The most important component of our bodies is water. Compared to men, women's bodies contain a higher proportion of water. The saying that "women are made of water" is true; the ancients were not wrong. The importance of water to us is self-evident. Drinking these three specific glasses of water not only replenishes the body's fluids but can also help prevent and treat diseases.
Lemon and Coix Seed Water
The first glass of water: Nourishing Skin Water.
Ingredients: Persimmon leaves, coix seed, and gromwell root. Persimmon leaves have the effect of moistening the lungs and promoting bowel movements. They are often used to make skin-nourishing soups. Regular consumption can boost metabolism, promote urination, and relieve constipation. You can buy them at a Chinese herbal medicine shop.
Simply simmer the persimmon leaves, coix seed, and gromwell root in water over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. After straining out the dregs, add rock sugar to taste. You can bottle it and take it to work to drink.
Coix seed is also excellent for skin care. Rich in vitamins B1 and B2, it can make the skin smooth and has diuretic and anti-edema effects. In the past, when young people had acne, the elders in the family would cook coix seed congee to help the skin recover quickly. Additionally, gromwell root has the effects of cooling the blood, activating blood circulation, clearing heat, and detoxifying, as well as lubricating the intestines to relieve constipation.
The second glass of water: Fire-Relieving Water.
Ingredients: Pagoda tree flowers, Poria, and fresh hawthorn. After removing the pits and crushing the hawthorn, cook it with Poria in a pot for ten minutes. Strain out the dregs and use the liquid to steep the pagoda tree flowers, then add rock sugar. Pagoda tree flowers have the effects of clearing heat and toxins, cooling the blood, and moistening the lungs. In the past, many places had the tradition of steaming pagoda tree flowers, treating them as a good snack for relieating internal heat. Besides clearing heat, Poria can also enhance the body's immunity.
This water tastes better due to the addition of hawthorn and also has the effect of lowering blood lipids. Its light sweetness makes it very palatable.
The third glass of water: Throat-Clearing Water.
Ingredients: Dried persimmons, Sterculia lychnophora, and monk fruit. This throat-clearing water is also very easy to make. Place a ready-to-eat dried persimmon in a bowl, cover it tightly, and steam it for 15 minutes. Then slice it and put it in a cup with Sterculia lychnophora and a cleaned, crushed monk fruit. Pour in boiling water and let it steep for 5 minutes.
Sterculia lychnophora and monk fruit are classic remedies for clearing heat. Drinking them over a long period can help soothe the throat, relieve pain, and reduce coughing and swelling. Some people also add lotus leaves or licorice to make the taste feel more refreshing. However, it should be noted that the persimmon frost on the dried persimmon is good for cooling the blood, clearing heat, and soothing the throat, so be sure not to wash it off.
According to your own physical condition, choose to drink the Nourishing Skin Water, Fire-Relieving Water, and Throat-Clearing Water as appropriate. For our bodies, as we age, our organs deteriorate and toxins accumulate. The "water" we drink should not only promote detoxification but also help slow down the aging of our organs.
Lemon rice