Garden Club Gathering, Sat., Oct. 20, 2007   Food from our Garden as Chinese Medicine! With Dr. Seva Simran Siri Singh Khalsa   As you know, he offers diagnosis of your conditions and treatment with Food Therapy, Oriental Herbs and Acupuncture. He invites you to contact him anytime to learn more about these wonderful Oriental Healing Arts!  505-747-7944, sevasimsiri@cybermesa.com     We definitely do thank the Dr.’s wife, our sweet Seva Simran Siri Kaur for the amazingly delicious apple crisp made from apples from their own tree, and the great ginger and milk tea!  We were really cared for with great medicine!   And what a treat we had today, as Dr. Seva Simran Siri Singh, doctor of Oriental Medicine led us to explore the essentials of actually planting our gardens with fruits and vegetables that will support our very own specific physical and energetic health!  What a kick to husband the gifts of nature to support our very special needs on this Earth, sustaining our own self healing efforts in partnership with our own plot of Mother Earth here in Espanola!   He gave us a brief foundation in the thousands of years’ old Chinese global approach to balance and healing, which is symbolized by the “Yin/Yang” emblem.  He noted that this balancing dynamic is always moving, changing and re-balancing.  Briefly, the Yang principle is light, male, and kinetic.  The Yin principle is dark, female and holds potential.    And so the further categorization of all of nature’s actions and substances according to 5 established elements offers an organized and highly sophisticated system through which imbalance is diagnosed and re-balance is understood and achieved.   This whole system is a compendium of observation of nature in all its forms—seasons, temperatures, movement, the elements, tastes, colors, bodily organs and fluids, and so on, as they elucidate imbalances and call for return to balance of all different aspects—whether of body, mind or other circumstances of life in this intricate, but time-proven system from antiquity.  It is a system that in its broadest sense provides a complete world view of change (stagnation, movement, consolidation, dissembling, etc.).  And in its specific application to medicine can help us return various aspects of our body, mind and life to greater harmony and balance, which is the very definition of healing.     FOOD THERAPY   If you want to skip to health applications of specific foods that we can grow right here, please move further down this page!  And you will find his great handouts here as well!   How Chinese Food Therapy Works:   When employing nutrition as Food Therapy in this Chinese Medicine system, simply put, foods are classified into taste categories, as well as temperature as they affect the body’s physical and energetic systems.  So for healing purposes, it is important to include a balance of flavors with an emphasis on those that offer greatest balance to any imbalance that we might currently or chronically be experiencing.  TASTES:   PUNGENT, which disburses energy.  Associated with the energetic qualities of Lung.  They remove stagnation such as edema, tumors, pain, etc.  Some are ginger, garlic, mint.   SWEET (BLAND), which strengthens, harmonizes, reinforces.  In our culture, sweet is overdone—out of balance.  Originally, rock “candy” sugar was used as a medicine.  Some fruits offer us deceleration and relaxation.  Yams and squashes are good for yin deficiency.  Pearl barley is bland and is a diuretic.   BITTER, which disburses, dries, and clears heat in the body.  Some bitter foods are rhubarb, apricot kernels and dandelion greens.  They affect the Heart and Small Intestine energetic organs, and can be used to treat edema.   SOUR, affects the energetic Liver and Gallbladder organs.  They are astringent, and they consolidate and stop loss of body fluids such as sweats and diarrhea.  Lemon is a good example of sour.   SALTY is associated with the energetic Kidney and Bladder.  Its effects are to soften, dissolve, and lubricate, and so is used to treat cysts and goiters.  Salty flavor is often a component of seaweed as used as medicine either in topical application or ingestion.   TEMPERATURES:   These temperatures are qualities of the food’s natural make up: NEUTRAL, COOL, COLD, WARM, HOT.   HOT can cause debilitation.  Ginger, a hot food can warm up a person.   COOLING foods can be given to children in the summer to cool down their active bodies.   Elderly people naturally have an underlying coldness because their life force is waning.  This coldness is felt especially in the waist area and the kidneys.  