1. Chrysanthemum Flowers - Ju Hua, "Flower Bud Tea"
These cute little buds can enhance any cup of tea. At the same time, they can enhance your beauty and clear any heat or inflammation from your body. Heat can build up in our bodies through the consumption of alcohol, stress, greasy foods, sugar, or refined carbohydrates. These foods will cause the body to go into a state of inflammation which will cause heat, but these cute little buds can help the body to drain the heat and help to soothe your mind and body.
If you are constantly eating the above mentioned foods your body will remain in a constant state of inflammation, which will cause wrinkles, dry skin, dry hair, and insomnia. The premise of Chinese Medicine is to stop the inflammation, cool the heat, and nourish the body. When you do that wrinkles diminish, your hair and skin aren't so dry, you can sleep better, and your liver is less toxic, and he is happy.
Chrysanthemum flower buds are sold as dried buds that can be added to any tea or made into a tea by themselves. You want to add about 2-4 flower buds to each cup of tea or about 8-10 for a pot of tea. The buds are also incredible for relieving dry itchy eyes or they can help to alleviate a temporal headache because they also help to detoxify our livers; that never lets us forget when we have overindulged in sugar, junk food, alcohol, or to remind us that he doesn't like stress.
The flowers can be bought in any Chinese store and online. Just drop a handful into a pot and let it seep for 4 minutes. These flower buds are also delicious to eat. For an extra bonus you can add a handful of Goji berries to the tea pot. This sexy combination will clear, heat, and nourish the blood, especially around the eyes which will soften the fine lines around the eyes as well as moisten the eyes.
2. Goji Berries, "Red Qi Berries"
These little, red, juicy, medicinal berries look like red raisins and are an incredible "Super Food." These little guys are packed with more vitamin C than an orange and lots of Vitamin A. These two powerful antioxidants are great protectants of the skin and body. These little, red powerhouses can also help to keep your vision clear and free from glaucoma, while at the same time softening the fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. The skin around the eyes is a reflection of the health of the liver and these guys help to nourish the liver and blood. They promote circulation, and they build the blood and flow to the fragile capillaries around the eyes. The more blood flow that you can get to your sexy eyes the better it is going to be for your health and skin.
Goji berries can help to lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and they can prevent cancer cell growth. You can eat them dried like a raisin; you can add them to your oatmeal; or you can drop a handful of them into your tea. One doctor at my clinic liked eating them as a snack mixed with walnuts because the Goji berries nourished his liver and the walnuts nourished his brain. That is a sexy combination.
Walnuts help to nourish the brain because they are high in the essential fats that the brain needs to function. Look at a walnut; it looks like a brain and the Chinese say that if it looks like it, it usually benefits it.
In one snack you nourish the liver and the brain and by keeping these two organs happy you will be sexy and alert for a very long time.
3. Aloe Vera Plant, "The Great Healer"
This plant can be used externally for wounds, burns, psoriasis, or itching. The inside of the plant has a gelatinous texture that helps to heal and soothe any irritation you might have in your digestive tract. Remember that the digestive tract starts at the mouth and ends at your anus. If there is any irritation, this jelly-like substance will adhere to the wound and help it to heal. It is great for ulcers, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome. Aloe is also an adaptogen so if you have diarrhea it will help heal that or if you have constipation it will help with that as well.
Aloe Vera is also antifungal, antimicrobial, and can kill parasites in the digestive tract, so you don't get H-Pylori later in life. If you have already gotten H-Pylori, you might want to start drinking aloe to prevent you from getting it again. Once you have been diagnosed with H-pylori, the doctors will put you on a very strong dose of three antibiotics to kill it but since the bacteria can hide anywhere along your digestive tract you will be very susceptible to getting it again.
Aloe is also very alkalizing to the body which will help to keep you healthy. Cancer, viruses, bacteria, and diseases can't grow if your body is in an alkaline state. The rule of thumb is you want your diet to be 80% alkaline and only 20% acid, but the Standard American Diet is made up of foods that are more acidic so our ratio is usually 80% acid and 20% alkaline. This can lead to sicknesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and autoimmune diseases, especially of the digestive tract or intestines.
This plant is also great for keeping you looking young and healthy. You can use it on your skin externally but if you take it internally, it will help your skin remain moist and supple way past the 50 year marker. Aloe can also help if you are suffering with bleeding gums after a chemo treatment. I recommend blending 1 part aloe and 1 part mint together in the blender and then pouring the liquid into ice trays and putting them in the freezer. They won't freeze completely but they will be a cool, gelatinous cube that will feel refreshing and cooling to the gums, and when you swallow it the whole digestive tract will benefit.
