and those with a yin-deficiency constitution should eat it. Simmering duck meat with northern glehnia root and lily bulb has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs,clearing heatand resolving phlegm, and is especially suitable for cough with phlegm, dry mouth and throat, and tuberculosis cough caused by lung heat and yin deficiency.

2. Lily bulb

Lily bulb has a very effective lung-moistening and cough-relieving effect. The reason lily bulb has this effect is that it contains a large amount of mucilage, a substance with a very effective moistening and heat-clearing action on the human body. Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine in our country has used lily bulb to treat symptoms such as dry lung or lung heat cough, and not only is the effect very obvious, it can also bring about a complete cure.

3. Dwarf lilyturf tuber

Dwarf lilyturf tuber is the tuberous root of the liliaceous herbaceous plant Ophiopogon japonicus. Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold. It enters the lung, heart and stomach meridians. Used for lung heat with yin damage, dry and painful throat, hoarseness and loss of voice, dry tongue and thirst, etc. It can be combined with figwort, rehmannia, platycodon root, licorice, subprostrate sophora root, tinospora root, anemarrhena rhizome, etc.

4. Fig

Fig can clear heat, resolve phlegm and regulate qi, and is suitable for those with wind-heat type cough with much phlegm and chest tightness. "Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine" also records a local folk method: to treat lung heat cough and hoarseness, use 15 grams of fig, decoct in water and mix with rock sugar to take.

5. Loquat

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that loquat has the effects of moistening the lungs and directing qi downward, clearing heat and relieving thirst, and harmonizing the stomach. In "Southern Yunnan Materia Medica" there is a record that "loquat treats cough and expectoration." Therefore, loquat is the best health fruit for lung heat cough; it not only relieves cough but also increases appetite and enhances the body's vital qi.

6. Water chestnut

Water chestnut can resolve phlegm and clear heat, and is especially suitable for those with heat-type cough producing purulent phlegm. Each time, use 250 grams of fresh water chestnut, wash and peel it, blanch it briefly in boiling water, and eat it raw, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 3~5 consecutive days.

7. Duck egg

Duck egg is cool in nature and sweet in taste, and can clear lung heat. "Ri Hua Zi Materia Medica" also holds that duck egg "clears heat in the heart, abdomen and chest." "Medical Forest Essentials" once introduced that "duck egg tonifies the heart and clears the lungs, stops heat cough; taken rushed with fully boiling water, it clears lung fire." Anyone with lung heat cough should eat it.

8. Bamboo shoot

Bamboo shoot is sweet and cold in nature and taste, and has the effect of clearing heat and resolving phlegm. As stated in "Materia Medica Seeking the Origin": "Bamboo shoot, sweet and slightly cold, clears heat and removes phlegm." "Dietary Recipes for Daily Living" also says: "Shoot, sweet and cool, opens the chest and disperses phlegm." Therefore, people with wind-heat cough or lung heat cough are most suitable to eat it.

9. Silver ear fungus

Silver ear fungus, also known as white wood ear, is sweet and bland in taste, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It enters the lung, stomach and kidney meridians and has the effects of promoting fluid and moistening the lungs, tonifying qi and invigorating blood, nourishing yin and the stomach, and tonifying the brain and strengthening the heart. It is suitable for lung heat cough, dry lung with dry cough, dry heat in the stomach and intestines, constipation and other symptoms.

10. Milk

Milk also has the characteristics of being neutral in nature and sweet in taste. It is rich in nutrients and has the effects of nourishing yin and body fluids and promoting fluid and moistening dryness. Physicians of past dynasties have praised milk's yin-nourishing effect greatly, either calling milk "moistens the skin and relieves thirst," "moistens the skin," "moistens the large intestine," or saying it "moistens the five viscera," "moistens and replenishes fluids." Those with a yin-deficiency constitution should eat it often, with considerable benefits.

11. Monk fruit

Monk fruit has the effect of clearing the lungs and benefiting the throat, and is suitable for pharyngitis and sore, swollen throat caused by lung heat. For pharyngitis and loss of voice, you can drink monk fruit tea: use 2 monk fruits, remove the shells and cut into thin slices, boil in water for 1 minute, then drink. When there is a foreign body sensation in the throat, you can simmer monk fruit and snow pear soup.

12. Persimmon

The frost on dried persimmon has the effects of clearing heat, moistening dryness, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and has obvious therapeutic effects on lung heat cough, sore throat and dry throat, mouth and tongue sores, etc.; persimmon calyx has relatively good therapeutic effects on hiccups, nausea, whooping cough and nocturia.