So be sure to create the correct balance if you treating an elderly person with a fever—not giving too much cold.   In menopause, there is not enough “water to quench the fire.”  Mung beans and rice are great for menopause because they clear heat and nourish.   A feeling of heaviness or a heavy head are the result of “damp.”  Therefore, balance with “drying” foods.       SPECIFIC FOODS WITH THEIR MEDICINAL PROPERTIES: Although when you cook food, it can change its properties.     Fruits:   APPLES—sweet, slightly sour, cooling.  Good for hypertension—high blood pressure.  Eat 2-3 apples per day.  Also good for dry throat.  Quench thirst, strengthen heart muscle, good for digestion, break up mucous whether yellow or white.   APRICOTS—sweet and sour, slightly cooling.   LOQUAT—especially good for cough, but we don’t know if they grow here.   CHERRIES—warm and sweet.  Good for measles, burns (apply topically), diarrhea (although too many cherries may cause diarrhea), thirst, tonic for skin and overall body, regenerate fluids, prolong life.   JUJUBE—neutral and sweet.  The seeds ground up nourish heart and blood.  Make a tea with the seeds.   PEACHES and PEARS—sweet.  They nourish body fluids, quench thirst and lubricate dryness, are good for dry mouth, dry cough, and directly work on dry skin.  They clear heat and so are good to take when getting a cold, sore throat.  Also good for diabetes.   WATERMELON—very cooling.  Especially good in the summer time to reduce the body’s heat.   MELONS—bitter melon detoxes the body.  Good for hot constitution, liver.  “Liver people” are loud, angry, and have a lots of energy.     Vegetables:   TOMATOES—slightly cool, sweet and sour.  Replace bodily fluids, good for thrist, calm liver (for angry and emotional folks).  For high blood pressure, eat 2 raw tomatoes on and empty stomach each day for a month.   CUCUMBERS—cool, sweet, bland, and the peels are bitter.  The flesh clears heat and relieves irritability for hot constitutions.  Can put slices on the eyes to bring down puffiness.   CORN—cool and sweet.  Save the silk to make tea for hot conditions such as gallbladder, jaundice, liver, hepatitis.   LETTUCE Head lettuce such as iceberg—moves chi, relieves feeling of being stuck both emotionally and body feeling stagnant.  Good for skin lesions and insect bites. Leaf Lettuce such as Romaine and Endive—bitter, cool and drying.  Good for digestion.   GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES Kale—strengthens stomach ulcers.  Promotes re-growth of tissue by drinking fresh kale juice. Spinach—strengthens all organs.  Good for constipation, opens tightness in chest, quenches thirst.  Don’t eat spinach if you have a history of kidney stones.  Eating spinach with dairy or tofu can increase tendency to develop kidney stones. Chard—Detoxes body.  Good for skin lesions, boils when you apply externally with aloe vera.  Good for “Delhi Belly” dysentery.   CARROTS—good for night blindness.  Lukewarm carrot juice is good for measles, sore throat.  Carrot top tea promotes digestion, strengthens all internal organs.   BEETS—nourishes blood, calms spirit, strengthens heart.  Good for constipation, and cleanses the liver.   BEANS, DRIED—especially black beans are good for the kidneys, so good for older people and their life force.  Brightens the eyes.   GREEN BEANS—strengthens kidneys, warms digestive system, e.g. for people who have been sick for a while.  Good for burping, feeling of something being stuck in the chest, back pain (soup of green beans, black beans and azuki beans with a pinch of cinnamon).  For chronic diarrhea, steam green beans with rice.       MORE:   You can judge if a food is good for you if you can digest it.  Criteria for judging the benefits of your food include that it gives you energy, makes you feel good, doesn’t cause bloating, pain, gas, heavy feeling, feel like something’s stuck, diarrhea, or constipation.   Try out foods to test of they work for you.  You might try a food in small amounts at first, even if it gives you some difficulty at first.  Then after that, you may be able to eat more of it.   Some digestion aids are eating an orange slice or parsley after a meal.  Exercise after your evening meal, such as walking to move the food through your system.     YANG FOODS:   These are warming, raise the metabolism, ward off coldness and lack of energy.  Some are ginger, garlic and onions.  You can balance them with cooling vegetables to produce a balance of Yin and Yang.       GREAT REFERENCE BOOKS:   “Chinese Systems of Food Cures, Prevention and Remedies,” Henry C. Lu   “Chinese Foods for Longevity, the Art of Long Life,” Henry C. Lu   “The Tao of Nutrition,” by Maoshing Ni   “Healing with Whole Foods,” by Paul Pitchford