Aloe Vera can be purchased at any health food store, Wal-Mart, or drug store. I like the quality of the aloe at the health food stores, but I have bought it at Wal-Mart when I have been in a pinch. If you buy the juice I recommend that you only drink 4 oz. in the morning and 4 oz. in the evening with 6-8 oz. of water for about a month and then take a break and do it again in another month. They are all beneficial and I hope you might want to start adding it to your daily routine. If your digestive tract is already compromised you might want to stay away from the "whole-leaf aloe juice," and just drink the Aloe juice until you get stronger.
4. Chinese Pearl Barley - Yi Yi Ren, "The De-Puffer Grain"
These cute, little grains are full of medicinal properties that will make you feel skinny and sexy all over. They help to reduce edema in the legs, and they drain those pesky, irritating whiteheads from your face. They also contain beautiful essential oils that make your skin look smoother and plumper because they are like miniature water controllers running around your body putting fluid where it is needed and ridding the body of the excess. Don't you just love that? They get you to be able to button your favorite pair of skinny jeans while they make the congestion around your nose disappear. They also help to lessen and soften your fine lines.
This grain can be cooked alone or added to any other grain like rice, amaranth, or oatmeal and you can cook it alone as a pilaf. This is a super grain so don't worry about it if you are paranoid about eating the bad, yucky grains that turn to sugar and cause you to gain weight. These little guys have the opposite effect, while they benefit your skin.
You can also cook them with some cinnamon twigs and then drain the liquid and drink it as a tea. This will also help to resolve any joint pain that is worsened with cold or rainy weather. If you live in a cold or damp area I would make sure to have these two ingredients available for those cold days or when you feel cold and stiff all over.
Chinese Pearl Barley can be bought at any Chinese grocery store or online. They will be a nice change from your usual potato or pasta dishes which are the usual staples. Pull them out and soak them whenever you are feeling bloated, swollen, or when you look in the mirror and your skin looks sallow and the lines are looking more pronounced.
Chinese Pearl Barley Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of Chinese Pearl Barley
1 butternut squash cubed
1 lb. of kale chopped
1 onion diced
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 Tbsps. of toasted sesame oil
5 cinnamon twigs
1 Tbsp. of organic maple syrup
Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Rinse your brown rice until the water becomes clear and then add the pearl barley and let it soak overnight in a nonaluminum bowl
2. Sauté the onions in a pot with a little bit of toasted sesame oil until translucent then add the butternut squash and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the grains, kale, cinnamon sticks, the vegetable stock, salt, and pepper and cook until the butternut squash and the rice are tender, which is about 30-40 minutes.
4. Right before serving, remove the cinnamon sticks and add the maple syrup drizzled on top.
5. Enjoy!
5. White Peony - Bai Shao Yao, "White Beauty"
This flower doesn't just look beautiful; it will help you to look more BEAUTIFUL too. When you are feeling like you are having one of those mean, witchy PMS days, think about having a cup of white peony tea because it will transform you back into your gorgeous, sexy self again. White Peony helps with cramps, PMS, irregular periods, and anemia but this white beauty also helps to calm your nerves whenever you are feeling frustrated, irritable, or you are just having a bad hair day.
The other amazing benefit of this sexy flower is that it will nourish your skin and will give you a nice healthy glow even though inside you might be feeling like a female Shrek. This is one of my favorite teas, and it does not just have to be taken when you are having a bad day; it can be taken anytime, any day, or everyday as a tonic for your skin and disposition.
White Peony Tea can be purchased at any health food store, Chinese market, or online. It is also used in many Chinese herbal formulas that help to nourish the blood.
6. Wakame Seaweed, "Queen of all seaweeds"
You have most likely eaten wakame seaweed before if you have eaten a seaweed salad or have had a bowl of Miso Soup. If you did enjoy the wakame seaweed, then you gave your body an infusion of several vitamins and mineral that the body needs.
Wakame is chock-full of all the minerals that the body needs especially the mineral Iodine. Iodine helps to regulate your thyroid, converts food into energy, and helps to regulate your body’s temperature. The queen of seaweed is also very high in a soluble form of Iron which is essential for your red blood cells.
