Du Zhong Herbal Soup 杜仲汤

Du Zhong Herbal Soup 杜仲汤

 

Left : Du Zhong or Toe Chung in Cantonese.  Middle :  Bei Qi or Pak Kei in Cantonese. Right : Dan Shen or Tong Sum in Cantonese

 The clear brew.

For a more nutritious soup you can add pork bones when brewing

Of late I had been experiencing bodily aches especially backache and foot cramp. Perhaps I have overstretched myself by doing too many tasks in the office and around the house. I remember my late mother-in-law and also SK's cousin in Chaozhou used to boil the herb called du zhong to relieve backache.  Du Zhong is believed to be good for the bones and sinews as well as lowers the cholesterol level.

So I looked up the old recipe file and found this concoction. The herbs can be bought at Chinese medical shops. 

Ingredients

20 g Du Zhong ( Mandarin )
10 g Pak kei in Cantonese or Bei Qi in Mandarin
10 g Dan Shen ( Mandarin )
6 cups water
salt to taste, optional

Note :

1.  I prefer not to add salt when I take herbal brew. 
2.  If you need to add salt, remember to add the salt last i.e. after the brewing has completed  
3.  For a more nutritious soup, you can add a couple of pieces of pork bones to the water when brewing

 

Instructions

1.  Wash the herbs under a running tap.
2.  Put all the ingredients into a pot and add in 6 cups of water
3.  Once the soup boils, reduce to low heat and allow to cook for 3 hours.
4.  Drink the soup while it is warm