ALIMENTOS SALUDABLES A BASE DE HIERBAS ORIENTALES

GACHAS HIERBAS

 

 

 

 

Mulberry Congee

(桑葚粥 / Sang Shen Congee / Mulberry Congee)

 

Spring Medicinal Congee for Liver Nourishment

(春季养肝用药粥)

 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is said that “spring is the season for nourishing the liver” (春宜养肝).
During spring, dietary care is essential for liver health—one should eat a balanced diet rich in protein and vitamins, and medicinal congee (yao zhou) can be used to further support liver function.

 

Mulberry Congee

(桑葚粥 / Sang Shen Congee)**

 

Ingredients

• 30 g dried mulberries (桑葚 / Sang Shen)
  — or 60 g fresh mulberries
• 30 g glutinous rice (糯米 / Nuo Mi)
• Rock sugar to taste (冰糖 / Bing Tang)

 

Preparation

Cook the mulberries and glutinous rice together.
Once fully cooked, add rock sugar to sweeten.

 

Effects

Mulberry congee nourishes the liver and blood, improves vision, and enhances mental clarity.
It is suitable for:

• Dizziness
• Insomnia
• Tinnitus
• Lower back soreness
• Premature graying of hair
  caused by liver–kidney deficiency.

Mulberries (桑葚 / Sang Shen)

“桑葚” is called odi or mulberry fruit in Korean.
They are the ripe fruits of the mulberry tree, turning black or deep purple when fully mature.

 

Key Nutritional and Health Benefits

● Rich Nutrient Profile

Mulberries are abundant in:

• Anthocyanins (≈23× more than grapes)
• Vitamins A, C, and E
• Calcium, potassium, iron
• Resveratrol (noted for anti-cancer and anti-aging effects)

 

● Major Health Benefits

• Antioxidant & Anti-aging:
High antioxidant levels help slow cellular aging.

 

• Digestive Health:
Animal studies show mulberries improve gastrointestinal motility.

 

• Cardiovascular & Blood Sugar Regulation:
Contains rutin (lowers blood pressure)
and compounds that help reduce blood sugar — beneficial for diabetes and hypertension.

 

• Vision & Anemia Improvement:
Classical texts such as Donguibogam mention mulberries brighten the eyes and ears and help relieve anemia.

 

● Consumption Methods

Mulberries can be:

• Rinsed and eaten fresh
• Juiced
• Made into jam
• Fermented into wine
• Used in various processed foods

 

Fresh consumption preserves nutrients best.

Mulberries have long been praised as the “black ginseng” and “king of fruits” for their tonic benefits.

 

Rock Sugar (冰糖 / Bing Tang)

Rock sugar is made by dissolving white sugar, refining it, and crystallizing it again.
Its main component is sucrose.
It is widely used in desserts, beverages, and medicinal soups.

 

Types of Rock Sugar

● White Rock Sugar (白冰糖)

• Highly refined, transparent crystals
• Pure sweetness, clean flavor
• Ideal for tea, desserts, and cooling drinks

 

● Yellow Rock Sugar (黄冰糖) / Brownish Rock Sugar

• Less refined, retains more natural cane components
• Pale yellow color, richer nutrients
• Suitable for stews, braised dishes, and tonic soups

 

● Single-crystal Rock Sugar (单晶冰糖)

• Industrially refined
• Uniform crystals, typically dodecahedral

 

● Multi-crystal Rock Sugar (多晶冰糖)

• Traditional slow crystallization
• Also called “large rock sugar”
• Large clusters made from many small crystals

 

TCM Benefits of Rock Sugar

In TCM, rock sugar is sweet (甘) in flavor, neutral (性平) in nature,
and enters the spleen and lung meridians.

 

● Tonifies qi and harmonizes the stomach
Useful for fatigue, poor appetite, dry mouth.

 

● Nourishes yin & moistens the lungs
Helps relieve:

• Dry cough
• Chronic cough
• Blood-streaked sputum
  Often used with snow fungus, pear, loquat, Fritillaria bulbs, etc.

 

● Culinary Use
Clean sweetness without greasiness makes it ideal for:

• Bird’s nest
• Snow fungus soup
• Steamed pears
• Braised pork (adds color and aroma)

 

Representative Brands

Popular rock sugar brands in China include:

• Taikoo (太古)
• Hongmian (红棉)
• Nanzi Brand (南字牌)
• Ganzhiyuan (甘汁园)
• Shukeman (舒可曼)
• Liubing (柳冰)

 

Health Precautions

Since rock sugar is essentially sucrose, caution is needed for:

• Diabetics
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Hyperlipidemia
• Coronary artery disease

 

Excessive consumption can cause:

• Weight gain
• Increased blood lipids
• Tooth decay