Traditional Chinese Medicine breaks down four body constitutions and how to recuperate after illness; Cordyceps chicken essence helps replenish qi, boost immunity.

During this extraordinary time, to maintain good health, in addition to strengthening hygiene awareness and reducing outings, the most important thing for citizens is to boost their own immunity. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, different dietary therapies can help enhance immunity, but everyone's constitution is different. So how should we choose our food, and what should we pay attention to?

Post-illness conditioning for 4 different body types

During these extraordinary times, people of all ages and genders are susceptible to illness, but their physical reactions differ. Registered Chinese Medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing explains that those with stronger constitutions recover faster and experience milder symptoms; conversely, those with weaker constitutions, such as the elderly, tend to experience more severe symptoms and may still experience coughing and fatigue even after recovery. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, individuals with Qi deficiency, Yang deficiency, phlegm-dampness, or damp-heat constitutions should pay particular attention to post-illness care to facilitate a faster recovery.

Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing.

For those with Qi deficiency or Yang deficiency, a porridge made with Codonopsis pilosula, lotus seeds, and chicken is recommended to invigorate the body's vital energy, strengthen the lungs, and nourish the spleen and kidneys.

Dr. Huang further explained that people with Qi deficiency are prone to fatigue, lethargy, and excessive sweating due to insufficient vital energy; while those with Yang deficiency experience cold intolerance, cold hands and feet due to insufficient Yang energy. Both constitutions require pre-treatment or post-illness conditioning. They can regularly consume foods such as rice porridge, chicken, codonopsis, astragalus, pseudostellaria, atractylodes, and Chinese yam, which can boost vital energy. She also suggested that these individuals eat codonopsis, Chinese yam, lotus seed, and chicken porridge two days a week to help strengthen their constitution; codonopsis strengthens lung Qi and boosts immunity, while lotus seeds nourish the spleen and kidneys and calm the mind. However, it is not advisable to consume this porridge if one has cold symptoms.

Dr. Huang said that chicken soup has the effect of boosting vital energy and is highly nutritious. When combined with ginseng, Chinese yam and lotus seeds, it can further enhance lung qi and improve immunity.

Those with phlegm and dampness should avoid increasing the burden on their stomach and intestines, and should refrain from consuming seafood, sugar, or tonics that are considered damp-heat.

People with phlegm-dampness constitution may experience excessive and sticky sweating, excessive facial oil secretion, chest tightness, and excessive phlegm. After illness, some may also experience abdominal discomfort and bitter taste in the mouth, indicating increased dampness. These individuals should avoid sugar, alcohol, and hard-to-digest foods such as seafood, fatty fried foods, etc., as these foods can exacerbate dampness in the body and increase the burden on the spleen and stomach. A helpful remedy is to add ingredients such as dried tangerine peel, barley, poria cocos, red beans, white lentils, and ginger to their daily soups and drinks, which have the effect of removing dampness and resolving phlegm.

People with a damp-heat constitution may experience oily skin, acne, sticky or constipated stools, and throat discomfort and excessive yellow phlegm after illness. To regulate their constitution, they can add mung beans, raw barley, winter melon, Smilax glabra, and bitter melon to their soups, which have the effect of clearing heat and removing dampness. Their daily diet should be light and bland, and they should not take tonics.

Dr. Huang said that people with phlegm-dampness constitution should add ingredients such as ginger, dried tangerine peel, barley, and poria to their soup, which can help remove dampness and resolve phlegm.

Cordyceps chicken soup nourishes the lungs and boosts immunity.

To boost immunity, in addition to more exercise, dietary therapy can also strengthen the body. Dr. Huang suggests drinking Cordyceps Chicken Soup, adding herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, and Dioscorea opposita, and simmering it in a double boiler for 2 hours. It has the effect of tonifying the lungs and replenishing vital energy, and is suitable for people with qi deficiency or yang deficiency. She continued that chicken is sweet and warm in nature, rich in nutrients, and easier to absorb than other meats. Cordyceps is sweet and neutral in nature, and enters the lung and kidney meridians. It can benefit the kidneys and strengthen yang, tonify the lungs and relieve asthma. It is one of the more precious herbs in Chinese medicine and is most commonly used for cough and asthma, upper respiratory tract discomfort, nasal allergy symptoms, and weak constitution. Regular consumption can improve a person's immunity.

Cordyceps is one of the more precious medicinal materials in traditional Chinese medicine. It is most commonly used for cough and asthma, upper respiratory tract discomfort, nasal allergy symptoms, and people with weak constitution.

One bottle of Cordyceps Chicken Essence contains the same amount of Cordyceps adenosine as 47 wild Cordyceps.

During these extraordinary times, it's important to reduce outings, and food supplies are tight. Buying all the ingredients to make nourishing soup is expensive and time-consuming. To save time and effort, you might consider Brand's Cordyceps Chicken Essence. It's made from a blend of traditional Chinese medicine herbs, including astragalus, rehmannia, polygonatum, and licorice, using a unique high-temperature, high-pressure simmering process. This method ensures strong absorption and benefits the lungs and kidneys. Each bottle of Cordyceps Chicken Essence contains the equivalent of 47 wild cordyceps* in cordyceps CS-4 and adenosine, helping to boost energy. Studies indicate it can also enhance immunity¹ and promote respiratory health². Chicken essence is the nutritional essence of chicken, which is more easily absorbed than chicken soup. It is fat-free and salt-free. Drink one bottle a day for 14 consecutive days to help regulate your body.

Each bottle of Brand's Cordyceps Chicken Essence contains the equivalent of CS-4 adenosine from 47 wild cordyceps*, which helps boost the body's vitality.

Reference: *Based on the minimum content of adenosine in wild Cordyceps sinensis in the 2005 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the content of adenosine, the active ingredient of Cs-4, in Brand's® Cs-4 Cordyceps Chicken Essence is equivalent to that of approximately 47 wild Cordyceps sinensis. ¹. Studies indicate that cordyceps can help boost immunity (Lin et al. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2011. Chapter 5.)². Studies indicate that cordyceps can promote respiratory health (Zhu JS, Halpern GM and Jones K. J Altern Complement Med. 1998; 4(3):289-303.)^. According to a survey of 102 users who participated in Brand's® Cs-4 Cordyceps Chicken Essence product in February 2022, 92% of users agreed that drinking Brand's® Cs-4 Cordyceps Chicken Essence for 14 days helped regulate their constitution.

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