tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203643942024-03-19T19:24:42.444+08:00The Soup QueenCantonese soup recipes, Chinese herbs, Asian soup tips and a bit of Traditional Chinese MedicineKrista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-81203762579749807662024-02-26T19:03:00.005+08:002024-02-26T19:03:41.156+08:00Dried Pear Herbal Dessert for Cooling The Body<p> This was a herbal dessert pack that I bought when I was back in Kuching visiting my in-laws. I love anything that is convenient and this herbal dessert pack was perfect. It turned out that it was a dried pear dessert that cools the body down which is quite needed for the humid weather in Penang most of the time. </p><p>Chinese New Year weather is always hot. Or is it the ozone layers disappearing? </p><p>Anyway, Chinese dessert packs like these are great. Just pour contents out, rinse them and put them in a pot with enough water and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes on low heat. Drink warm. </p><p>This dried pear dessert/ beverage tasted so pleasant and sweet (the natural sweet) that I felt immediately nourished. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZsdbvVVsmteqwNmvI93-BnBFFXIj-beBHYjF4rM7lh9tqX8C5P93o73CHYUDy0OJ48u_q1z4kfjSAJYp98bxb6sj347Mm42HxVkmqdrdRwr9pwMjPHqke_WfAdBGkSdDKXP1egtkU_-mxLpN1m3t2j_PNWYM6Wps86qoQSGJaZ1BVEoiNkM/s4032/91C81469-5D34-4ECF-81D0-93AB67D68C17.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZsdbvVVsmteqwNmvI93-BnBFFXIj-beBHYjF4rM7lh9tqX8C5P93o73CHYUDy0OJ48u_q1z4kfjSAJYp98bxb6sj347Mm42HxVkmqdrdRwr9pwMjPHqke_WfAdBGkSdDKXP1egtkU_-mxLpN1m3t2j_PNWYM6Wps86qoQSGJaZ1BVEoiNkM/w300-h400/91C81469-5D34-4ECF-81D0-93AB67D68C17.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wFdes0a_890q1dkmJdokI4KZsnMqe-rSLJbAv3sdVbS8svTOu87NYS5cniGaTWWwYcPd0aiRDYd6cyELn08Du1UAphJSXmq0YRn0CwXascnPtVwZGNBgJeY6fJ2zefTC1c2eC891xzJBHtRtyLzsfqGd1ZzhD1YGhF_s8rXkzUhGs0xkyEI/s4032/23E7FF60-FA0C-4D79-8508-5D252893EE52.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wFdes0a_890q1dkmJdokI4KZsnMqe-rSLJbAv3sdVbS8svTOu87NYS5cniGaTWWwYcPd0aiRDYd6cyELn08Du1UAphJSXmq0YRn0CwXascnPtVwZGNBgJeY6fJ2zefTC1c2eC891xzJBHtRtyLzsfqGd1ZzhD1YGhF_s8rXkzUhGs0xkyEI/w300-h400/23E7FF60-FA0C-4D79-8508-5D252893EE52.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-55400927089809423972023-09-11T16:56:00.002+08:002024-02-26T18:50:45.434+08:00Cough Relief: Have You Ever Had That Irritating Cough That Won't Stop? <p>You know how sometimes your body tells you you're working too hard? Mine does and when I do fall sick, it's always the same. It starts with fever/chills and then works its way to a runny nose and sore throat and cough. I can tolerate the fever/chills, running nose/stuffed nose and sore throat but it's the cough that agonizes me the most. </p><p>While I do use healing on myself, I sometimes crave for extra boost. I was having this annoying hacking cough that seemed to be worse at night when I lay down. There's a good reason for this. Our Lung Qi is not flowing smoothly hence the coughing gets worse at night. My husband says my coughing sounds like a scooter that cannot start! </p><p>I've always been afraid of coughs because coughs can linger for a week. Not good when I have to do stuff and I really find that post-covid, everyone is anxious about any flu not to mention coughs. I try to stay home for a good part of my flu but I am also impatient and start rummaging through my cabinet for something to help ease the awfulness of the coughing. </p><p>I found this Eu Yan Sang Cough Relief in my cabinet and thought, why not? It is a box of 10 sachets of 3g worth of powdered herbs with the instruction to take 3 times a day. Each sachet is to be mixed with some warm water and taken in between meals or before meals. It tastes mildly sweet. I did find that it did relieve some of my cough symptoms. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahGiS036cGlBVodyzwR5dq9ebBcwZY2YazUiXkNRLxbqpPxMvzXYM2f4EnhBSQCxamt1n_vC-5vGtJOV5t9yx52tCZYY-ybhEqm9YHpwmed8AkkTxZPer3N8zTfio4U7j7hBOeW0xu4MsnSE6wt83wOxDdwHgO3Vu9FePJ3qDxEkwvkLHss9B3w/s1280/euyansang-cough-powder.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="eu yang sang herbal remedy for cough" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahGiS036cGlBVodyzwR5dq9ebBcwZY2YazUiXkNRLxbqpPxMvzXYM2f4EnhBSQCxamt1n_vC-5vGtJOV5t9yx52tCZYY-ybhEqm9YHpwmed8AkkTxZPer3N8zTfio4U7j7hBOeW0xu4MsnSE6wt83wOxDdwHgO3Vu9FePJ3qDxEkwvkLHss9B3w/w480-h640/euyansang-cough-powder.jpeg" title="Testing out this powdered herbal remedy for my cough" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Another remedy is Tiger Milk Mushroom capsules that you can get from any pharmacy. My friend swore that it cured her teenage son of his persistent coughing. She bought a brand named PureMed from her neighbourhood pharmacy. </p><p>I have heard of Tiger Milk Mushroom prior to this as my aunt made a herbal tea with the actual mushroom slices. (By the way, Tanjung Sepat' Ganoderma Mushroom Farm does sell all kinds of mushrooms and also of late, the Tiger Milk Mushroom.) Tiger Milk Mushroom got its claim to fame during covid when it was touted as THE herb to restore respiratory health post-covid. This mushroom is grown in Malaysia so it's a Malaysian product. </p><p>Anyway, I'm also healing myself every 2 hours (healing my Solar Plexus, Lungs and Throat Chakra and Throat) while taking this cough relief powder. </p><p>I also swirl a tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth for 5 minutes in the morning - <a href="Scientific evidence suggests that oil pulling therapy may reduce the total oral bacterial count and reduce plaque and gingival scores">it helps remove bacteria that cause dental caries </a>and there are quite a lot of people who believe in oil pulling (I don't only do this when I have a cough but it helps especially when I have a cough). It's an Ayurvedic practice of Hindu origins and while many Western folks scoff at the idea of swishing oil to improve one's health (besides teeth and gums), I actually feel the soreness in my throat disappearing when I did oil pulling. </p><p>I did make some astralagus tea for myself one day and I felt it did help but it is also true that one shouldn't imbibe anything nourishing while recuperating. Wait until one is fully recovered before making nourishing broths or soups. </p><p>Unfortunately, I haven't been to the market in a while so I didn't manage to get fresh watercress. Watercress is still one of the best ways to heal a cough. </p><p>What have you tried for your own coughing? </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-23805756340915659322023-04-14T14:56:00.005+08:002023-04-14T15:11:59.828+08:00Astralagus Tea (Huang Qi) For Liver, Kidneys and Immunity <p><span style="font-size: medium;">I recently bought a small container of wild astralagus slices when I was back home in Banting to visit my dad. There's really nothing much to do in Banting except spend time with my dad or take him out for breakfast of bak kut teh or nasi lemak. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The nearest and most interesting place is Tanjung Sepat which is a seaside village that has become rather prosperous due to the influx of local tourists from other parts of Selangor or even other states. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Many come to Tanjung Sepat for its fresh seafood and fish and the seafood restaurants are a big attraction. There's also a scenic spot called the Lovers' Bridge which in the 1990s was a rickety, almost falling down wooden bridge jutting out to sea. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is where the fishing sampan or fishing boats would moor and have their catch hauled up to the shore. I am not sure if this bridge was demolished but the bridge is no longer there. A little further down is now a man-made cement bridge that juts out to sea. Tourists can walk out to the sea and take their snapshots. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I am back to Banting, my younger sis and I will drive to Tanjung Sepat. It's about 30 minutes from Banting and while we sometimes head there for a seafood lunch or have some of the local pau from Mr Black (honestly, it's just OK not something you want to drive 30 minutes for), I often go to Tanjung Sepat to buy the local produce in the local shop before the man-made bridge. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This shop caters to tourists but they have some affordable dried seafood such as ikan bilis, dried prawns, fish crackers, even locally produced coffee (made with locally grown coffee beans). I find the prices generally all right so I will stock up on sunflower seeds, ikan bilis powder, etc. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next thing I like to do is walk over to the chatty lady opposite the shop. She comes with her push cart and sells freshly squeezed dragon fruit juice, passion fruit juice and kedondong juice. They're chilled and such thirst-quenchers for hot days (and it seems every time I am back, it is blazing hot). I remark to my sis that I bring the sun with me! <br /><br />The same lady also sells freshly made fish balls which you can eat as a snack, right then and there! They're bouncy and soft and full of fish flavour. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My sis also buys kuih ros, kuih bahalu and vegan-friendly pumpkin crackers from the same lady. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After this shopping spree, we would head to the Gano Farm just down the road. Everything in Tanjung Sepat is just around this village area since it's just a small place with a lot of agriculture and fishing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gano Farm is a mushroom farm that sells all kinds of mushrooms, some fresh, others dried such as fresh oyster mushrooms, fresh lions' mane mushroom and fresh wood ear fungus (grown in-house). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was there last month, they were selling the highly sought after Tiger Milk mushroom in capsule form. Tiger Milk mushroom became highly popular during the pandemic as it is touted to help you regain your energy post-covid and improve your lungs. By the way, this mushroom is a Malaysian agricultural product. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I discovered this mushroom thanks to my cousin and my aunt. My cousin was feeling out of sorts and out of breath after contracting covid and her mum (my aunt) brewed this as a tea to boost her lung power. Perhaps I should introduce Huang Qi instead to her! Tiger Milk mushroom slices or powder isn't cheap. Driven by claims and popularity during covid, it is now similar to that other popular mushroom - Ling zhi! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, one of the products I bought at the Gano Farm is the wild astralagus slices or Huang Qi. I love browsing in herbal shops and discovering herbs I don't know about. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Huang Qi is one of those herbs that I have heard about as part of a herb concoction. I never really paid attention to it as a single, stand-alone herb. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As it turns out, Huang Qi or Astralagus or Milk Vetch is a herb that is known in the East and West. Milk Vetch capsules are sold everywhere. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But I'd rather make my own herbal tea from the sliced Astralagus. I'm a little skeptical about the claims about it being "wild" though. I suspect it could be just harvested from someone's backyard and not grown in a structured row in some green house or demarcated land. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Astralagus is quite a powerhouse with a plethora of goodness! <br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />As a root used in TCM for more than 2000 years, it is used for upper respiratory infections, hay fever, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic kidney disease. It boosts the immune system. It can also be used on the skin to heal wounds. <br /><br />The National Health Centre for Complementary and Integrative Medicine says that: "Patients with nephrotic syndrome (health problems related to kidney damage) are susceptible to infections. A 2013 research review found that taking astragalus may be associated with a lower risk of upper respiratory tract infections in children with nephrotic syndrome than prednisone treatment alone. However, the review concluded the studies were of low quality."<br /><br />The root is a tonic herb for Qi deficiency where it helps to nourish Qi and blood. It is warm in nature and thus helpful for people with Yin Excess or Yang Deficiency. It detoxifies while tonifies and is particularly useful to the Lung, Liver and Speen. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.allthingshealth.com/en-my/glossary/astragalus-root/">According to this website</a>, Astragalus Root can be used for Blood Deficiency as it can supplement blood by tonifying qi and nourishing blood. It can be used to treat iron deficiency, low blood pressure and low blood sugar. It is also used for difficult urination. It also tackles sores and ulcers and dispels toxins. Huang Qi also widens blood vessels and increases the amount of blood pumped from your heart.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Taking Huang Qi or Astralagus helps boost the immunity because it increases the white blood cells or leukocytes. White blood cells which account for just 1% of your blood help to protect against bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Think of leukocytes as your personal army - soldiers that help you defend you against all the bad stuff like bacteria, viruses and parasites.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""Neue Helvetica eText W01", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">US researchers have looked at <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/astragalus">astragalus</a> as a possible treatment for people whose immune systems have been weakened by chemotherapy or radiation. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />To prepare this as a tea, just put a tablespoon of the Astralagus slices into a pot with 500ml of water. Bring it to boil on the stove and then turn the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the fire, put the lid on the pot and let it sit and brew in its own heat for 30 minutes. Drink warm. <br /><br />It has a mild woody taste without much flavour. I have experienced a lot more urination when I drink this which I guess is the detoxification happening which is good. I have been imbibing this once a week and I feel generally better the next day (maybe all that detoxification is happening). <br /><br />I bought Huang Qi from Tanjung Sepat at RM16 (US$ 3.60) for a small jar of sliced and dried roots. Ask your herbalist for this herb.<br /><br />I like herbs that are tonifying and easy to brew as a tea. Try this herb and let me know what you like about it. It's pleasant enough to drink twice weekly (as with everything and every herb, don't overdo it just because it is good for you). <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><p><span face=""Neue Helvetica W01", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4f4b4b; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p></div></div>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-68001862850643056322022-07-21T22:47:00.004+08:002022-07-21T22:47:47.548+08:00Wind Heat Woes & Ear Ache! <p>Two days ago, I started having this annoying pain in my right ear. It was a sharp pain that didn't seem to get any better with massaging around the area. It was inside my ear and behind my ear. And I didn't know what it was. Did I have an ear infection? I haven't been going to the public swimming pool since the pandemic some 2.5 years ago. </p><p>Then the right side of my body, right behind my armpit, had this weird sensation. It was not painful but it felt like I pulled a nerve. This morning, I woke up with my tongue in pain. The right side of my tongue! </p><p>In short, I felt really uncomfortable. I wasn't ill but it's this pain here and there that got me irritated.</p><p>Since I do know a bit of TCM, I wanted to find out if I was heaty again. I am more prone to heat issues than cold. I get "hot" if I sleep too late (past one a.m), eat too much spicy food or fried foods, work too much or think too much. </p><p>It wasn't heat but Wind-Heat. Wind Heat affects two major meridians - Gallbladder and Liver - as they both are related. The sides of your tongue from the TCM view represents your Liver and Gallbladder. No wonder I felt this dull pain in my tongue. </p><p>The Gallbladder meridian runs along the side of the body, behind the armpit. This explained why I had this weird sensation behind my armpit. </p><p>It also runs up the neck, behind the ears and ends at the crown of the head. </p><p>Wind Heat if I recall correctly often makes itself felt around this time - July. Many years ago, I suffered Wind Heat - the works, cough, headache, and sore throat - while taking my parents on a trip to Hong Kong. I suffered like crazy because it was summer in Hong Kong and we were walking all over the city. </p><p>I don't know how I managed to play tour guide and didn't collapse. I had coughing fits that weren't the phlegm sort - this was a dry hacking cough that made my eyes water! Since I was in Hong Kong, I bought herbal tea to soothe my throat and cough but what finally healed me was this one single capsule of cough medicine that I had brought along from Malaysia. The Hurix brand of cough capsule did heal me when all the chrysanthemum teas of Hong Kong couldn't! I was pleasantly surprised but thankful that it did the trick. I am not endorsing Hurix but it did work on me. </p><p>But this round, I have even better healing methodology. I used my PVH healing wand to heal my Crown chakra, Throat chakra, Liver chakra and Gallbladder chakra. I even healed my Tongue chakra. For serious pain like this, healing is done every 2 hours until the pain subsides. </p><p>I also added slices of dried Licorice (Gan Cao) into my Chinese tea as Gan Cao is helpful for the Liver and Kidney though beware, Gan Cao can speed your digestion and make you hungry after a while! </p><p>Another thing I did was to massage the acupressure point Gallbladder 43 which is between the fourth and fifth toes on both feet. If you press a point and feel pain, keep massaging the point. I found it helpful as an additional way to speed up the elimination of Wind Heat.</p><p>I also decided to sweat it out by walking in the park for 30 minutes this evening. Sweating amidst the greenery made me feel better. </p><p>I was wondering how the Wind-Heat invaded my body. I suspect it is all the work that I've been doing and not giving my body the rest it needs. Sometimes I need this kind of wake-up call to realize I need to take better care of myself. </p><p>Have you encountered Wind Heat before? </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-12487410054376275422022-05-10T17:24:00.005+08:002022-05-10T17:37:22.356+08:00The Life of A Spiritual Healer...<p>Before your eyes grow wide with surprise, no it's not me. I'm far from it. I couldn't be one because I may not have the patience to deal with people's problems.</p><p>It's my husband, Nic. </p><p>In the past 3 years, his ability to help people spiritually has improved so much from the time he learnt PVH in 2016. In fact, he has learnt much on his own with his own research and reflection and solving health and metaphysical problems. This has brought me to believe that in his past life, he was a healer or herbalist or doctor. This is just a continuation of his past self. </p><p>When I say spiritual healer, what comes to your mind? </p><p>I've tested this question with many people; some are strangers, others are friends and some are family members. </p><p>Once I brought it up to a friend and she looked at me incredulously and said, "But I thought you were logical!" </p><p>How does being logical be at odds with being spiritual? I was telling her that she could help her son who was asthmatic with PVH if she believed in spiritual healing. Her answer put me off. </p><p>Do you see wifi? Then why do you believe in it? Must you see something with your eyes before you believe it works? </p><p>Tell someone from 300 years ago that we can use a small palm-shaped device to send images to one another. That person may run screaming into the village and say you're a witch. And have you burnt at the stake. Because there is no such thing. It is not possible. </p><p>But today you and I use Bluetooth and wifi not only to transmit images from phone to phone but have conversations with people in different time zones! When I call friends overseas, I tell them that we are all time-travelling. </p><p>Who could have imagined that I could talk to someone in Hawaii easily and for free too? She's also someone "in the past" - 14 hours behind Malaysia so my Friday is her Thursday. She hasn't experienced Friday yet but I have. And so this is what today's world is like for many of us who don't even blink an eye when we use wifi. </p><p>So why the raised eyebrows when conversations about the metaphysical arise? When I say metaphysical, what does it conjure up for you? Spirits, ghosts, beings, souls? </p><p>Because that's exactly what Nic helps with. </p><p>He didn't start off having this ability to help souls - let's just call them souls. I define a soul as an entity without a physical body. You and I can be souls when we don't have our physical bodies. To me, it's just how it is. Regardless of whether you believe in souls, they exist. Just like wifi. You don't have to believe in wifi for it to work. Souls exist so let's stop kidding ourselves. (Otherwise, why do people read ghost stories, watch movies about the supernatural, and scare themselves with tales from the beyond?) </p><p>And if you think your intellectual mind is as intellectual as it is and you reject it because it cannot be seen nor measured, well, that's entirely up to you. It's not superstition and it's not old wives' tales. (And if you know me, my 4th grand-uncle was a spirit or a soul when he married his wife, a soul he had met in the afterworld. How do I know? My dad was their "adopted" son, as promised by my grandmother to her spirit brother-in-law. Anyway, that's the short version of the story.) </p><p>However, people started to come to him asking for help with medical conditions that often seemed unsolvable. They had sought help from every imaginable doctor - TCM, Western, reiki, etc. And because Nic asks the right questions (he's a spiritual Sherlock Holmes) and deduces and confirms with the PVH healing wand. So here's the thing: everyone thinks it is relatively easy to use the wand for sensing. IT IS NOT. </p><p>Using the PVH wand for sensing is the most difficult thing to do because unless you have adequate knowledge and experience, you will be limited in deducing the person's problem. </p><p>I know so many people who think they know how to sense when they know nothing. Even I don't claim nor say that I can sense using the wand. I cannot. Sensing comes with great responsibility. </p><p>The wand is not Siri and cannot "talk" to you and whisper in your ear what the issue is. It is a series of deductions and elimination to finally land on the "answer". So most people who only know very little (and these are the ones who think they know a lot) will give inaccurate readings! If the inaccurate reading doesn't affect the person negatively, it is still fine. But what if someone said to you, "I think you have black magic done on you". What will that do to YOU? Will you stay awake all night pondering who might hate you so much that he or she will want to ruin you? Will you go back to the office and give every colleague the once over and start reading more into their actions? </p><p>Of course not every health problem is caused by black magic but some are. But some health issues are caused by souls. Some souls are your family members who have passed away and still hang around the family house due to love, worry or just don't know where to go; some are strangers you don't know. Others are friends who have passed on. But the presence of souls isn't good for humans - the yin energy is strong and can cause a lot of problems for humans even if they're your loved ones and you know wouldn't harm you at all. It's not their intention; it's just their energy. </p><p>And this is where Nic often detects issues like this. </p><p>And because of his digital tech background, he explains all this scientifically. He can't "see" the souls and yet he knows how to ask the right questions that uncover why they are still around. But is this PVH? He utilizes PVH teachings and healing wand and combines it with his own understanding of how the body works from a TCM perspective while staying true to the core belief that the body can heal itself, if all blockages are removed. </p><p>Some blockages maybe just a simple lifestyle problem. Most Malaysian Chinese have problems because they sleep in airconditioned rooms all night, drink too much coffee or eat too many supplements. Once you eliminate the lifestyle problem (which can be extremely difficult for most people), you can start healing the problem area e.g. painful knees. Giving prana or chi to the area using the healing wand is what you need to fully eradicate the pain. Of course diet is another major issues - coffee is a big culprit for most. </p><p>But what if it is not a lifestyle problem? This is where the metaphysical comes into play. Is it karmic? Whether you believe it or not, karma does play a role. </p><p>If it is not karmic, is it caused by emotions, cords, souls or black magic? </p><p>Some of the stories I've heard are stranger than fiction! Metaphysical problems mean you can't solve your health issues no matter how many surgeries you've had. </p><p>If it is emotional (and many women manifest emotions into their bodies), it appears as cysts and tumours on the lower bodies like the womb and uterus and etc. So you may think that having surgery to remove the cyst solves your issue but until you address the emotional root cause, something else may manifest in some other part of the body. This is why women, especially women, need to keep themselves emotionally secure and stable. We embrace emotions deeper than men. We keep a lot inside of us. </p><p>If it is a soul issue, it is imperative to find out why the soul is there. It can be caused by so many issues - someone's grandmother used to be a fishmonger and the fish souls now are on the grandson. Someone in their past life hurt a village of people who eventually died and now the souls are back to drive him crazy by speaking in his ears day and night. Someone who did a hit-and-run and the person's soul is back for retribution and causing sleeplessness. Someone said the wrong thing in the jungle and brought back souls. </p><p>So it is true that we need to live good lives as in never hurting or harming others even animals. Many people don't believe in karmic retribution but if it's not manifested in this life, there are many other lives where it can manifest. Yes, karma doesn't forget. </p><p>Nic calls this karmic credit. How many good karmic credits can you accumulate in this life so that your future lives will be amazing and filled with benefactors and good Samaritans? As we create good in our lives, we attain higher levels of wisdom and knowledge and use our good to help people (and souls). </p><p>I wanted to write about this because the metaphysical exists but it doesn't have to be all doom. Keeping ourselves spiritually clean and adding on a daily aspiration to think good thoughts and do good deeds (it goes back to a Buddhist nature) is important. When you vibrate at a higher level, you meet better people, learn higher knowledge, and have better opportunities to grow physically, mentally and emotionally. It is when you vibrate at the lower level you end up with a host of problems and not just health-related ones. </p><p>So this is what Nic is teaching - how do you always keep your vibrations high and your health optimum so that you never need to be in a state where you are looking to be healed? It is a combination of PVH plus his own insights into how the mind and body works. </p><p>When a person falls into the "shit hole" as he calls impending doom and disaster it takes a lot of effort to crawl back out again. Why not make it easier - can he teach people and prevent people from falling into their own shit holes, pardon the French. </p><p>For while it is exciting to be the hero/saviour jumping into the sea to rescue a drowning man, it is far better to teach you how to swim so that you never need to drown! </p><p>That's my rant today as the wife of the healer. I even have issues with the word "healer". Does it mean someone who heals? Or someone who teaches you how to heal yourself? And no, there is no meditation involved. Mindfulness in daily life, yes. If we are mindful in our daily lives, we are in essence "meditating". You really don't need to sit somewhere in the mountains to notice yourself. </p><p>For more information, visit <a href="http://muditacircle.com" target="_blank">muditacircle.com </a></p><p>Nic is contemplating a different model for how he teaches his perspective about healing. He is now in a dilemma as he doesn't want the focus to be on sensing. Focus on keeping spiritually clean and problems will avoid you. Focus on doing good and the good will find you. Focus on appreciating Nature and you will be taken care of (so stop throwing rubbish into the rivers for a start). Focus on understanding that each of us is part of the Divine and be grateful and the Divine will help you. </p><p>One thing about my husband, he never ceases to surprise me with his thoughts. Thinking is his forte. He will not blindly follow rituals and what-not and for that, I am appreciative and glad. And the fact that we're together is also pretty karmic but that is another story for another blog post. