Autumn Equinox Best Seasonal Food: Black Fungus
As the saying goes, "a spell of autumn rain brings a spell of cold," amidst the successive autumn rains, we welcome the Autumn Equinox solar term. After the Autumn Equinox, the summer heat recedes, and the days gradually turn colder. Friends should pay more attention to their diet, nourish their bodies well, and prepare for the arrival of the harsh winter. Here are some suggestions from health experts, hope you all like them!
The Autumn Equinox is the midpoint of the 90 days of autumn. On this day, the sun shines directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is equal. From this day on, the daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere slowly decrease, the autumn atmosphere will become more profound, and the weather will begin to cool down more rapidly.
What foods should we pay attention to eating during the Autumn Equinox solar term? In terms of diet, we should eat more foods that are light and moistening, or warm and moistening, such as: sesame seeds, walnuts, glutinous rice, honey, dairy products, snow pears, sugarcane, black fungus, etc. These can nourish yin, moisten the lungs, and nourish the blood. Try to eat less of cold foods like melons. Seasonal fruits can be eaten more appropriately, which aligns with the ancient health maxim of "eating food in its season."
The best seasonal food for the Autumn Equinox is: Black Fungus
Black Fungus - A Mild Nourishing Food that is Both Medicinal and Culinary
Black fungus is a type of edible mushroom. It grows on rotten wood, resembles a human ear in shape, and is black or dark brown, hence the name black fungus. This product can be both eaten and used as medicine, making it a dual-purpose item for both food and medicine.
Since ancient times, black fungus has been an important edible and medicinal mushroom in China. Artificial cultivation of black fungus has a history of over 1,300 years. Black fungus has a delicate, crispy, smooth, and pleasant texture with a delicious flavor. As a food, it has a light, sweet taste and can be seasoned according to personal preference to create a variety of delicious dishes.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, black fungus is considered sweet in taste and neutral in nature, affecting the spleen, lung, liver, and large intestine meridians. It is primarily indicated for deficiency of qi and blood, chronic lung deficiency with cough, hemoptysis, hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding in women, irregular menstruation, and traumatic injuries. As a medicinal herb, it is a valuable tonic. Although its properties are mild and its effects are gentle, it is neither greasy nor drying, and can be taken for a long time. China's earliest existing pharmacopoeia, "Shennong Ben Cao Jing" (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic), already recorded its medicinal value, stating it can "benefit qi, alleviate hunger, lighten the body, and strengthen the will," and "treat uterine bleeding with red and white discharge, blood diseases, abdominal masses and accumulations, pain in the lower abdomen, and various cold and heat syndromes leading to infertility." Subsequent materia medica from various dynasties, such as "Ming Yi Bie Lu" (Famous Physicians' Materia Medica Supplement) from the Liang Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Shi Liao Ben Cao" (Materia Medica for Diet Therapy) from the Tang Dynasty, "Ben Cao Gang Mu" (Compendium of Materia Medica) from the Ming Dynasty, and "Zhong Hua Ben Cao" (Chinese Materia Medica) in modern times, all have discussed its properties.
Modern science believes that black fungus is not only rich in protein but also contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, especially an extremely high content of iron. Every 100 grams of dried black fungus contains 185 mg of iron, which is 100 times that of meat. Therefore, black fungus is an excellent food for patients with iron-deficiency anemia. Black fungus also has the function of moistening the intestines and detoxifying. The adenosine in black fungus has a significant effect in inhibiting thrombus formation, making it an excellent health food for middle-aged and elderly people.
In addition, black fungus has a significant effect in dissolving endogenous foreign bodies such as gallstones, kidney stones, bladder stones, and fecal stones. Black fungus also contains various minerals that can have a strong chemical reaction with various stones, peeling, differentiating, and eroding them, causing the stones to shrink and be expelled.
Note: As a tonic, black fungus has mild medicinal properties, so it is only suitable for mild or chronic conditions, or for daily health maintenance for those in a sub-health state. For severe or acute conditions, it should be used in combination with other medicines or as an adjuvant to treatment. Furthermore, black fungus is relatively difficult to digest and has a mild laxative effect, so it should be avoided by those with spleen deficiency, indigestion, or loose stools. It is also contraindicated for those allergic to black fungus or similar fungi.
Black Fungus Food Therapy Remedies:
Arteriosclerosis and Coronary Heart Disease: 5 grams of black fungus, soaked in water overnight, steamed for 1 hour, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar, and take before bed. Consume continuously; or add it to dishes, dumplings, or as a filling for buns for long-term consumption.
Anemia: 30 grams of black fungus, 30 red dates, and a small amount of brown sugar, added to glutinous rice to cook into a porridge for consumption.
Hemorrhoids and Constipation: 6 grams of black fungus, 30 persimmon cakes, cooked together until soft, and eaten as a snack.
Adjunctive treatment for stones: For initial-stage stones, eating 1-2 servings of black fungus daily can relieve symptoms such as pain and nausea within 2-4 days. Combined with drug treatment, stones can disappear in about 10 days. For larger or harder stones, the effect is poorer, so black fungus should be eaten in conjunction with medication.
Note: After the Autumn Equinox, autumn winds often rise, and the climate tends to be dry, so do not eat too much spicy food. Additionally, after the Autumn Equinox, the weather turns cold, and people are prone to stomach problems. Do not blindly engage in "autumn freezing" (exposing the body to the autumn cold); one should consider their own physical condition. Those with stomach problems or a cold-damp constitution should absolutely not blindly follow the "autumn freezing" custom to avoid affecting their health.