To boost the immune system in the spring and also for the year to come, below is a very effective food remedy called 甘草綠豆水: (Licorice and Green Mung Bean Drink). The green color of the mung bean is associated with Spring and the liver, it has a cooling nature. The licorice harmonizes and strengthens the digestion.
Serves: 1
- Fill a pot with 2,000 ml of water and bring to a boil.
- Put 100g of licorice in it, let it cool.
- Mix 400g of clean green mung bean in the pot, let it sit for 6-8 hours.
- Take the liquid.
Licorice and mung bean do detox well, especially the mung bean, which is used to purge toxins in liver. Doing this kind of simple detox several times a week, one’s immune system will become much stronger and in so doing prevent one from getting the spring cold. The beans provide enzymes to the digestive system. This remedy can be done for a week, every other day.
Another way to do the same in food is to have cooked daikon. It can be prepared in several different kinds of dishes, mostly either the daikon soup with ginger (in the bone broth) or the braised mixed vegetable dish with boiled eggs (i.e., Daikon, gobo, konnyaku, carrot, bamboo shoot, potato, lotus root, etc.). We often cook the daikon without peeling the skin because the fiber helps with the detox process.
The best vegetables to have in the spring is green onion/scallion and leek. Both of them have a stronger medicinal effect in the spring than at other times of the year and can boost the liver function and enhance one’s energy level.