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-66014071209658555422021-11-26T14:53:00.004+08:002021-11-26T14:53:38.042+08:00American Ginseng Root Tea (Cantonese: Yeong Sum Sou)<p>When I've been working too hard and sitting through too many Zoom meetings and having too many online webinars, my brain gets tired and my body feels heated up! <br /><br />I find that screen radiation affects me a lot so I try to limit my screen time and most times, to no avail! (It doesn't help that I am in the digital space and that I need to work on stuff on my Mac all the time - from <a href="http://womenpreneurasia.com">my podcast</a> to my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mXyKUBiv-yD5aEJ57gngQ">live streams</a> and to <a href="http://redboxstudio.com/">my main business</a>). </p><p>I felt really exhausted this week as I was also rushing to complete some important content for a client. She was in the running for a major award and needed help to brush up on her submission profile. <br /><br />The thing with submission profiles is that there's always a pressing deadline! And limited words is another. Most people think it's easy to write 250 words than 1000 words but trust me, it is much harder to be concise than to be long-winded. </p><p>So work being work, and life being life, a lot of things can stress up the body. </p><p>When I sit too long at the Mac, my shoulders start to stiffen up. My temples start to throb. This is when I know I have to find some remedy.</p><p>When I was younger (much younger!) my late mum used to remind me to drink American ginseng root tea. In Cantonese we call this yeong sum sou or young sam sou - however you spell it, it is truly the fine, little roots of the American ginseng root. We Chinese don't waste anything. Even the roots can be sold, if cheaply!(The sheer frugality and business-mindedness of the Chinese. No wonder we have been around for 5000 years!)</p><p>Scientifically it is known as Radix Panacis Quinquefolii. </p><p>It can cooked in savoury soups or made into tea. It is tonifying to the Qi so as a student (studying hard for my exams) my late mum would make this for me and my sisters. This herb is great for people who work too hard and stress out too much so it helps to make this as a tea and drink it regularly.</p><p>It's easy to make this as a tea - put 2 spoonfuls of the dried roots into a pot, add 4 mugs of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Turn off fire and close the pot and let the tea steep for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm. </p><p>A variation of this tea is to add some dried chrysanthemum flowers to the above brew. I also learnt that you should only steep dried chrysanthemum flowers in boiling water but never boil them vigorously. <br /><br />If you are washing this herb or rinsing it, know that it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043615/">contains saponins</a> so there will be "soapy bubbles" or foaminess appearing. These saponins or ginsenosides are what makes ginseng powerful in boosting the immunity and keeping the body strong. American ginseng has positive effects on the <a href="http://koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO201028552429902.page">"cardiovascular system, immune system, and central nervous system as well as the anti-diabetes and anti-cancer effects."</a></p><p>Yeong sam sou is relatively inexpensive - I bought a packet for RM10 and you don't have to use all of the herbs at one go. My one packet can last me quite a few times. </p><p>How often should you consume this tea? 2-3 times a week is fine especially if you work a lot or feel tired. </p><p>Other than that, I would say take herbs in moderation. I prefer to take this tea once a week. As with everything in life, moderation is key! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-71864449558767808522021-10-11T21:47:00.001+08:002021-10-11T21:47:00.191+08:00Wood Ear Fungus & Cucumber Salad Benefits Your Lungs <p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSqxh9VMSRWNS8-M6ldtGU3Ff88AiX2rcmKM2dTgek8h-ACidZ9MfFKK35Vl_AK-xfnq-HF2OWaLMELiZA6pXHKmhlvVHBMV1PppHDBrG5B7qC60xX9lnXw7jYpJUbKpY62p_OA/s2048/IMG_9049.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSqxh9VMSRWNS8-M6ldtGU3Ff88AiX2rcmKM2dTgek8h-ACidZ9MfFKK35Vl_AK-xfnq-HF2OWaLMELiZA6pXHKmhlvVHBMV1PppHDBrG5B7qC60xX9lnXw7jYpJUbKpY62p_OA/w480-h640/IMG_9049.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood ear fungus and cucumber salad<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes I have cravings and of late I have craved mushrooms of all types! Hence my post on making snow fungus dessert and now this wood ear fungus salad. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a super easy salad that can be made in 5 minutes and goes well with rice or even as an appetiser. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Wood Ear Fungus Salad </span></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A handful of dried wood ear fungus, soaked until soft - drain well </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Half a cucumber washed and roughly chopped into chunks</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A tablespoon of sesame seeds, toasted </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 tablespoon of rice vinegar </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 tablespoon of soya sauce</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon of sugar </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 pinch of salt </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 bird's eye chili, chopped </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In a bowl, combine all the above. Mix well and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes. Serve chilled. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Benefits of Wood Ear Fungus</b></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Auricularia polytricha - that's their scientific name - is usually sold dried and you must reconstitute them by soaking in water before you use them. It has a crunchy texture and helps people with high blood pressure or cancer while preventing coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis. It's a good source of copper, important for heart health and lung function. <br /><br />It can be used in stir-fries and usually I would use this in cooking my "loh hon chye" which is a vegetarian dish of dried beancurd sticks, Napa cabbage, wood ear fungus, button mushrooms and mung bean vermicelli with fermented red bean curd. I would also use this when I make my braised chicken with fermented red bean curd which is such a tasty dish!<br /><br />Wood ear fungus is also popularly used to make "kerabu" which is a similar spicy salad that is much loved by Malaysians. It is also used to make Chinese hot and sour soup. Because it is so bland-tasting, it can be used in most dishes. <br /><br /><b>Fresh Wood Ear Fungus<br /></b><br />Yes you can get fresh ones too if buying dried ones are too difficult. You'd find them in the chilled section where vegetables and mushrooms are sold. Use them within the week. </span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /> <p></p></div></div>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-81158922841119856762021-10-05T22:07:00.005+08:002021-10-05T22:14:35.626+08:00Snow Fungus, Longan, Goji Berry & Red Date Dessert For Lungs & Liver <span style="font-size: medium;">Just last week I made this dessert because I was rummaging in my kitchen and found some snow fungus. This is a classic dessert that any Cantonese would know. I was just surprised at myself that I haven't made this dessert in a long time. Maybe because I didn't have the key ingredient - snow fungus - at hand!</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What is Snow Fungus? </b><br /><br />It is technically a fungus that grows on dead bark or tree stumps just like wood ear fungus. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Snow fungus or silver ear, snow ear or white wood ear is known as Tremella fuciformis and yes, it is an edible fungus. The pleasanter term is mushroom if that makes you feel better. As most mushrooms go, they contain vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and folate. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZJJ7PBXgoIShvjlVCfA9cPH6mynjXrTGoVCuEik28qE2lJaX-PMazd7QA9RtijWG0Ci8JvBmMNNd270OVSLBhcNHmnwjNvxFz1QClYibSk7uzbIKczVe1Z6nKgC5g_bmIfQ7Bw/s2048/IMG_9338.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="snow fungus" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZJJ7PBXgoIShvjlVCfA9cPH6mynjXrTGoVCuEik28qE2lJaX-PMazd7QA9RtijWG0Ci8JvBmMNNd270OVSLBhcNHmnwjNvxFz1QClYibSk7uzbIKczVe1Z6nKgC5g_bmIfQ7Bw/w480-h640/IMG_9338.JPG" title="snow fungus" width="480" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Benefits of Snow Fungus</b><br /><br />Snow fungus is said to have anti-ageing effects due to the presence of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superoxide_dismutase">superoxide dismutase</a>, an enzyme that acts as a potent antioxidant throughout the body, particularly in the skin. It is best known in TCM for nourishing the lungs and we know how important this fact is right now when we are all in the midst of a pandemic. And snow fungus is suitable for older people too. <br /><br />According to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/#">Ping Ming Health</a>, <br /><br />"Snow fungus has traditionally been used in Chinese medicine as a potent Jing and Qi tonic for thousands of years. It is believed to tonify the lungs, kidneys, heart, brain, stomach, and acts as a powerful tonic for the immune system. Snow fungus has been clinically used to help clear heat and dryness, replenish fluids in the body (Yin deficiency), treat chest congestion, asthma, constipation, balance blood sugar levels and cholesterol (reduces LDL), and lower inflammation." It goes on to say that for these reasons, snow fungus is suitable for people who have a chronic cough, dry cough without phlegm, dry skin, constipation and smokers too. <br /><br />Generally, eating snow fungus helps the kidneys, lungs, stomach and heart and treats high blood pressure. If you're a woman, eating snow fungus is a beauty regime must-have and rightly so because anything that helps your lungs definitely will give you a clear and lustrous complexion! </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0DVA4RDRAYmlQVyJp1zs2I4MbBiYl_H_aJVClQG_MlOtFzDAeIZSgzXIs3eXwOJ-JpRDl6c5G7k9m6teOViqWVvBn4YSsBRCuRjTE54cIKmp1QLiVrpQsJpcwhVa7jkrSTmd3Q/s2048/IMG_9349.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="snow fungus dessert recipe" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0DVA4RDRAYmlQVyJp1zs2I4MbBiYl_H_aJVClQG_MlOtFzDAeIZSgzXIs3eXwOJ-JpRDl6c5G7k9m6teOViqWVvBn4YSsBRCuRjTE54cIKmp1QLiVrpQsJpcwhVa7jkrSTmd3Q/w640-h480/IMG_9349.JPG" title="snow fungus dessert recipe" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow fungus dessert for lung health </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Snow Fungus Dessert Recipe (serves 4 people easily) </b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">1 piece or 30gm dried snow fungus</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">6-8 dried red dates, remove stones</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">2 tablespoons goji berries</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">2 tablespoons dried longans</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Rock sugar (to taste)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Water </span></li></ul></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">You can make this dessert easily in 30 minutes. First, you need to soak the snow fungus until it expands. Next, snip off the tough "stem" at the bottom of the fungus and cut the fungus or tear it into smaller pieces. Put these into a pot - I used my favourite black clay pot with water and turn on the heat. Let it come to a boil. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd_NZIJqV2o9BrY8ZfYVL2n2-HU7PXoirBo-_7MHFZrU0LaK8vlyusDAvY9lqlnTxg7sFAt5Pqal-FRmHIEh3KcTl_zPfefwHC8ByugVooQeXyM4C1izsR_N09k0NMHLXmEGmnw/s2048/IMG_9339.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="snow fungus dessert" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd_NZIJqV2o9BrY8ZfYVL2n2-HU7PXoirBo-_7MHFZrU0LaK8vlyusDAvY9lqlnTxg7sFAt5Pqal-FRmHIEh3KcTl_zPfefwHC8ByugVooQeXyM4C1izsR_N09k0NMHLXmEGmnw/w480-h640/IMG_9339.JPG" title="snow fungus dessert" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2E5dO1M-36cWDXSgOoZ3uytV9FkZgvaS3zSLneJS6n-GqcpLAeSx0s1boupryuKNhZ1gn0iaLufDUpm4XbUrGAgebpK4P4I6RPQBTAs16Jym5nxWs0U_g6gG45oFI6CdGYpixeg/s2048/IMG_9341.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2E5dO1M-36cWDXSgOoZ3uytV9FkZgvaS3zSLneJS6n-GqcpLAeSx0s1boupryuKNhZ1gn0iaLufDUpm4XbUrGAgebpK4P4I6RPQBTAs16Jym5nxWs0U_g6gG45oFI6CdGYpixeg/w480-h640/IMG_9341.JPG" width="480" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">Once it has come to a boil, add some rock sugar and sugarcane sugar. After that add in dried longans (that you have soaked for a while to rehydrate) and dried red dates. Simmer this on low fire for 15 minutes. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, add in the goji berries and let them simmer for another 2-3 minutes. (If you put in your goji berries too early, they'd soften and break.) Turn off fire and your dessert is ready. Serve warm. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Another variation of this dessert is to cook it with pear that you have cubed. You can also add peach gum too as another variation. <br /><br />Keep the leftover in the fridge and drink chilled the next day. Or if you're like me, just warm up the leftover on the stove before consuming. I prefer my dessert warm and taken at tea time or after dinner. <br /><br />Apparently, some blogs recommend cooking snow fungus until it becomes gelatinous. And others have said that there are generally 2 types of snow fungus - the crunchy type and the gelatinous type. I have yet to confirm this with the Chinese medical hall so I am not sure of this fact. Anyway, the one that I bought was from the supermarket so there's simply no telling what type it is until I cooked it. It turned out to be crunchy but it was OK for me as I like my snow fungus crunchy. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>How do you like yours? Crunchy or soft and mushy? Let me know in the comments. </i><br /><br /><b>Savoury Snow Fungus Soup<br /></b><br />When I was growing up, my dad used to boil snow fungus soup with pork or chicken and dried red dates and goji berries. This made for a savoury soup but I wasn't a big fan of gelatinous chicken soup! I also recall that my dad would use the slow cooker and boil the snow fungus for at least 6 hours so maybe that turned the snow fungus into mush! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Here's A Tip </b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's a tip I recently learnt from watching Youtube - sprinkle some flour over your red dates and goji berries when you wash them. The flour helps clean your herbs more thoroughly. Remember to rinse them well after! This helps me use up flour that's expired! (I have grand dreams of baking but forget half the time and my flour sits around, expired. Now I have some use for the expired flour.)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoiRIlZ9zxDsY_kobSkD6cM1XTs0jCNmjZaumrsEBL9BekKzdpow2k54KLCA68PYf_hm7DaM3E8AQBPP2v86Bg7DbUIMRRnzU_n4thZciFSzSsE7bpcZSV3mq5_QkuhBgoiXGhw/s2048/IMG_9340.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoiRIlZ9zxDsY_kobSkD6cM1XTs0jCNmjZaumrsEBL9BekKzdpow2k54KLCA68PYf_hm7DaM3E8AQBPP2v86Bg7DbUIMRRnzU_n4thZciFSzSsE7bpcZSV3mq5_QkuhBgoiXGhw/w480-h640/IMG_9340.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div></div></div></div>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-36804077401368637042021-05-25T22:28:00.017+08:002021-05-25T22:46:10.151+08:00American Ginseng Soup with Pork Ribs For Stronger Constitution <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fsXTCVHKkndQ1YRm3qBUv8E5AUa7PAQrKnQu_QUjaLjbdVKKo2K8WCITyaLXTPtwiwq9oTlN46oivyr58wOh50azSQlMmI11zzNsZqrkxeCcR5JhrESzkASLY6Envl-zYLSjSA/s2048/IMG_9042.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fsXTCVHKkndQ1YRm3qBUv8E5AUa7PAQrKnQu_QUjaLjbdVKKo2K8WCITyaLXTPtwiwq9oTlN46oivyr58wOh50azSQlMmI11zzNsZqrkxeCcR5JhrESzkASLY6Envl-zYLSjSA/w480-h640/IMG_9042.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I made American ginseng soup with pork ribs over the weekend since I had recently bought some herbs from my favourite herbalist in town, Veng Tatt Soon. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over the past few months, we have been making watercress soup with pork ribs and I was getting rather tired of that soup! However <a href="https://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2015/02/watercress-soup-is-best-cure-for-that.html" target="_blank">watercress soup is great for the lungs </a>(especially if you are coughing, or a smoker or feeling heaty) and now what with the pandemic, it is simply one of the better ways to boost one's immunity. And unlike <a href="https://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2006/01/cool-down-with-lotus.html" target="_blank">lotus root soup</a>, you can freeze watercress soup without any change to the watercress texture. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I usually make about 8 servings of soup in my stock pot. This means I can freeze the other portions for other days. So making soup on the weekend means I get to drink soup over the next 3 days at least. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">This packet of herbs consisted of: </span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">American ginseng (3.8gm), </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bei Zi (12gm), </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dang Shen (12gm), </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Solomon Seal or Yok Chok (19gm), </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Goji (12gm), </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Red Dates (38gm) and </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Licorice or Gan Cao (2gm). </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I looked at the weight of the American ginseng and felt that my soup wouldn't have much ginseng taste so I dug out my own stash of American ginseng from the fridge and added a few more slices! I like my soups to taste hearty and wholesome, not watered down. Also remember to remove the seeds from the red dates after you soak the herbs. I usually soak the herbs for 10 minutes to soften them. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">As usual, I'd blanch the pork ribs in boiling water but I recently saw a video where it is recommended that we put pork ribs into the water and bring the water to a boil. I must try this method the next time. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fill up your stock pot with at least 8 bowls of water. Bring water to a boil and add the rinsed herbs and blanched pork ribs. Boil over high heat for 10 minutes with the lid slightly open. Then cover the pot and lower heat so that it's a mere simmer. Simmer soup on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours. When the soup is almost ready, season with salt to taste. Then turn off the heat and let the soup develop its flavour for the next 1 hour. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">If the soup is not hot when you're ready to serve it, just heat it up again. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Herbal soups taste better when they develop their flavours in the fridge. I usually store my cooled soups in stainless steel containers in the freezer. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">This American ginseng soup helps to revitalise your energy and build up your constitution which just means keeps you healthy. If you need to enhance your memory and cognitive power, then American ginseng is the herb to take. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">No wonder students are usually fed American ginseng tea by their mothers during exam periods. (I personally had this tea a few times when I was a teenager. My late mother was a big believer in herbs and "pak kei, wong tong, kei chi" was her Cantonese mantra. When I was a child, my dad would boil peanut roots soup for my sisters and I as it is believed that peanut roots will make us grow taller! I am tall and I wonder if the peanut root soup actually did the trick.) </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The bioactive phytochemicals, <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952762/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">ginsenoside saponins in American ginseng</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span>is what makes the herb effective as a brain booster. It also makes you calmer. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567205/" target="_blank">This article </a></span>also says that American ginseng Panax quinquefolium was found to "exert/s antimicrobial effects against several pathogenic strains of bacteria."</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is also called American ginseng because it is found in the regions of North America - from Quebec to Manitoba in Canada to Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in the United States with the greatest cultivation in Wisconsin. It is said that the Native Americans used the herb as a universal remedy for children and adults.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">American ginseng is <b>nourishing to the yin</b> and <b>tonifies the Qi</b> unlike its yang counterpart in the Asian ginseng. It <b>cools and moistens</b> and suitable for the young, the harried and stressed city dweller and as such is <a href="https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/mysterious-medicinal-economic-powers-american-ginseng" target="_blank">used in cases of excess heat or dryness in the body</a>. Says Elizabeth Girard, a TCM practitioner, “It’s just the best herb for your immune system, for really generating fluids in the lungs.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Other ways of preparing American ginseng is to simmer a few slices of the dried herb for 30 minutes on low heat and drink it as a tea. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So if you're feeling cranky or stressed, try American ginseng soup or even tea. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Note: we're all back to lockdown mode in Malaysia as I write this on 25 May 2021. Today our covid cases hit 7000+ and at this rate, it's going to be a long while before we get back to "normal" mode. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Working from home or even just watching the news can get to everyone. I know people are getting more and more irritated with an incompetent government (which I didn't vote for - the one I voted for got booted out due to a power struggle), rising covid cases, tanking economy and disrupted business. Right now, it's not just friends of friends who contract covid. It's people we actually know. It's that prevalent in the community now. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So keep your spirits up and keep that immunity boosted with American ginseng. It's inexpensive and calms you down. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-5383049193996922682021-05-14T18:17:00.007+08:002021-05-25T22:44:46.893+08:00Mulberry Leaf Tea For Protecting Liver, Eyes & Lungs <p><span style="font-size: large;">I've been growing my own mulberry trees and after a few times of pruning the branches and learning a secret gardener's tip, the tree or bush has been proliferating well. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In fact, the regular rain (it is quite rainy these days in Penang) and the humid, hot sun have helped the tree flourish well. I also use a lot of compost (from my own compost pots) on the tree, placing scoops of compost around the root and the base of the tree from time to time (or when I am feeling like a hardworking gardener). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">As I write this, we're in our third lockdown phase in Malaysia (until 7 June or is it 10 June? I can't recall). So lots more pottering about at home and gardening I guess! Even Singapore (where my sis is) is also going back to a lockdown phase as virus variants are emerging. It seems you can't read any news without mention of the virus and how things are faring across the region. As someone who works in digital and <a href="http://redboxstudio.com/" target="_blank">mostly online</a>, I am kept occupied with clients' projects and even our own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mXyKUBiv-yD5aEJ57gngQ">FB live</a> and <a href="https://womenpreneurasia.com/about/" target="_blank">podcast</a>. But I do pity those who are in retail or need face-to-face interaction to make the business work. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The secret gardener's tip is this - to ensure your mulberry tree fruits as much as it can, you need to tie back its branch on itself using cable ties! I am not sure why this works but it did ramp up the mulberry fruit production. Basically, you are bending the branch backwards unto itself. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Either that or prune the branches like mad. Be ruthless. I found that when I did this to my chilli plant, it began to produce more leaves and the stems grew thicker. So in many ways, it is good to prune your plants. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWE-PVU3AFtR0vBEyUA1w2OlKlmc60a9sagBNQF2szyMIcHtq9Npe4HgyaMYS0aNfp-0ap7FGc1HzFYGcLIoMoF_PP3_OG8mDn0XClQ7UR9LQMKvwxFtlmtH7sGgkFkhltUaUCA/s2048/IMG_8962.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="mulberry fruit on a mulberry tree" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWE-PVU3AFtR0vBEyUA1w2OlKlmc60a9sagBNQF2szyMIcHtq9Npe4HgyaMYS0aNfp-0ap7FGc1HzFYGcLIoMoF_PP3_OG8mDn0XClQ7UR9LQMKvwxFtlmtH7sGgkFkhltUaUCA/w480-h640/IMG_8962.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><i><span style="font-size: large;">Compost makes the leaves grow large and shiny! This is my own mulberry tree by the way.<br /></span></i><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Each time my husband trims the mulberry tree, we end up throwing the thin branches. You can easily grow a mulberry tree by sticking the branch halfway into the ground but we have run out of space to grow more mulberry trees. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Just last week, my husband did a round of trimming the mulberry tree and we ended up with a lot of fresh leaves. I remembered that I bought dried mulberry leaf tea from Chiangmai back in 2014, thinking it was an exotic leaf tea only to find out that I could easily make this tea with fresh leaves. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I do eat the semi-ripened mulberry fruit weekly; whenever I am out in the garden and see some fruits ready to be picked, I'd pluck them and pop them into my mouth. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They're usually tart and I would wince as I chewed the fruit. However I know the fruit is good for the eyes and based on TCM, the eyes and liver are connected so they're great for the liver too. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">How To Make Mulberry Tea </span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I decided to find out more. Could I drink a tea made from fresh leaves and dried leaves? And what about its taste? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I took about 3 fresh leaves and cut them into strips and poured boiling water over them and covered them for 10 minutes to decoct. Mulberry leaf tea is light - some compare it to green tea. It doesn't have a strong flavour profile so it's a pleasantly light tea that you can sip all day. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the leaves were air-dried (but be sure to wash and rinse the leaves first). I put them in a colander and left them on the kitchen counter. Later I added a few packs of silica gel in between the leaves to absorb moisture and speed up the process. After 3 days, the leaves were curled up and crinkled and papery. I took 3 dried leaves and cut them into strips and again, decocted them the same way I did with the fresh leaves. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I didn't taste much difference in using fresh or dried leaves to be honest. Both tasted the same. Since I have a flourishing mulberry tree in my garden, I can get fresh leaves any time so I would most likely use fresh leaves. But I can see how dried leaves can be useful if you can't grow your own mulberry tree. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Benefits of Drinking Mulberry Tea </span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Benefits-wise, this tea is truly a powerhouse of goodness. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">From the TCM point of view, mulberry leaf or Sang Ye is beneficial to the liver and lung meridians as it is cold in nature with a sweet and bitter flavour. It <a href="http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/herbal/sangye.html#:~:text=Modern%20TCM%20also%20uses%20mulberry,swelling%2C%20hypertension%20and%20skin%20rashes.&text=Studies%20have%20showed%20that%20mulberry,reducing%20blood%20pressure%20and%20lipids." target="_blank">dispels wind, clears heat, moistens lungs, soothes liver and promotes eye health. </a>Therefore it can be used for people who have mild fever, headache, coughs, throat and mouth dryness, painful or swollen eyes, vision problems, skin rashes and dizziness. People with nosebleeds can use mulberry leaf tea as it cools the blood. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Says <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3924983/" target="_blank">this research: </a></span></p><span style="font-size: large;">"The deep colored mulberry fruits are <b>rich in phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids</b>. They represent one of the <b>most widely distributed classes of flavonoids in plants</b>. Such natural substances extracted from plants have been shown to have greater antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and have been used for health maintenance and disease management since the beginning of recorded history. Mulberry is traditionally used in Chinese medicines as a pharmaceutical for antifever diuretics, <b>liver protection, eyesight improvement, blood pressure reduction, and cardiovascular disease prevention</b>. Dietary mulberry has been reported to have not only antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and anti-diabetic effects, but also cardiovascular, hepato-, and neuro-protective properties."</span><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: large;">Note the words that I've highlighted in bold. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: large;">Mulberry leaf is also used in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13880209.2016.1178779" target="_blank">treatment of diabetes</a> as well as an immune booster. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: large;">In view of what we're going through now - Covid and all - I would suggest we boost our immunity by using naturally grown (organic) leaf teas and decoctions that are simple and easy to make for the family. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: large;">The weather now is also humid and hot and I am particularly feeling the heat literally. I am often tempted to turn on the air conditioner but I try not to add more "heat" into the environment. So if I am feeling heaty, I will make myself a mug of mulberry leaf tea. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">From the Western point of view, mulberry leaves contain zinc, calcium and iron in addition to beta-carotene and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Both beta-carotene and vitamin C is important for good skin and good eye health. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Its rich gallic acid compounds <a href="https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1250/white-mulberry" target="_blank">help with type 2 diabetes, helping to lower blood sugar</a>. It also helps with arthritis and fights bad cholesterol. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: large;">Why not try growing this mulberry tree in a pot or your garden? Get one or two branches and just poke them into the ground or a pot. As you can see it has lots of health benefits (no wonder silkworms love this leaf). </span></p>Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-68744514427005216712020-06-28T12:33:00.000+08:002020-06-28T12:42:26.810+08:00Goji Berry, Chrysanthemum & Red Date Tea <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been making this simple tea for a few times already. Not sure if I had shared this before but all it needs are 3 ingredients - dried goji berries, dried red dates and dried chrysanthemum bulbs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSvOW2-m0DIhyKrWLErjjHofX6XME_2d-frH_LinH62kbnsI0Lf5yz5huFP2-ijdmIS_r1tMdHu_2MOOYqYMz9MA23dwavBJ81WlH8QmtuaLGTxnwRItcs8x1ezsWH9SSEgdoqg/s1600/2012-08-16+18.16.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSvOW2-m0DIhyKrWLErjjHofX6XME_2d-frH_LinH62kbnsI0Lf5yz5huFP2-ijdmIS_r1tMdHu_2MOOYqYMz9MA23dwavBJ81WlH8QmtuaLGTxnwRItcs8x1ezsWH9SSEgdoqg/s320/2012-08-16+18.16.00.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This sugar-less concoction is good for health especially if you want to maintain immunity. It's even more important these days what with the pandemic and Covid-19.<br />
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But it is also a pleasant brew - no boiling needed.<br />
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All you need is a handful of goji berries (washed and soaked for 5 minutes in water), 3-5 large dried <a href="https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database/jujube-dates" target="_blank">red dates</a> and a teaspoon of <a href="https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database/chrysanthemum-flower" target="_blank">dried chrysanthemum flowers</a> (these are the small heads of flowers, not the usual type for making chrysanthemum tea).<br />
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Put all the ingredients in a teapot and pour in boiling water. Let it sit for 10 minutes and voila, you have made yourself a healthy tea without sugar. It has a natural sweetness from the red dates and goji berries. And once you have drunk all the tea, you can continue adding more boiling water for a second brew. Once that's drunk up properly, I will eat the goji berries and red dates. I'm not too big a fan of eating chrysanthemum so that's the only part I discard.<br />
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Goji berries are full of benefits. They protect your eyes from degeneration and help you enhance your immunity. They're also beneficial for your spleen and liver - they detoxify while replenishing Blood and Qi. And they're easy to add to your diet. You don't have to boil them in soups just to get their goodness.<br />
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According to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6343173/" target="_blank">this research paper</a>, "goji berries have been used to increase longevity and for the benefits to liver, kidney, and vision since ancient times" and they contain "riboflavin, thiamine, nicotinic acid, and minerals such as copper, manganese, magnesium, and selenium". <br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span>It also protects the heart and has anti-ageing effects and is particularly useful for people with diabetes. It also increases antioxidant levels in the body, improves energy levels, reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels.<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;"> </span><a href="https://www.earthtokathy.com/goji-berry-research/" style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;" target="_blank">More research studies are found here. </a></span><br />
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Goji berries are neutral from the TCM point of view. They work to improve Yin deficiency by nourishing the Kidney, Liver or moistening the Lungs and Stomach. <br />
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How do you know if you have Yin deficiency? You feel burn-out and fatigued. Overwork is one of the culprits. But I also believe that today's working lifestyles make us all feel this more so than ever.<br />
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Another way I like taking my goji berries is to <b>put a teaspoon into my hot pu-erh tea </b>after meals. And yes, I eat the berries once I have finished drinking the Chinese tea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P3ptvcuf2xlSxL70V-snIho-twvRNV2C4nXi5EnO5MEY76PeORU57C-bMMw7xrNi64rQKEJDbh4rm2f71kggss_uF9ZTj4qaXpcJJa6Mvp9ljq1-PHNtjVLWu2fNthcv8qNRRg/s1600/blogger-image--889741241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P3ptvcuf2xlSxL70V-snIho-twvRNV2C4nXi5EnO5MEY76PeORU57C-bMMw7xrNi64rQKEJDbh4rm2f71kggss_uF9ZTj4qaXpcJJa6Mvp9ljq1-PHNtjVLWu2fNthcv8qNRRg/s400/blogger-image--889741241.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I also found a great Chinese TCM herb database too while writing this blog post. <a href="https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database" target="_blank">Check this out here. </a>(And I love how the website looks too - neat and pretty!)<br />
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p/s: I have been making the same old soup for a few months now - <a href="https://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2015/02/watercress-soup-is-best-cure-for-that.html" target="_blank">Watercress Soup</a> - as it freezes well so there's not much to update in this aspect. I have also been busy with the business so not much experimenting in the kitchen. (Did I tell you I'm starting a podcast? Yes, I am!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehUBJ1FxItEh6FTr5-Kz1yfnx7J-7cOqEfQxQpNttKUJdaG21_o0EYUwWVukuKX05KJNZkKeiQIXspo2tajx-fy8Ws4M4PIAA6_VXyzL8U3DpKUxYTvY-xmlV4YRd7Fas_vBrDA/s1600/Image00027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="550" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehUBJ1FxItEh6FTr5-Kz1yfnx7J-7cOqEfQxQpNttKUJdaG21_o0EYUwWVukuKX05KJNZkKeiQIXspo2tajx-fy8Ws4M4PIAA6_VXyzL8U3DpKUxYTvY-xmlV4YRd7Fas_vBrDA/s400/Image00027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercress for watercress soup </td></tr>
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-2856972773560453552020-04-21T15:30:00.001+08:002020-04-21T18:54:25.396+08:00Living In These Corona Times and Back From HCMC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been in partial lockdown due to Covid since 18 March in Malaysia. Nic and I were lucky as we had just got back in time from our trip to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Uncle Ho at the HCMC Post Office which is still in use! </td></tr>
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We had gone for a week to visit friends in Vietnam and just chill a bit. It was also my post-birthday travel - a little bit of me-time that I try to take once a year. Each year, I try to visit a new country that's one plane ride away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MS_w8kl7LHWHHkJ0Bz-337Vmn0KXYJPQ2IxNCs-qxxB5n2pXOeeVh5JxNv5W3HklMdy48111eIuPTMRqwdgfUBWehY8llkNT5qxDjj2KW5ncmQyLfKQWgIYRoYaT3QYVi9Ggxw/s1600/IMG_6939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MS_w8kl7LHWHHkJ0Bz-337Vmn0KXYJPQ2IxNCs-qxxB5n2pXOeeVh5JxNv5W3HklMdy48111eIuPTMRqwdgfUBWehY8llkNT5qxDjj2KW5ncmQyLfKQWgIYRoYaT3QYVi9Ggxw/s640/IMG_6939.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nic and I went to the Reunification Palace or Independence Palace. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYj4MJR8T_iOPj8qAcaM3GCIvGi88xYTMu3jRvh0mjF3mapgPq5lS0oMaDHa_aCDPq1cbR9LUPiU_bi_sesGqLD4COrK6-32RTXcKT22jD-TWalPvX-1ScLwmp0RP1pFRmL3H8Cg/s1600/IMG_6943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYj4MJR8T_iOPj8qAcaM3GCIvGi88xYTMu3jRvh0mjF3mapgPq5lS0oMaDHa_aCDPq1cbR9LUPiU_bi_sesGqLD4COrK6-32RTXcKT22jD-TWalPvX-1ScLwmp0RP1pFRmL3H8Cg/s640/IMG_6943.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside, there were lots of old, stately furniture but nothing much. If you're in Saigon, just skip this. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTVeIcriKMrpS2O8oYF1G_W8dvo_mYOV6k30XTzvd9ZphO_DrgvrVw7pm6mymviwJq1fj0c8wfOXsClxNzc_7QVJY9IDvHAcZdkWKT1PKuCcxy2iRQclMnOqXVRKoHFcrZGjn3g/s1600/IMG_6944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTVeIcriKMrpS2O8oYF1G_W8dvo_mYOV6k30XTzvd9ZphO_DrgvrVw7pm6mymviwJq1fj0c8wfOXsClxNzc_7QVJY9IDvHAcZdkWKT1PKuCcxy2iRQclMnOqXVRKoHFcrZGjn3g/s640/IMG_6944.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More old furniture. A bit ghastly to me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarMFRfp9x3ts5h5VxXMc2GFIqWGkIbNU8HJYFYUBag1o89rLvzfS7IcKIuZKiynW5_ASoB97HH0ABRB8wJjrTkbcXzKOSnMY3eyXXI0K9Wqkt_rq6sp3JnD-zyUrETFXMs6SNjA/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarMFRfp9x3ts5h5VxXMc2GFIqWGkIbNU8HJYFYUBag1o89rLvzfS7IcKIuZKiynW5_ASoB97HH0ABRB8wJjrTkbcXzKOSnMY3eyXXI0K9Wqkt_rq6sp3JnD-zyUrETFXMs6SNjA/s640/IMG_1029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food was great though! This was at a popular bistro named Propaganda. What a name. </td></tr>
