Healing Porridge – Congee – Holistic Hernia Remediation
by The Hernia Coach on January 23, 2016 in Diet	
Congee is a grain based, medicinal porridge served for centuries in traditional East Indian and Chinese homes. It is as common in some homes as pizza & mac and cheese are here! This is an easy and affordable dish to incorporate into any diet. It is used preventatively to promote good health and strong digestion.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the stomach holds the food, while the spleen transports and transforms the food. Their ability to work properly is considered so important that the qi, or energy, of the human body rests on the proper function of the spleen and stomach.
Congee is simple and easy to make. A small amount of grain with 5-6 times more water and a pinch of sea salt. The dish can be made with a single grain, such as brown rice, or a combination of grains, beans, vegetables, or medicinal herbs. When you incorporate this as a regular dish, you’ll see improvement in digestive functions and the consistent level of energy throughout the morning. Congee is healing in the sense that those who need to lose weight will lose it and those who need to gain weight will gain it when congee becomes a regular part of the diet.
Other therapeutic properties may be added to the congee by cooking appropriate vegetables, grains, herbs, or meats in with the rice water. Since rice itself strengthens the spleen-pancreas digestive center, other foods added to a rice congee become more completely assimilated, and their properties are therefore enhanced. Listed below are some of the more common rice-based congees and their specific effects.*
THIRTY-THREE COMMON CONGEES:
Aduki Bean: Diuretic; curative for edema and gout
Apricot Kernel: Recommended for coughs and asthma, expels sputum and intestinal gas
Carrot: Digestive aid, eliminates flatulence
Celery: Cooling in summer; benefits large intestine
Fennel: Harmonizes stomach, expels gas; cures hernia
Ginger: Warming and antiseptic to viscera; used for deficient cold digestive weakness: diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting, and indigestion.
Kidney from Pig, Sheep, or Deer: Strengthens kidneys; benefits knees and lower back; treats impotence (use organic kidney)
Liver from Sheep or Chicken: Benefits diseases of the liver; very powerful (use organic organ meats)
Wheat: Cooling; used with fevers; clears digestive tract; also calming and sedating due to wheat; nourishing effect on the heart
*Adapted from Chinese Medicinal Herbs, translated and researched by F. Porter Smith and G. A. Stuart; San Francisco; Georgetown Press, 1973, p. 470.
**Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford
http://www.lotuscentergso.com/blog/healing-porridge-congee
← Simple Instructions For Full Yogic Breath
The Vital Importance Of Dietary Kidney Cleansing →