13. Napa cabbage

Napa cabbage is sweet in taste and neutral in nature, and can relieve restlessness and quench thirst, clear heat and detoxify, and is very effective for some people with lung heat cough and constipation. In autumn and winter the air is especially dry, and cold wind causes great damage to human skin. Napa cabbage contains rich vitamin C and vitamin E; eating more napa cabbage can have a very good skin-care and beauty effect.

14. Reed rhizome

Reed rhizome is sweet in taste and cold in nature, and enters the lung and stomach meridians. It is sweet and rich in fluid, and is good at nourishing yin and the lungs. Upward it can remove phlegm and discharge pus, clear heat and promote eruption; in the middle it can clear stomach heat and promote fluid and quench thirst; downward it can promote urination and conduct heat downward. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says it can "clear heat and promote fluid, relieve restlessness and quench thirst, stop vomiting, purge stomach fire, and free the two bowels." It is often used for high fever in warm-heat diseases, thirst, stomach heat vomiting, as well as lung heat cough, thick yellow phlegm, and difficult expectoration, etc. It has good effects on throat inflammation, vocal cord fatigue, stomatitis, periodontitis, etc.

15. Radish

White radish enters the lung and spleen meridians, and can remove illness, moisten the lungs, detoxify and promote fluid, and mainly treats lung atrophy and lung heat. If you feel discomfort in the lungs, in autumn you may as well use white radish to stew soup for drinking; it can have good dietary therapeutic effects!

16. Sugarcane

Sugarcane is sweet, neutral and non-toxic; it mainly directs qi downward and harmonizes the middle, helps spleen qi, frees the large intestine, disperses phlegm and quenches thirst, and removes restlessness and heat in the chest and heart. It has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, harmonizing the stomach and stopping vomiting, and clearing heat and detoxifying. For symptoms such as dry mouth, cough with little phlegm, and constipation caused by insufficient yin fluid, eating more sugarcane can be used to improve the symptoms.

17. Snow pear

Because pears are fresh, tender and juicy, containing 85% water, sweet and sour and palatable, and rich in vitamins and trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and iodine, they are called "natural mineral water" and have been honored since ancient times as "the chief of a hundred fruits." In autumn the air is dry and moisture is relatively low. If you can persist in eating a certain amount of pears every day, it can relieve autumn dryness and promote fluid and moisten the lungs.

It was mentioned above that there are 17 foods that can clear lung heat. Next, Great Eastern Health introduces dietary therapy recipes for lung heat; these can help you quickly relieve lung heat, so you may as well take a look at how to make them.

Recommended dietary therapy recipes for lung heat

1. Luffa flower honey drink: 10 grams of luffa flower, 20 grams of honey. Brew the luffa flower in boiling water for 5 minutes, then stir in the honey and it is ready. 3 times a day, drink while hot. Clears heat and purges fire, relieves cough and resolves phlegm. Mainly treats lung heat, phlegm-heat cough, panting and shortness of breath, etc.

2. Water chestnut and lotus root juice: Take 150 grams of water chestnut and 150 grams of fresh lotus root, peel them separately, wash and chop, put them into a juicer and extract the juice, then drink the juice frequently. Drinking the juice extracted from water chestnut together with lotus root has the effects of clearing heat and promoting fluid, resolving dampness and removing phlegm, and cooling blood and detoxifying, and treats damage to fluids from heat disease, dry mouth and throat, lung heat cough, etc.

3. Silver ear fungus soup: 5 grams of silver ear fungus, 50 grams of rock sugar. Put the silver ear fungus into a basin and soak it in warm water for 30 minutes; after it has fully expanded, remove the base and pick out impurities; tear the silver ear fungus into pieces, put them into a clean pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 1 hour, then add the rock sugar and continue until the silver ear fungus is stewed soft. Suitable for lung heat cough, expectoration, dry throat and thirst, dry heat in the stomach and intestines, palpitations and insomnia, etc.

4. Pear porridge: 3 ya pears, wash, peel, core and cut into pieces. Add an appropriate amount of water and cook for half an hour. Wash 50 grams of rice and cook it into a thick porridge. When almost cooked, add the pear juice and pear pieces and cook together until done. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and clearing the heart, removing phlegm and reducing fire, and has a dietary therapeutic effect on lung heat cough.

5. Banana rock sugar water: 3 bananas, an appropriate amount of rock sugar. Peel ripe bananas and cut into pieces, add rock sugar and 2 bowls of water and simmer into a sweet soup to drink. Banana has the effects of moistening and removing dryness and stopping heat cough.