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I don't like transits and last year I did one major solo trip - Penang to Narita for a transit and then Narita to Honololu. It took me almost 30 hours each way including all those stops and long transit or layovers. I made that trip as it was for a programme that I was selected to participate. I had such a fabulous time in Hawaii (thank you <a href="https://www.eastwestcenter.org/events/changing-faces-womens-leadership-seminar-0" target="_blank">East-West Center</a>) and again I found time to put business and pleasure together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapSGxwXLzysmNsxZPw5hrJ2Y7ModUi6u6l4Tgfxz_mtBGIZXDQ_7nY8amtWn_UNuX1ebTLP8ECZSgp22AR2Ht-XEHpVYMXuc7qoZpwxoeyhqChw1CsUbzNzSL4nWF1MgqB6Y2aA/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapSGxwXLzysmNsxZPw5hrJ2Y7ModUi6u6l4Tgfxz_mtBGIZXDQ_7nY8amtWn_UNuX1ebTLP8ECZSgp22AR2Ht-XEHpVYMXuc7qoZpwxoeyhqChw1CsUbzNzSL4nWF1MgqB6Y2aA/s640/IMG_1046.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Notre Dame Church in HCMC. Didn't manage to get in though. It's undergoing some renovation. </td></tr>
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As someone who runs a business, it can be hard to take time off. Not because I don't want to. It's because life and business get entangled. Most of my pleasure trips or holidays are often mixed with a little bit of business and networking as well.<br />
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It was the same for this trip to HCMC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtfv2KI4AJOcwoYogIcRvjZWesTzP5gGb_Jyy26O2lbrVFhk8kd-9SW33aDRYanaXQX4eWh0pPOaPQNk0rK9mmh39ZP57ShDxAiLLjWT6XAVa646vLhluA5wEeCNiFf0Nn_WyWw/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtfv2KI4AJOcwoYogIcRvjZWesTzP5gGb_Jyy26O2lbrVFhk8kd-9SW33aDRYanaXQX4eWh0pPOaPQNk0rK9mmh39ZP57ShDxAiLLjWT6XAVa646vLhluA5wEeCNiFf0Nn_WyWw/s640/IMG_1119.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating street food in Vietnam with friends and having Vietnamese beer. </td></tr>
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I was there to celebrate my 46th birthday with two friends that I had met in Hawaii last year. Norhani flew in from Manila to be with me and Ha Thu. Ha Thu was our Vietnamese friend, also from our Hawaii programme. I called it our ASEAN meetup since we represented our three countries - Malaysia, Vietnam and The Philippines!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two ASEAN pals of mine, Nor and Ha Thu. </td></tr>
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That was a strange week in HCMC though as Nor got news that President Duterte was ordering a lockdown. She was freaking out as she didn't know if she could fly back into Manila. Fortunately she got back in time, a day before the Manila city lockdown.<br />
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In my own flippant way, I wasn't too concerned about the covid situation in Malaysia then. It was more like, should Nic and I still go ahead with our plans to HCMC? We had booked our tickets and our Airbnb about two months prior and we were checking with our Vietnam friend if the covid situation in Vietnam was under control.<br />
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Everywhere we went, we saw Vietnamese donning their face masks. We carried ours along too just to be safe.<br />
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Anyway, I have been back and under partial lockdown for the past 30 days. I haven't gone out of the house for groceries (Nic does that). I have been working more too since it's so easy to get sucked into more work since work and home and life seems to meld into this strange cauldron of routine.<br />
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I told Nic today, "I have been more productive in the past 30 days than most of the months!"<br />
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The partial lockdown or what we call MCO here is good for me. I have no meetings to attend so I can focus on the real work that needs my attention. I have been talking to friends and clients more on the phone.<br />
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I have been thinking a lot of what I need to do to reinvent myself (and this included going on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDB-Xc61-Pg" target="_blank">FB Live</a>) and suddenly I am deluged with requests for collaborations and interviews! I may have a second career as a FB Live host haha which is not too bad an idea since I like to collaborate, communicate and advocate.<br />
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And of course, friends who have resisted using online methods to market themselves are now scrambling to figure out how to sell online. And they come to me for advice.<br />
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It's bizarre times for sure as for once, all of humanity on earth are stuck at home, working at home and eating more at home.<br />
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I've also gone back to doing yoga and even crochet! I even made pumpkin pau last night.<br />
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But I have not been bingeing on Netflix as I am not a TV fan or a K-drama fan.<br />
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What about you? What's happening to you and your life in these unusual times?<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-72192850797104108792019-11-14T15:45:00.003+08:002019-11-14T15:45:22.057+08:00About A Malaysian Doctor Named Dr Wu <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wanted to link to this article about a doctor named Dr Wu Lien Teh as not many Malaysians know about him and the tremendously significant work he has done in terms of medicine and fighting plagues.<br />
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He is also Taishanese (or Toishan as I call it). I am proudly Toishan (though I haven't yet visited the ancestral village in Taishan). I speak Toishan even now with my 77 year old dad and my 15 year old nephew and 13 year old niece, in addition to speaking the language with my second sister when we want to say stuff in front of people!<br />
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I first heard of Dr Wu when my uncle asked me about this man and I saw an entire book about Dr Wu at a local bookstore about 2 years ago.<br />
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Dr Wu is definitely illustrious and accomplished.<br />
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And we all need to know a little about history or our past. Especially when our past is so important to our understanding of the future!<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">"Born in Penang in 1879 to a family of immigrants from Taishan, China, Dr Wu Lien-Teh received his primary and secondary education at Penang Free School. At 17, he was admitted to the Emmanuel College, Cambridge under the prestigious Queen's Scholarship, where he completed his medical degree two years ahead of requirement, and virtually won all possible prizes and scholarships in a class of 135 students."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">Read more at: </span><a href="https://www.penangmonthly.com/article.aspx?pageid=15846&name=wu_lienteh_the_father_of_modern_medicine_in_china">https://www.penangmonthly.com/article.aspx?pageid=15846&name=wu_lienteh_the_father_of_modern_medicine_in_china</a><br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-56386220590093370652019-11-08T23:43:00.000+08:002019-11-08T23:43:01.220+08:00Update: Dried Longan & Dried Red Date Kefir Recipe <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember I wrote about trying out <a href="https://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2019/09/kefir-with-dried-longan-red-dates.html" target="_blank">Joanne's fruit kefir</a> and getting excited about making mine?<br />
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Well, I did a batch of dried longan and dried red dates kefir just a week ago. I added them to my kefir for a second round of fermentation at room temperature for another 2 days (the first round is just the kefir, water and sugar for 2 days at room temperature).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgH_hyW6UkhMq2dzjTF7YO62tvRBor-AohRaacAgox3ACoqzg-4qGIpAgh74ogFs9C3oVVHFNz-wJoImvaKaXZur9aZIHFQBLMZ9Ys7-iwGh2ICICFlb4IXqfnoNm0LzKLUFdAQ/s1600/IMG_5600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgH_hyW6UkhMq2dzjTF7YO62tvRBor-AohRaacAgox3ACoqzg-4qGIpAgh74ogFs9C3oVVHFNz-wJoImvaKaXZur9aZIHFQBLMZ9Ys7-iwGh2ICICFlb4IXqfnoNm0LzKLUFdAQ/s640/IMG_5600.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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It tasted fabulous as fabulous can be.<br />
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It had a light fizziness with a subtle hint of longan sweetness and red date fragrance.<br />
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I also tried making a batch of pear kefir but pears aren't exactly a strong-tasting fruit so I couldn't detect much of a pear flavour.<br />
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But definitely try out the dried longan and dried red date combination.<br />
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I find that it's the most interesting taste for me.<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-10321601168584795172019-11-04T23:31:00.001+08:002019-11-04T23:34:45.346+08:00Arkon's Coral Seaweed Jelly with Winter Melon <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Carol gave this to me a few months ago and I had put it aside because I didn't have time to figure out what it was and I knew it was either some herbal tea or dessert.<br />
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Finally, I had some time last weekend and decided to cook this - not the entire block of course.<br />
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The brown block consists of 6 mini blocks. I just used one of the mini blocks just to test it out.<br />
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Actually, no cooking was needed. It's so easy that even a child could make this. Top marks for extreme convenience!<br />
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I was puzzled by the instructions nonetheless. Whoever who wrote this doesn't know what he or she is writing about. It needed some deciphering so I read it once and realized it's a jelly. It seemed simple enough except that the tip given was quite confusing. What does it mean - hot drink recommended? Does the company mean it's best taken warm? But how could the jelly be eaten warm when it had to be refrigerated?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL9ZOKrBLrrUSy6HUjN92oxuL5x5e77Qbvu4373huxgVp9jCoUWTfnZcqgD7CaWvJ3nPXSjkTWFTOjtArREm-jMYRCl7XGTMJndb6ICk4d_I78prUJldfJmaBWCV22W_Otw7Emg/s1600/IMG_5748.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL9ZOKrBLrrUSy6HUjN92oxuL5x5e77Qbvu4373huxgVp9jCoUWTfnZcqgD7CaWvJ3nPXSjkTWFTOjtArREm-jMYRCl7XGTMJndb6ICk4d_I78prUJldfJmaBWCV22W_Otw7Emg/s640/IMG_5748.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyway, this is what happens when the company pays no attention to proper copywriting. As a copywriter, I always get peeved when instructions aren't clear. This is one of those examples.<br />
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It was easy enough though to make the sea coral jelly. I just diluted one block or one square in a glass bowl of 500 ml of boiling hot water. Stir until the block is dissolved and then pour into jelly moulds. Cool in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy!<br />
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The jelly was pleasantly cooling and not too sweet. It's one of the best instant jellies I've ever made, maybe because it was so easy!<br />
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Apparently, the product is made in Singapore but I bet most of the ingredients are from Malaysia.<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-62760794682451123112019-10-11T20:17:00.002+08:002019-10-11T20:17:32.424+08:00The Gift of Healing & A Ghost Story <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just the other day, I suddenly thought how lucky Nic and I are that we got to know PVH (Prana Violet Healing). I am thankful that we learnt this healing method and have not only used it on ourselves to get rid of minor aches and pains but Nic has also used PVH for more than a year now to heal others.<br />
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PVH is possibly the most effective healing modality I know. There's no touch involved and you don't need surgery or special exercises or diet.<br />
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It is simply healing oneself using the divine energy that is transmitted through the PVH healing wand which looks like a plastic cocktail stirrer. The PVH healing wand has done many wonderful healings for people with physical afflictions and spiritual disturbances (ghosts or spirit entities).<br />
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Don't be shocked or afraid of hearing about spiritual disturbances. They exist and yes, they do affect people's health.<br />
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Side story and true one too: I had a grand-uncle (my grandfather's younger sibling) who had died as a child and later came in a dream to inform his mother that he had found the love of his life in the underworld and wished to marry her.<br />
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The mother - my great grandmother - got hints of where the girl's family would be and found the girl's family and asked for her hand in marriage. The girl had also died years ago. So both spirits were given their family blessings to get married. The living kin arranged for a ghost marriage ceremony where two paper effigies representing the groom and bridge were made. It made the news in Penang back in the day!<br />
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One of my friends confirmed this - she said she was old enough back then to read the newspaper and couldn't really believe this happened until I told her that the story was real and it was my family it happened to.<br />
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This was in the 1940s. My dad who was still in his mother's womb was promised to be the godson of this couple when he was born. My dad was the eldest son of the eldest son of the family and the grand uncle was the 4th son.<br />
