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 sleepless;
- Due to the disturbance of external evil spirits, 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 and calming the nerves, 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, having sedative and sleep-regulating effects.
According to modern medicine, lotus seeds contain alkaloids that help calm the mind, longan contains flavonoids that are antioxidants and reduce anxiety. Therefore, people who often have insomnia can use lotus seed - 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, 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. 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 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, 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 dates, 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 are neutral, have a slightly bitter taste, and are astringent, and are effective in calming the nerves and treating insomnia. Modern pharmacological studies have also shown that vông nem contains alkaloids and saponins, with the alkaloid content in the leaves accounting 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 young ribs and blanch them, simmer the ribs on the stove until soft, add 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 calm the mind and soothe the nerves.
2.5. Passionflower tea
Passionflower has a sweet and mild taste, cool properties, and enters the heart and liver meridians, helping to 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 tenuifolia and lotus seeds
Viễn chí and lotus seeds help reduce stress, calm the mind, and promote good sleep. Combined with pigeon to nourish the blood and improve overall health. This is a suitable dish for many people, especially those who are often tired, often 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 dates, cook for another 15 minutes, when the soup is cooked, season, eat while hot.
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 promote sleep thanks to its nutrients that help relax the nerves and regulate sleep hormones. Oatmeal is sweet, neutral, and affects the spleen and stomach meridians, helping to strengthen the spleen, replenish blood, and support the body to relax. Chia seeds are sweet, cool, and affect the heart and kidney meridians, helping to nourish the heart, calm the mind, 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 tablespoon chia seeds, 250ml milk, honey.
- How to prepare: Boil oatmeal with water or milk until smooth, then add chia seeds, stir well, cook for 2 more 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 foods not only help you sleep well but also help improve your overall health. You can combine these foods 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
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