Builds and nourishes blood and yin

High in antioxidants,

Great for building Liver blood (dry eyes, blurred vision, floaters etc.), hang nails, ridged or brittle nails, scanty blood flow headaches after your cycle)

Easily found in most health food stores, local china town or grocery stores.

Add to cooked oatmeal, make as tea or use in anything you might normally use raisins or cranberries.

Regulates and nourishes blood (good for Qi/stuck type and Blood or Yin deficient)

A phytoestrogen-rich root, used to build blood, regulate cycles and to help with hormonal balance and menopausal  type symptoms.

add to soups or stocks such as chicken soup along with red dates or boil it in a tea form and sip on in the day with other blood builders such as goji berries or some of your other favorite herbal teas

Great for Qi and blood deficiency and long term can help build the Yang energy.

boosts immune system and builds energy.

Buy this at a well-stocked heath food store or a Chinese Herbal store.

Add to soups/broths or make into a tea steeped daily. (note: It looks a lot like a tongue depressor and can be broken into pieces to make it easier to make a tea from it. You can also wrap the smaller pieces in cheese cloth when cooking with it so it’s easy to fish out when you’re done – you don’t want to eat it – it would be a bit like snacking on a piece of bark ☺)

Great to nourish the blood and to calm the mind.

Wonderful for anxiety, insomnia or palpitations from exhaustion or being overly depleted.

Found in Chinese Herbal store or source it online.

A delicious little fruit that comes from the lychee family and can be easily made into a tea, added to oatmeal or a desert/crisp or cookie that you would usually use cranberries or raisins. If you make a tea with it, you can eat the fruit after. Great mixed with goji berries and red dates.

Great for Qi or Yang deficiency.

Hormone balancer, strengthens the digestion system, and kidney system in Chinese Medicine.

Wonderful tasting, a fabulous addition into blended soups or a hearty chicken soup. You can also make it into a tea or add to stock.

Buy this in fresh form at your grocery store or buy a dried version to keep in your pantry for use any time.

A milder and more controlled action compared to the Chinese ginseng.

Nourishes both the yin and the yang energies in the body and helps to boost Qi and build the immune system.

Supports the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, helping to maintain hormonal balance without over-stimulating the endocrine system.

An adaptogen that helps the body handle stress and strengthens the digestive system, which aids in absorption and assimilation of nutrients from food.

Benefits male reproductive health – improves sexual drive and performance.

Have in tea form brewing a pot in the morning and sipping on throughout the day or by adding it to soups or stews.

Try taking mid-afternoon if you get a slump in energy but avoid taking it too late at night as it might affect your sleep!

Supplements the blood, regulates the menses, nourishes the Yin and calms the liver Yang.

Translation: it can  help with PMS, irritability, period cramps and headaches associated with your periods as well as dull complexion and brittle nails associated with blood deficiency.

Bought in a Chinese Herbal market

Make into a tea or added to broth and use in a base for soups

Strengthens the digestive system (which will help build your blood and regulate hormonal balance)

Strengthens the reproductive system in both men and women by treating premature ejaculation in men and regulating bleeding and discharge in women.

Helps calm the spirit curbing anxiety, irritability and insomnia.  

Classified as a food herb so can be mixed into rice or vegetable dishes easily, sprinkle on your rice or porridge in the morning, add it into your baking or snack on it during the day with other nuts or seeds and goji berries or other dried fruits.

This should not be used if you have dry stool or constipation or have abdominal bloating.

Builds the Qi and gently nourishes the blood

An incredibly nourishing food in Chinese Medicine and eating one or two daily can help nourish your blood and promote energy.

Make into a tea with goji berries, chrysanthemum, rose or other herbals.

Add to a smoothie, use in soups or broths or add a gentle sweetness into cooking.

Easily found in an Asian market or some health food stores.

Nourish they Yin of both the liver and the Kidney systems in TCM

Great for dryness in the body (hair, skin, eyes or bowels) and also known darken the hair (goodbye greys!),

Easily found in grocery stores and you can add them to cereals, sautéed vegetables, baking (I’ll add to banana breads or power cookies to boost up the nutrient content), or add into your smoothies or blended drinks.