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OTHER YANG TONICS! By Seva Simran Siri Singh     Other than eating different meats which are yang tonics such as shrimp, sea horse,the actual kidney from an animal, some veggies things are-----yams, walnuts, chive seed and bitter gourd seed and raspberry (must be dried green raspberrry). ie: yam is neutral and sweet.  It nourishes the lung, spleen and kidney.   One recipe has boil yam with ginseng for 30 min. and drink as a tea. Walnuts:  are sl.warm and sweet.  they tonify the kd, strengthen the back,astringe the lungs, relieve asthma, lubricate intestines, reduces cholesterol.........to strengthen the kd. eat 20 walnuts a day for 1 month.      This is just some ideas -----sat nam----SSSS

Yin Foods   Yin—is one half of the equation: yin/yang.  In Chinese culture and in their medicine, no one thing exists alone.  The attempt is to maintain a dynamic balance between twi opposites with the opposites always moving and a bit of yang in yin and yin in yang.  You can spend a lifetime studying and meditating on this.  It is China.   A simplistic way of saying what yin is:  substance.  The only thing “deeper” than yin is essence (sperm, eggs, bone marrow).   And substance gives birth to action.  And action (yang) nourishes substance.  As in the digestive process (yang) nourishes our cells, tissues, etc. in order to provide the basis for cellular nutrition.  The physiology is the same as in Western medicine except there is a difference in focus.  Health in Western medicine is a lack of disease.   Chinese medicine has a holistic approach treating both the symptoms and the cause (root and branch).    Here are some of the symptoms that often occur with Kidney Yin deficiency:  irritability, insomnia, red cheeks, night sweats, low afternoon fever, hot palms and soles of the feet, or “5 heart heat” where heat is felt in the soles, palms and center of the chest; plus dry mouth, low back pain, ear ringing, blurry vision.  Kidney yin deficiency most often occurs in thin people since yin corresponds to substance.  In “older” people there is usually a kidney yin and yang deficiency.  Simply put, in kidney yin deficiency there is a condition of not enough water to cool the fire (yang) which gives rise to the heat.   Any of the organs can have a yin deficiency which will give rise to a specific set of symptoms, i.e. liver blood/yin deficiency can lead to dizziness, blurry vision, scanty periods, dull-pale complexion.   What we do as doctors is put all this together to make a diagnosis.  Tongue, pulse, palpation, questions…..the works.  And lab tests can be used too.   After giving birth there may be a deficiency of blood…..very often giving rise to postpartum “blues.”  It is a special time to nourish the body and rest and it’s one of the reasons for a “40-day sevadar.”     The following are just some suggestions on foods.  Find the ones that work best for you; in other words…..foods that you can digest.  You know they work if you get no bloating, too much gas, diarrhea or undigested food in your stools, etc.    You must obtain the nutrients from the food you eat.     Cooling foods: Most veggies, watermelon, etc.  Consult the book: Tao of Nutrition Dates----especially red dates Mung beans----especially good because they are cooling Apples, peaches and pears  Fresh veggies Other beans---see what works best for you Chrysanthemum flowers---I don’t know why this is good for yin! – it is       also cooling and relaxing for the eyes Miso, tofu and the like Yams/ sweet potatoes Milk products Potatoes Cook with Dang Gui (called the woman’s herb) Seaweed Royal jelly and bee pollen Nettles Black sesame seeds Ghee   Blood:  Blood is contained within yin.  As a deficiency of blood would be less severe than yin, but not by much.  When you tonify blood you are strengthening yin and vice versa.   Liver foods: Beets, red grapes, chlorophyll-rich foods, Gandoderma (ling zhi) mushroom (and very good for immune system), lychii fruit, eggs (oops), millet   Blood deficency in general:  Cook black beans, beets and peanuts together     Remember:  This is your constitution but not a disease.  Manage it.  Use it as a guide to eat well, practice meditation and the like.    Avoid: Stress, overworking, strong emotions, hot foods, spicy foods (they lead to heat…..if that is a problem for you).     From the Tao of Nutrition by Maoshing Ni  and  Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford,  and my own experience.