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This was why when I was young, we used to visit the Woo family who owns the famous Kwong Tuck sundry shop in Campbell Street each Chinese New Year. My sisters and I often got bored sitting around eating dried longan and kuaci and we kept repeating ourselves yearly (what grade we were in? Were we taking major school exams that year? How was Banting?).<br />
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I never knew why until I was told this story when I was a teenager. My dad - the god-son of my 4th granduncle - even had an ancestral tablet in our home when we were growing up. I always knew of him as my 4th granduncle who died as a young boy. So I have grown up with stories of spirits and ghosts which made fascinating stories. It made me think: so spirits do grow up!<br />
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The belief is, if you are a spiritual affliction, it would soon become a health issue. Not all health issues are caused by spirits. Some are caused by negative energy that others send to you through hateful words or resentment or jealousy. These are called cords and if your cords are jammed up, you fall sick.<br />
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No amount of doctor's visits will help if you have cords or spirits.<br />
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Yet you will have aches, pains, cysts, fibroids, etc. All manner of pains will appear.<br />
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PVH gives you a way to deal with this negativity - read the forgiveness affirmations and spiritual affirmations daily; heal yourself with the wand and undertake the moon blessings using their special PVH calendar every week. This neutralises most issues.<br />
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I've met many people who have been healed of decades of pain using PVH. Just google for PVH testimonials and you will be goggle-eyed just reading through or watching the videos.<br />
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But not everyone has the good fortune to encounter PVH.<br />
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Or if they do, they won't believe such a method works or even exists!<br />
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I wish sometimes people can see what the divine has given us all but many prefer doctors and surgeries and expensive medicine that harm more than heal.<br />
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Even when I told a friend, she was incredulous. She thought I was mad!<br />
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I've stopped telling people because it's not easy to accept such a healing approach. It seems too easy!<br />
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Anyway, if you want to know more, go to <a href="http://muditacircle.com/" target="_blank">muditacircle.com </a><br />
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That's the website that Nic set up to inform about this amazing healing modality.<br />
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But the key is this - you need to be committed, to have faith and to do it daily (if you are healthy and have no issues with health). If you are sick or unwell, you need to find out what the root cause is and eliminate that cause through reading the affirmations and healing practices.<br />
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I'm just blessed to know PVH because it truly is a gift from heaven. With this knowledge, I can heal myself.<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-9171557340310168562019-09-26T23:52:00.000+08:002019-09-26T23:52:02.256+08:00Kefir With Dried Longan, Red Dates & Chrysanthemum Flowers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was over at Joanne's apartment two weeks ago when she asked if I'd like some kefir.<br />
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I make my own kefir too at home but mine is just regular water kefir without a second fermentation and without fruits. Nic is such a purist that he refuses to add any fruits to his kefir.<br />
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Joanne, on the other hand, is one who loves fruits in her kefir.<br />
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She served me a mug of water kefir with chopped apple and hawthorn. It tasted really fizzy and sweet and I loved the texture and crunch of the apple.<br />
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She told me she makes all sorts of fruit kefir drinks. Sometimes she would take the time to chop up fruits she finds in her fridge; other times, she'd pop into Jusco nearing closing time and buy two bottles of their concentrated fruit juice (guava for instance) and add this into her water kefir and ferment it in the fridge.<br />
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I thought it was a smart idea to buy ready juices - I can't imagine pulling out my juicer and juicing fruits only to spend the next 20 minutes washing out the damn thing. (Can you see me rolling my eyes? There are some inventions that are great as ideas but no one mentioned the washing up of the invention.)<br />
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Besides the typical fruits and juices, she also told me one of the most delicious kefirs she'd made was one with dried longan, dried red dates and dried chrysanthemum flowers.<br />
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I was intrigued. The Soup Queen's ears pricked up. ;-)<br />
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She said she often had leftover longan and red dates from praying and she didn't know what to do with them. So into the kefir, they went. She also added chrysanthemum flowers.<br />
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Of all the kefir ideas she gave me, this was the most interesting!<br />
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It also made me feel it was a truly TCM recipe as it involved red dates, dried longan and chrysanthemum.<br />
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I am going to try Joanne's recipe for water kefir with Chinese herbs and I will update how it all goes.<br />
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What fruits have you included in your water kefir? What's the best fruit to use?<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-12034156954313879532019-09-17T23:40:00.000+08:002019-09-17T23:40:17.443+08:00Gobo, Daikon, Corn & Carrot Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a super easy soup for days when I have no herbs in my fridge.</div>
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All you need are 4 vegetables that you can easily buy from the market or supermarket - burdock, radish (with the green tops), corn and carrot.</div>
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You don't need to use all of the burdock which also goes by the name of gobo. Burdock is a long, dark brown root and you can use one foot of the root. The rest can cut up and kept in a zip lock bag in the vegetables section of your fridge. Slice burdock into small chunks. </div>
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For the daikon, just peel off the skin and chop up everything including the green leafy tops into chunks. </div>
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Break the corn up into 3 sections. Peel the carrot and chop into small chunks. </div>
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Into a large pot, put in 1.5 liters of water. Bring to boil. Add in blanched pork bones or half a chicken, with bones. Add in all these chopped up vegetables and bring to a rolling boil again.</div>
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Once the soup is boiling briskly, cover the pot. Lower the fire to the smallest flame. Let this simmer for 1-2 hours. Season with salt and pepper almost at the end of the cooking process.</div>
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That's it! This is a nutritious soup and every chunk of vegetables can be eaten with the soup. </div>
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NOTE: I also make a simple <a href="https://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2016/05/benefits-of-burdock-root-tea.html" target="_blank">burdock tea </a>once a week to detox. It's great as an internal blood cleanser and each time I drink this, I feel good. I try to drink this tea in the evening around 6pm but I have also drunk it at night before I sleep. If I drink it before bedtime, I wake up a lot more refreshed! </div>
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-34773668287511046832019-09-11T23:22:00.001+08:002019-09-11T23:24:28.359+08:00Why It's Not Good To Freeze Lotus Root Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been making the same <a href="http://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2015/02/watercress-soup-is-best-cure-for-that.html" target="_blank">watercress soup</a> each week whenever I get to buy fresh watercress in the Lip Sin wet market.<br />
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In the wet market, it is either <a href="http://soupqueen.blogspot.com/2006/01/cool-down-with-lotus.html" target="_blank">lotus root </a>or watercress.<br />
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While I like lotus root soup, it doesn't freeze well.<br />
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I usually make a large pot of soup and freeze the leftover portions in individual containers. If you freeze lotus root, its texture crumbles. When you reheat the soup, the soup still tastes great but the lotus root won't be as lovely to bite into!<br />
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That's why I stop myself from buying lotus root.<br />
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But watercress is different.<br />
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It keeps its texture and the soup tastes even better if kept in the freezer. My soup is usually drunk over the course of a week so that's the maximum I keep the frozen portions.<br />
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Anyway, watercress soup is always a taste of familiarity. It is a taste of homemade goodness and it is a soup that keeps our lungs healthy with lots of Vitamin C.<br />
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Nic and I have been kept busy with projects and now that he is a healer, he gets even busier! (To find out what he does, visit <a href="http://muditacircle.com/">muditacircle.com</a> where he chronicles his journey in the past 3 years as a spiritual healer. It helps that we're in the web design business - setting up a website is the fastest way to spread information quickly without having to repeat ourselves!)<br />
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Of course, the healing that he does is after work hours but even so, more and more people have come to know of him and this has kept him busy. Most people think that he only heals one or two or at most 5 people but he has a long list of people on his WhatsApp.<br />
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As he goes along in this journey, I have no choice but to go along.<br />
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So this is a short update but at least you know why I've been so occupied. Between business stuff, volunteer stuff, healing stuff and community stuff, I have very little for kitchen experiments. But I try to cook dinner daily if only to give me a sense of control over what I eat!<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-44700658313366272012019-08-01T13:14:00.000+08:002019-08-01T13:21:20.742+08:00Aloha and What A July!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been away for most of July. In fact, I think I spent only a week in Penang and the rest was out of Penang!<br />
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I was attending a <a href="https://changingfacesseminar.weebly.com/" target="_blank">two-week programme in Honolulu, Hawaii </a>and that itself was such an amazing experience. This is what happens when you take a chance on yourself.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLaZ3oHXG9ahB8fB6_PlaCJ5fd7E9bSdBUS6BrId0rD68yFsM48h8KDjB1o-tHhCevO7BgVhAaYQYmR5ZRbCp3nlyP-KeYpCczTFI19ty8GfivdNqX6pQ7C981PnoilfxsH5zrg/s1600/July+13%252C+2019+at+0714AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLaZ3oHXG9ahB8fB6_PlaCJ5fd7E9bSdBUS6BrId0rD68yFsM48h8KDjB1o-tHhCevO7BgVhAaYQYmR5ZRbCp3nlyP-KeYpCczTFI19ty8GfivdNqX6pQ7C981PnoilfxsH5zrg/s640/July+13%252C+2019+at+0714AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With some of my international friends from Asia Pacific at the East West Center in Hawaii</td></tr>
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I had applied for the programme and strangely, had a strong feeling that I would get into it. Perhaps it was the universe prompting me to go out there and get out of my comfort zone and explore the world.<br />
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Long story short, I was <a href="https://changingfacesseminar.weebly.com/participants.html" target="_blank">accepted for the programme on scholarship</a> and was the only person selected from Malaysia. That made me quite proud of myself! (For <a href="https://mayakirana.com/2019/04/east-west-centre-changing-faces-seminar-honolulu/" target="_blank">the whole story</a> of how that happened, head on over to my other blog at Mayakirana.)<br />
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To get to Hawaii, I had to do a few things - apply for my US visa, get my own air tickets and prepare <a href="https://changingfacesseminar.weebly.com/draft-action-plans.html" target="_blank">my action plan</a>. Yes, all of us 16 participants from all over the Asia Pacific had to present our action plans for what we intended to do when we concluded the programme. The action plan could be something related to our businesses or it could be something we wanted to start.<br />
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There's nothing like a deadline to move me. And I adore working on tangible projects with deadlines.<br />
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For the longest time, I wanted to start a podcast. I've been an avid listener of American podcasts since 2010 - the first time I got my iPod which has since died on me. I got the iPod at Changi airport too and I recall how excited I was to finally get my own device to listen to podcasts. I like music but I liked podcasts more.<br />
