7 medicinal foods to help you sleep well

Sleep plays an important role in maintaining health, strengthening resistance and reducing stress. Some medicinal foods have good effects in helping you sleep well.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) insomnia is a condition of difficulty falling asleep, not sleeping deeply, or waking up easily. According to TCM, insomnia is mainly caused by disorders of internal organs such as the Heart, Liver, Spleen, and Kidneys, causing an imbalance of Yin and Yang, affecting the mind.

There are many different causes that can lead to insomnia.

1. Causes of insomnia

• Due to impaired function of the five internal organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys);
• Due to insufficient essence, the body becomes weak and insomnia occurs;
• Due to external evil disturbances, the spirit is not at peace, causing an imbalance of yin and yang.

Treatment of insomnia according to Oriental medicine focuses on nourishing the mind, calming the nerves, regulating blood and qi, and balancing yin and yang of internal organs through:

• Herbs: Lotus heart, passionflower, longan, betel nut, poria, polygala, etc.
• Acupressure massage, acupuncture: Impact on acupoints such as Shenmen, Sanyinjiao, and Neiguan.
• Practice Qigong and meditation: Helps balance the mind, sleep better and deeper.

In addition to the above methods, some medicinal dishes also have good effects in nourishing the mind, calming the nerves, and replenishing blood and energy to help improve overall health and sleep better.

2. Medicinal foods to help you sleep better

Below are some medicinal foods that help improve sleep quality:

2.1. Lotus seed and longan porridge helps you sleep well

Lotus seeds and longan are two oriental medicines, sweet in taste, neutral in nature, affecting the heart and pericardium meridians, with sedative and sleep-regulating effects.

According to modern medicine, lotus seeds contain alkaloids that help calm the mind, longan contains antioxidant flavonoids that reduce anxiety. Therefore, people who often have insomnia can use lotus seed and longan porridge to supplement their daily diet.

- Ingredients: 100g lotus seeds, 50g longan, 100g rice, salt or rock sugar (depending on taste).

- How to prepare: Wash lotus seeds and longan; add rice and lotus seeds and cook until soft. Add longan and cook for another 10 minutes. When the porridge is cooked, add salt or rock sugar to taste; serve while the porridge is warm.

Lotus seeds have sedative and sleep regulating effects.

2.2. Chicken stewed with Poria cocos and Polygala tenuifolia

One of the herbs that has the effect of nourishing the mind and calming the nerves is Poria cocos and Polygala tenuifolia. Poria cocos has a sweet taste, neutral properties, and enters the heart and spleen meridians, helping to calm the nerves and nourish the mind. Polygala tenuifolia has a spicy taste, warm properties, enters the heart and kidney meridians, helping to calm and reduce anxiety. You can stew chicken with Poria cocos, Polygala tenuifolia, and lotus seeds to restore the body and improve sleep quality.

- Ingredients: 1 black chicken (or small chicken), 10g Poria cocos, 5g Polygala tenuifolia, 5 red apples, 50g lotus seeds, spices (salt, pepper, ginger).

- How to prepare: Clean the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or leave whole; soak Poria cocos and Polygala tenuifolia in warm water for 15 minutes, put the ingredients in and simmer with the chicken in 1 liter of water for 45 minutes; add red apples and lotus seeds, cook for another 15 minutes; season to taste, eat while still warm.

Poria helps nourish the mind.

2.3. Rib soup with acacia leaves

According to Oriental medicine, vông leaves have a neutral nature, a slightly bitter taste, slightly astringent, and enter the liver meridian. They are a medicinal herb that is effective in calming the nerves and treating insomnia. Modern pharmacological studies also show that vông nem contains alkaloids and saponins, of which the alkaloids in the leaves account for 0.1 - 0.16%, so they are often extracted to prepare some types of insomnia medications.

Dishes made from vông leaves are quite familiar in Vietnamese family meals such as boiled vông leaves, vông leaves stir-fried with eggs, soup... You can make rib soup with vông leaves to enjoy with the whole family.

- Ingredients: 50g vông leaves, 200g spare ribs, spices.

- How to prepare: Wash the vông leaves, wash the spare ribs and blanch them, simmer the ribs on the stove until soft, add the vông leaves, cook for 5 minutes; season to taste, serve the soup while hot.

Acacia leaves are effective in treating insomnia.

2.4. Lotus heart tea

Lotus heart, also known as lotus heart, is a bitter, cold medicinal herb that enters the heart meridian, helps clear the mind, calm the nerves, and treat insomnia caused by heat. For people who often suffer from insomnia, lotus heart tea can be used daily.

Ingredients: 5g dried lotus heart, 200ml boiling water.

How to prepare: Steep lotus heart in boiling water for 10 minutes, drink warm before going to bed.

Lotus heart tea helps to clear the mind and calm the nerves.

2.5. Passionflower tea

Passionflower has a sweet and cool taste, affects the heart and liver meridians, helps clear heat, calm the nerves, and reduce stress. According to modern medicine, passionflower contains flavonoids that help stabilize the nervous system.

- Ingredients: 10g dried passionflower.

- How to prepare: Use 10g of dried passionflower, wash clean; steep with 200ml of boiling water for 10 minutes, drink warm before going to bed. Drink regularly every day for best results.

In addition to lotus heart tea and passionflower tea, you can also use teas that help you sleep well such as jujube seed tea, acacia leaf tea, longan - red apple tea...

Passionflower tea cools the body, calms the nerves, and reduces stress.

2.6. Pigeon stewed with Polygala and lotus seeds

Viễn chí and lotus seeds help reduce stress, calm the nerves, and promote good sleep. Combined with pigeon to nourish the blood and improve overall health. This dish is suitable for many people, especially those who are often tired, have insomnia, the elderly, or have just recovered from illness.

- Ingredients: 1 pigeon, 10g Polygala, 50g lotus seeds, 5 red apples, 1 slice of ginger, spices (salt, pepper).

- How to prepare: Clean pigeon, leave whole or cut into pieces; soak Polygala in warm water for 15 minutes; stew pigeon with 1 liter of water for 45 minutes; add lotus seeds, red apples, cook for another 15 minutes, when the soup is cooked, season, eat while warm.

Pigeon stewed with lotus seeds helps sleep well.

2. 7. Oatmeal porridge - chia seeds

Oatmeal and chia seed porridge is a nutritious dish that helps support sleep thanks to its nutrients that help relax the nerves and regulate sleep hormones. Oatmeal has a sweet taste, neutral properties, and is absorbed by the spleen and stomach meridians, helping to strengthen the spleen, replenish blood and qi, and support the body to relax. Chia seeds have a sweet taste, cool properties, and are absorbed by the heart and kidney meridians, helping to nourish the heart, calm the nerves, and replenish blood.

In addition, according to modern medicine, oats and chia seeds contain a lot of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps increase the production of serotonin and melatonin - two important substances that help regulate sleep.

- Ingredients: 50g oatmeal, 1 spoon chia seeds, 250ml milk, honey.

- How to prepare: Boil oatmeal with water or milk until smooth, then add chia seeds, stir well, cook for another 2 minutes; add honey, stir well and use while still warm; should be used in the evening 30 - 60 minutes before going to bed.

Oatmeal strengthens the spleen, replenishes blood and helps you sleep well.

These medicinal dishes not only help you sleep well but also help improve your overall health. You can combine these dishes with other methods such as acupressure massage, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, etc. to achieve the best results.

BSNT. Huong Tra

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/7-mon-an-bai-thuoc-giup-ngu-ngon-172250304145334305.htm