Remedies for Indigestion       Indigestion is a general term for anything related to digestive complaints.  It may result from poor digestion due to a “weak stomach,” a lack of digestive enzymes, or from eating too fast.  This in turn causes a stagnation of food in the stomach, resulting in abdominal fullness or distention, bloating, belching and sometimes diarrhea due to insufficient digestion.   Foods for Indigestion:  Hawthorn berries, papayas, sweet potatoes or yams, figs, pineapples, brown rice, oats, pearl barley, sweet rice, daikon radish, black sesame seeds, apples, oranges.  Onions aid in digestive disorders…but do not take with ulcers, colitis or high blood pressure.  Mung beans and rice (ask about recipe) are a good “cleansing” diet.     Digestion begins in the mouth, with our saliva beginning the process.  So it is important to eat slowly and chew the food properly.  Additionally it has been shown that eating with friends in a relaxing atmosphere is quite beneficial.   Home Remedies:  1)     Eat an apple or some slices of one after each meal. 2)     Drink some apple, lemon or orange juice after each meal. 3)     Consume ½ cup of overdone rice (that’s the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan) mixed with cardamom, fennel and orange peels. 4)     Make tea from sweet rice sprouts and malt. 5)     Eat papaya 2 times daily in any form---raw, cooked, or dried.  (Don’t overdo it). 6)     Every time you eat an orange, save the peels and dry them for over a month.  Make a tea out of the dried peels. (Low boil for about 20-30 min.) 7)     Roast black sesame seeds with salt and take with warm water.   More on Apples:  They are body cleansers and blood purifiers.  They are high in Vitamins B&C, sodium, potassium and magnesium.  An apple in the morning will overcome body weakness. 1)     In women tension goes to the reproductive organs.  Eating lots of apples for 6 months will help relax the ovaries. 2)     Bake apples and eat before going to bed ----will help with constipation. 3)     Stewed apples (cooked with a little cinnamon, honey and lemon peel) are soothing to an irritated stomach. 4)     Peeled and grated apples are good for the digestive tract and diarrhea.  Do just the apples and water for the diarrhea for 2 days.   Miscellaneous.:  Carrots have Vitamin C and calcium.  They increase vitality, cleanse the liver, and have a soothing, healing action on the digestive organs, and are highly alkaline.      Are you drinking enough water?  Don’t go to bed thirsty.  Don’t drink too much water during a meal.     Everyone is an individual.  Listen to your body (with a neutral mind).  Just because a food is “supposed” to be good for you …..doesn’t mean it will work for your body.   Avoid:  Eating when overly emotional, angry, etc; greasy, fatty rich foods (sorry); overly processed foods; being critical and judgmental.         Balance and everything in moderation.           Foods That Promote Good Digestion:   1)     Mango—strengthens the stomach.  Mangoes and milk will improve bodily health and vigor 2)     Papaya—easily digested.  Contains the enzyme papain.  Strengthens the stomach and spleen. 3)     Parsley—strengthens the stomach.  Take after meals to take away odors. 4)     Sassparilla—fresh as a tea or as an extract. 5)     Water—drink more than enough water if you are deficient in hydrochloric acid. 6)     Bok choy—promotes good digestion, removes stagnant food, clears heat and lubricates the intestines. 7)     Cilantro—strengthens digestion and promotes the flow of qi. 8)     Grapefruit—aids digestion and circulates qi. 9)     Hawthorne berry—strengthens spleen, removes stagnant food, invigorates the blood, dissolves sputum, relieves stagnant qi and aids digestion.   Get it as fresh as possible (will be richer in color and more flexible). 10) Pineapple—aids digestion and can help with diarrhea (as a tea). 11) Tomato—aids digestion, detoxifies, removes stagnant food, promotes body fluids, quenches thirst, strengthens digestion and clears heat.  For indigestion and food retention eat ½ -1 fresh tomato after meals. 12) Brown rice—strengthens the spleen and nourishes the stomach.  It relieves irritability and astringes the intestines.  If you can find “fermented rice cakes”….eat it after each meal as a digestive aid. 13) Buckwheat—descends qi…therefore it is good for people with heartburn.  Strengthens the stomach, stops dysentery, and lowers blood pressure.  A staple in Russia.  There is story about the Russian wrestling team traveling to the U.S. and sending back someone to retrieve forgotten buckwheat! 14) Peas—strengthen digestion, the stomach and the spleen.  Lubricates the intestines and promotes diuresis.  You can blend it into juice and drink with meals for indigestion.         A word on exercise:  EXERCISE!   Walk, run, crawl.  Get outside.  We all need fresh air.  Get with a group or create your own group to walk and have fun.  Every day!                       Brought to you by:  Dr. Seva Simran Siri Singh Khalsa,  DOM, L.Ac.  For an appointment or to contact me:  747-7944  and   sevasimsiri@cybermesa.com