Winter is a time for protecting the body from cold, wind and damp.  Traditional Chinese Medicine encourages eating warm and nourishing seasonal foods such as stews and soups and embracing rest and rejuvenation with good sleep habits and gentle movement practices like Tai Chi and Qigong.

Dang Gui, Ginger & lamb soup

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 2-3 hours       
Serves: 3

Ingredients:
1. Lamb 200-250g
2. Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis) 30g
3. Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula) 15g
4. Ginger 15g

Methods:
1. Rinse the Dang Gui, soak in water until soft, then slice it up 
2. Put the lamb in a pot, pour in cold water, cook until it boils, then skim off the scum
3. Remove the lamb from the pot
4. Put the lamb in a clay pot, pour in boiling water then bring to boil
5. Add Dang Gui slices, Dang Shen and Ginger to the clay pot, then reduce the heat
6. [Optional] Add some Gouqi berries and Da Zao (Chinese Jujube) 
7. Simmer for 2-3 hours until the lamb is tender
8. Remove the Dang Gui and add some salt before serving

This is a recipe from the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases (Shang Han Za Bing Lun), which warms the Middle Jiao, nourishes Blood, dispels cold and relieves pain. Particular for fatigue, chills and cold limbs.
  • Contraindications: Not suitable for people with dry mouth, bitter taste, constipation, and thick greasy tongue coating.
Your AcNZ  practitioner has the skills and knowledge to use acupuncture and herbal medicine to help you recover from winter ailments, while helping to support your immune system and increasing your energy levels through winter.