Wakame seaweed is called the Queen because it nourishes everything that is important to a female. She nourishes our hair, nails, and skin and helps diminish any inflammation or redness that might be showing up on our cheeks or chin. This seaweed can also help to cool you down, especially if you are feeling hot most of the day. This seaweed and all other seaweeds are very cooling to the body. They are also very low in calories so you can have as much seaweed salad that you like but be careful about the soy sauce that is full of sodium and wheat because that is what kills most people.
Seaweed Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
• Handful of freeze dried wakame
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsps. tamari
• ½ Lemon
• 8 Walnuts
• ½ Avocado
• 1½ cups of baby Arugula
• 3 Tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place the seaweed in a bowl of cold water and let it rehydrate and then throw the water out.
2. Squeeze all the excess water out and then chop into ½ inch pieces.
3. Whisk the tamari, rice wine vinegar, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
4. On a plate, place the arugula in the center and then add the avocado, walnuts, seaweed, and drizzle the dressing on top and enjoy a healthy cooling salad.
5. Enjoy!
7. Sesame Seeds
These little seeds help to benefit your skin and body because they are packed full of omega oils that keep our skin glowing, and they are also abundant in minerals that are essential in keeping our skin healthy, like calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.
The omega oils that are in sesame seeds are so precious for your skin that Cleopatra used to eat them with honey every day to keep her skin and hair looking splendid. The un-hulled sesame seeds have 63% more calcium than the hulled seeds which are still very high in calcium.
By adding sesame seeds to your diet you will be adding a form of calcium that the body can absorb very easily, so next time you are making a stir-fry throw a tablespoon or two in to your stir fry to keep your skin and bones healthy.
If you think that you are absorbing calcium from the dairy that you eat, you might want to think twice. Americans are one of the countries that eats the most dairy, and we are also one of the highest nations with osteoporosis and osteopenia, so we are not absorbing calcium from our dairy products. Green leafy vegetables, fish, and sesame seeds are loaded with calcium and the body can absorb it very easily, so by eating sesame seeds you can have the gorgeous skin and bones that you want. I think that healthy bones and skin are sexy.
There are white and black sesame seeds. The black ones are more tonifying than the white, but I like to mix the two together and toast them on the stove with a little sea salt. They call that mixture "Gomaschio,” and you can purchase it at Whole Foods already mixed, toasted, and salted or you can make your own. Gomaschio is a nice condiment to have on the table and to add to your salads and vegetables.
8. Shiitake Mushrooms, "The Sexy Mushroom"
These sexy mushrooms are highly valued in Asia for their healing properties. They are known for building up your immune system but from a beauty perspective these sexy fungus are full of bioavailable iron and vitamins that can help our skin to shine. These guys can even break up fat in the body like cellulite and congestion in your nose and skin, like white mucus from the nose and white heads on the skin. These guys break it all up, and they are also very really tasty.
You can add them to any stir-fry, soup, salad, or with your Chinese pearl barley and you will have two super foods breaking up that extra congestion and cellulite on your upper thighs. Now isn’t that better than liposuction?
These sexy ‘shrooms have 50% more flavor than a button mushroom and are imbued with minerals and 3 of your essential Vitamin Bs: B2, B5, and B6. They also have a nice, smoky, meaty taste and are a rich source of protein without the saturated fat.
They can be purchased raw or freeze dried. If you buy them dry, they have to soak for about 10 minutes before you add them to your cooking. The raw can be sliced and added to any sauté or salad that you like. Just to let you know, the dry ones are more medicinal and add a bigger punch. I like mixing the two together when I am cooking.
There are also some skincare companies that are touting the benefits of using them in a cream, but I think you get more bang by eating them, and I am all for benefiting the inside and the outside at the same time.
If you are feeling bloated and your skin is pale, here is a recipe with shiitake mushrooms that will help to stop the bloating while nourishing your skin.
Miso soup with Shiitake mushrooms and tofu
Ingredients:
½ pint of vegetable stock
3 shiitake mushrooms
1 strand of wakame seaweed
1 scallion
1 tablespoon of miso paste
1 ounce firm tofu diced
Directions:
1. Slice shiitake mushrooms.
2. Soak the wakame in cold water for about 10 minutes and then chop.
3. Slice up the green part of the scallion (for garnish).
4. Bring vegetable stock to a boil.
5. Stir in miso, mushrooms, wakame, and tofu.
6. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Pour into bowl and serve immediately and garnish with scallions.
9. Rehmannia Root-Shu Di Huang- "Black Sexy Mama Herb"
This herb is so sexy because it helps to nourish the Yin (The femaleness) of the body. The Yin and Yang elements work together to keep the body healthy and active. They are opposite energies that complement each other. Yang is energy: warmth, movement, dryness, and it is active from sunrise to sunset. The Yin element, on the other hand, provides moisture, stillness, and coolness to the body and is active from sunset to sunrise.
