6 ways to use kudzu root to cool the body during the summer.

Kudzu root (also known as Pueraria lobata).

Pueraria thomsonii, scientifically known as Radix Pueraria thomsonii, belongs to the Fabaceae family. The roots are washed to remove dirt and sand, peeled, and cut into 10cm long pieces. They are then dried in the sun or in a drying machine.

If you want to make cassava starch, grind it into a fine powder, extract the starch, filter it repeatedly, and then dry it in the sun.

Store processed kudzu root in a sealed jar in a dry place to prevent mold growth and avoid moisture.

1. Health benefits of kudzu root

According to modern medicine, kudzu root contains 15% starch (fresh root), and is rich in flavonoids (daidzin, puerarin, formononetin...), triterpenoids, succinic acid, allantoin...

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pueraria root has a sweet and pungent taste, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic; it acts on the spleen, stomach, bladder, and lungs. Its effects include dispelling heat, relieving external symptoms, expelling toxins, generating body fluids, promoting eruption of rashes, relieving thirst, stopping diarrhea, relieving convulsions, relaxing muscles, and raising stomach qi.

It can be used in various ways, such as decoction, mixed with water for drinking, added to porridge or tea, or steeped in boiling water for consumption.

2. Ways to use kudzu root

2.1.In the form of sliced ​​kudzu root.

Use:After drying, store in an airtight jar for later use. Each day, take 20-30g and steep in boiling water in a sealed container. After about 20 minutes, it's ready to drink, replacing tea throughout the day. You can add a little rock sugar to enhance the flavor.

Effects:It generates fluids, quenches thirst, and relieves external symptoms.

Sliced ​​kudzu root can be steeped in boiling water and drunk throughout the day.

2.2.With tapioca starch

Use:Take 3 teaspoons of kudzu powder, add white sugar and mix with filtered water, stir well and drink. You can add a little lemon juice if you like.

Effects: Relieves external symptoms, eliminates toxins, generates fluids, and dissipates heat.

Cassava starch drink is refreshing and easy to make.

2.3.Cassava and rice porridge

Ingredient:30g of kudzu starch, 50g of white rice.

How to do it:Rice is soaked in water overnight, then cooked with tapioca starch and a little sugar.

Uses:Suitable for patients with fever, fatigue, dysentery, and poor appetite.

2.4.Centella asiatica and kudzu root juice

Ingredient:20-30g of fresh Centella asiatica leaves, 20g of tapioca starch.

Use:Wash the centella leaves thoroughly, crush them, add 100-200ml of boiling water, strain the liquid, mix it with tapioca starch, and drink. You can add sugar to make it easier to drink.

Effects:Use when the patient has a fever, boils, bloody dysentery, internal heat, or excessive thirst.

2.5.Making tapioca starch dessert

IngredientIngredients: 3 tablespoons tapioca starch, 200ml water, 2 tablespoons white sugar.

Use:Add water, tapioca starch, and sugar to a pot, stirring until the starch is smooth and lump-free. Place on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon or chopsticks, and cook until the starch thickens and turns translucent white, then turn off the heat.

Cassava starch dessert.

2.6.The herbal remedy "Pueraria root decoction"

Ingredient:160g Pueraria root, 120g Ephedra (without eyes), 80g Cinnamon twig, 80g Peony root, 120g Fresh ginger, 160g Licorice root, 12g Jujube.

Use:Boil 800ml of Pueraria lobata and Ephedra sinica in water until only 600ml remains. Skim off the foam, then add the other herbs and simmer until only 300ml remains. Filter out the residue and drink while still warm. After drinking, cover yourself with a blanket to induce sweating.

Effects:Relieves external symptoms, induces sweating, promotes the production of bodily fluids, and relaxes muscles.

Main indications:Common cold, flu, acute enteritis, early stage bacillary dysentery.

Pueraria root is the main ingredient in the "Pueraria Root Decoction" formula.

3. Notes on using kudzu root

Choose a reputable supplier of kudzu root to ensure quality and avoid counterfeit products. Kudzu root is incompatible with honey, pomelo flowers, lotus, and jasmine, so they should not be used together. This is because kudzu root has a sweet taste and a cooling nature; pomelo flowers, lotus, and jasmine have a bitter taste and a warming nature... using them together (such as in cooking or decoction) will reduce the cooling effect of kudzu root. Children, pregnant women, those with cold bodies, fatigue, threatened miscarriage, those with weak stomachs, diarrhea, or cold hands and feet should not use it. Only one glass of kudzu root drink per day, with a moderate amount of sugar.