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Four-Spirit Soup for weak digestion 四神汤
Digestion 消化肠胃 traditional evidenceWhat the evidence says:
A gentle food-formula (poria, lotus seed, Chinese yam, euryale) for chronically weak, bloated digestion. Beloved in Taiwan; food-safe; unproven in trials.
A gentle food-formula (poria, lotus seed, Chinese yam, euryale) for chronically weak, bloated digestion. Beloved in Taiwan; food-safe; unproven in trials.
How to make it
Equal parts 茯苓, 莲子, 山药, 芡实 (~15 g each) simmered with pork ribs or just rice for 1 h. Weekly, as food.
Why it works
Bland, easy carbohydrate + mucilage — a model "recovery food" for convalescence.
Classical source
A folk-classic said to originate with a Qing-era imperial physician; sold at night markets to this day.
Cautions: Very safe as food. Constipation-prone people should go easy (it is mildly astringent).