You can tell when your body is Yin deficient because you will experience dry skin, dry hair, hair loss, hot flashes, insomnia, lack of saliva, chapped hands and feet, and knee joint pain, which is characterized by a popping sound when you flex. These are signs that the Yin of the body is drying up like a leaf, and we need to nourish it. This "Black mama" is awesome at nourishing the Yin and making you feel luscious and sexy again. Shu Di Huang also helps to balance your hormones and keeps your bones nice and strong without having to take some artificial hormone extracted from a horse's urine.
This herb is sold in its raw form which is beneficial but if you get the cooked version it is even more potent because they have soaked it in wine and then they have let it dry. It looks like a dry, burnt cookie but don't let its funny appearances dissuade you from drinking in her blessings. Many Chinese formulas sold for menopause have her as one of their main ingredients, so you can go to your local acupuncturist and ask her for a formula or you can venture out and try it on your own. If you have a little diarrhea the first few times you drink the tea it is normal, and later your body will self-regulate after the toxins have been removed.
10. Pearl Powder - Shen Shu Mo, “Whitening Powder”
Those precious gems that we wear regally around our neck have some wonderful health properties if you digest their powder. They help to soften fine lines, whiten dark spots, and help to regenerate new collagen so the skin stays nice and firm for years to come. This powder can be taken internally as well as externally. This is the ancient Chinese secret powder that the young concubines in the Forbidden City would use to remain young and beautiful for the emperor.
Pearl Powder has been used for centuries by the empresses and concubines of China to keep their skin looking young and white. They would grind the pearls into a very thin powder and then they would ingest the powder or they would then apply the powder to their skin externally. Asian women cherish a white complexion and dark spots on the skin are considered bad luck, so they are always looking for ways to keep their skin as white as ivory.
Women all over China have been ingesting these gems for centuries to soften their wrinkles, help with hyperpigmentation, erase freckles, and to tighten their skin.
Some researchers have found that the powder also has a very calming effect on the body and can be very helpful for anxiety, ADD, and ADHD. It helps the mind to remain calm and focused because of the very high mineral content.
Pearl Powder taken internally does help the body to make collagen, specifically for the skin, and can help with age spots. Pearl powder is also very high in calcium and with the new nano-particle technology it can be absorbed by our bodies pretty quickly. I would recommend taking pearl powder internally about 1-2 capsules a day and then taking some of the powder and adding it to your moisturizer to work as a whitener and protector of your skin.
Make sure you purchase your pearly gem powder from a reputable source because you want it to be free of chemicals and bleaches.
11. Collagen Drink, “The Anti-Aging Drink"
The collagen drink ofte comes in little ampoules full of marine collagen and boasting that these ampoules can help boost the collagen in your skin, soften the fine lines, tone a saggy neck, and can soften age spots. I don't think that this is a cure-all, but I do like the concept. Marine collagen is very high in protein, so it contains the building blocks for make collagen and it is also abundant in your essential oils so it can't hurt. I would stay away from it if you are vegan because their protein source is a tiny fish.
The Collagen drink can definitely help but if the rest of your diet is full of refined carbohydrates you will not see any change. If your diet, on the other hand, is full of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and other good sources of protein you will definitely benefit from drinking these ampoules.
These ampoules are also loaded with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid (which helps the skin to retain 100% of its weight in water), so it gives you a nice plump look and feel to your skin. Some Americans don’t like the fishy taste, so they have opted to purchase the drink in powder or capsules. It is not as potent in a powder or capsule. I don’t mind the taste, so I drink it out of the ampoules. When you go searching for the drink just make sure that the ampoules or powders are not full of sugar because the sugar will negate the benefits.
They suggest that you stay on the regime for at least 30 days to see optimal results and many Asian women are staying on it continuously as a preventative measure. You will get better results if your stress is low and you do not have many inflammatory foods or substances in your diet. These ampoules are just another tool to add to your healthy lifestyle and not a magical ampoule that will solve all your anti-aging concerns.
Most Western doctors say that there is no way that this collagen can get to the skin and that the skin needs 5 different forms of collagen.. It can be purchased online from different companies or you can try the Japanese skincare line, Shiseido.
Just remember to look at the sugar content and enjoy your "shot" of collagen. I like the idea of drinking my lines away and not having to get a painful, hypodermic shot that can cause bruising.