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The Changing Faces 2019 programme spurred me to put this as an action plan. Starting a podcast was my 2020 project and I knew if I presented this plan and announced it to a bunch of people, I would certainly be held accountable and I would do this.<br />
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A friend of mine, Tse-Yi, has always known of my podcast dream. Whenever we email, she would ask how my project was going. Like many people, I had fears and doubts. I also didn't have a reason to get going. So I procrastinated for a long time (like 2 years?).<br />
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And now I have no reason to hem and haw anymore. I have officially announced this to the world at large that I am going to do this.<br />
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<a href="https://changingfacesseminar.weebly.com/participants.html" target="_blank">My fellow friends</a> in this Changing Faces programme were supportive and can't wait for me to get the first episode on the air. Their encouragement was genuine; their excitement more so.<br />
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Even Liz, the programme coordinator, was telling me that I should dream bigger. Originally my idea was to cover Malaysia but she challenged me to go beyond - why not Asia? <br />
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"You're going to be the first anyway to focus on this area," she said.<br />
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As I started to think about this, I felt confident about the project. My review of the current field has shown me that there's a gap - there are very few podcasts by women for women and more so, by an Asian woman. I want to share the stories of success, challenges and pitfalls of Asian women who start, manage and sustain businesses.<br />
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I'm looking for the Asian woman who is keen to share her story with the world so that she can inspire other Asian women to look towards entrepreneurship as a means to an improved life. Over and over, we hear that economic advancement is the way forward for women.<br />
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Getting a job is one thing but starting a business is tough. But it's not impossible and some women have found the keys that unlock the doors of success.<br />
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I want these women to share their "keys" but more than keys, I want them to discuss what a business really takes. Running a business takes a lot of guts and it needs change and transformation on the part of the entrepreneur. For women especially, running a business means adding on more responsibilities to an already huge pile of work and priorities.<br />
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I believed that all these years, I have put into place the different foundations that eventually led me to this time of my life to do this.<br />
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I'm innately curious. I enjoy writing and speaking. I have written articles by interviewing people long before I decided to even start a podcast. I have networks that I can tap into, either to get interviewees or to get funding. I know enough about tech to get things figured out and I am in the web design industry so creating a website for my podcast will be manageable.<br />
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I also have business experience, running a <a href="http://www.redboxstudio.com/" target="_blank">web design business</a> with Nic for the past 15 years. I have also mentored others and I am currently mentoring a group of women in business under our WomenBizSENSE Business Mentoring Programme.<br />
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And I believe I bring my unique voice and perspective to podcasting.<br />
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I always refer to my purpose for this podcast and my purpose has always been the same - I want to help more women inspire more women.<br />
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My work over the past 20 years or so has always been feminist and I am not ashamed of it. I have often believed that women need even more nudges, prodding and pushing to reach their potential.<br />
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If you had asked me a year ago how I was going to pull this off, I'd be stumped. I have no idea about the tech side of podcasting.<br />
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But today, I know the answer.<br />
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Like Liz says, we can figure it out.<br />
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Heck, I can figure it out. I can learn. More than that, I can enlist the help of others (by the way, I am looking for an intern and a podcast editor) and outsource the parts that I cannot or wouldn't be able to complete.<br />
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I can also tap into my invaluable network which is part of the value of being in a global programme such as Changing Faces. The programme connects us all to the cohorts before us and the rest of the <a href="https://www.eastwestcenter.org/" target="_blank">East West Center</a> alumni (the center will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2020). That's the power of the network.<br />
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(By the way, do check out the East-West Center website. It has plenty of interesting programmes for everyone. And Hawaii is always a destination you can't say no to. It's simply magic.)<br />
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For funding, I'm currently sponsoring this before I go in search of sponsors and funders. My friends from the Changing Faces programme said that I should own my brand and have full control of this podcast before I even consider other sources of funding.<br />
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So there. That's my 2020 goal!<br />
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Any thoughts or comments?<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-77864446360430641962019-04-27T23:51:00.000+08:002019-04-27T23:56:45.366+08:00Ashitaba Herb from the Cordillerra Mountains of Baguio, Philippines <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was in Manila last December with my dad and sisters when I stumbled upon a herbal tea called Ashitaba. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pretty cabins in Baguio highlands with its pine trees </td></tr>
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We were visiting my uncle who lived in Manila with his Filipina wife. He is already retired from corporate life (he used to work for the World Bank and had had work stints all over the world). He decided to retire in Manila instead of Penang as he wanted to be near his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter but I also think he likes the easy accessibility of being able to fly east or west as he likes from The Philippines.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Baguio pine tree forest just outside our balcony - cool mornings with fresh air! </td></tr>
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This uncle of ours had always asked us to visit him in Manila and finally after much coercion (and not that my dad or his brother are going to get any younger), my sister booked us all on a trip to visit this uncle.<br />
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As part of the itinerary, Uncle Mike wanted to get us out of the humid city that Manila is. He escapes to the mountains of Baguio every so often to golf and to relax.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguio" target="_blank">Baguio</a> is like our Cameron Highlands, only better! It is also 5 hours away from Manila.<br />
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I'm still not sure if the 5 hours is inclusive of the horrendous Manila traffic. Filipino traffic is no joke.<br />
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I can see why Uncle Mike often escaped up to the mountains of Baguio - the Cordilerra range - as it is far more peaceful and less polluted than Manila. Its mountains are gorgeous and Baguio itself is picturesque and serene. In fact, it looks American in its house structure as it used to be the American base!<br />
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When I was in Baguio (actually Baguio Country Club), I was looking for unique souvenirs and food to buy. They were famous for a few things - mini brooms (apparently, the Baguio brooms are sturdier than most brooms says my Filipina aunt), peanut brittle, native crafts, strawberry jams and more. I stumbled upon Ashitaba tea when I was browsing at one of the shops serving tourists.<br />
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Ashitaba tea </div>
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<a href="https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1134/ashitaba" target="_blank">According to WebMD</a>:</div>
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"Ashitaba is a large herb that grows primarily in the central region of Japan. Its root, leaf, and stem are used to make medicine.<br />
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Ashitaba is used for “heartburn” (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD), stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, constipation, and hay fever. It is also used for cancer, smallpox, fluid retention, blood clots, and food poisoning. Women use it to increase the flow of breast milk. The fresh leaves and dried powder are used as food."<br />
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Ashitaba is also called Angelica keiskei, Ashitaba du Japon, Herbe de la Longévité, Japanese Ashitaba, Kenso and Leaves of Tomorrow. And all for good reason. </div>
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Its remarkable regenerative property makes it a valuable herb. It is said that if you plant the leaf at dawn, you'll see it sprout the next day! </div>
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If you cut up the ashitaba stem, it oozes a thick yellow sap. The sap contains chalcones called "Xanthoangelol" and "4-Hydroxyderricin." <br />
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Chalcone makes ashitaba what is is - it purifies the blood, strengthens the immune system, regulates cholesterol, regulates blood pressure, suppresses acid secretion, prevents thrombus, suppresses cytopathy, is antibacterial, prevents cancer, and promotes metabolism.<br />
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It also contains fibre, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin K. </div>
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<a href="http://ashitabaplant.blogspot.com/2011/06/ashitaba-and-heart.html">This site</a> says that ashitaba's vitamin B12 helps build new hemoglobin (red blood cells) allowing more oxygen in the blood and better cell functioning in all organs and muscles including the heart - keeping it strong. <br />
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From the TCM perspective, ashitaba tea is believed to activate the Qi and blood which means it is good for women with menstrual problems and stagnation. It is also a tonic for calming the spiritual well-being. <a href="https://spiritualityhealth.com/blogs/heart-health/2015/08/23/bess-oconnor-ashitaba-vegan-blood-builder-and-longevity-super" target="_blank">Ashitaba is also used in TCM</a> to harmonize the Spleen and Stomach, balancing the Earth element.<span style="background-color: white; color: #292b2c; font-family: "harriet text" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292b2c; font-family: "harriet text" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span></div>
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So the question is: what does the tea taste like? <br />
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I steeped the tea bag in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and to tell the truth, there's not much taste to the tea. It's mild with a light yellow hue. But the good thing is, as it is so mild, the tea doesn't get bitter or tannic even if you steep it far longer than you should.<br />
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Since the Baguio highlands are quite cool, I can imagine that the ashitaba thrives well and their leaves are dried and made into tea. I am surprised though that the tea is rather low profile despite its nutritional profile. And like most packaging, the tea I bought didn't seem to exult the properties of such an incredible herb either. That's sad as I could have passed it by had I not decided to buy and try the tea. </div>
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More information about<a href="https://www.zigzagweekly.net/lifestyle/gynura-ashitaba-wellness-and-longevity/" target="_blank"> ashitaba here</a> and in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXL1_K24f7M" target="_blank">this video</a>. </div>
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-33046101913327205772019-02-14T01:00:00.000+08:002019-02-14T01:00:07.068+08:00The Mystical, Magical Rhodendron or Senduduk Putih <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senduduk putih </td></tr>
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I was visiting a friend's garden in Balik Pulau when his father pointed to this shrub with fragrant white flowers. He said it was full of medicinal properties but he didn't know what it was called. And the flowers could be infused as a tea to reduce high blood pressure.<br />
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I was intrigued as I always am whenever I find out about a new plant. I couldn't stop researching and finally I found out the name of this plant. It's called senduduk putih (Melastoma decemfidum).<br />
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Now what does this plant do? Actually plenty.<br />
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The flowers are used to heal persistent coughing. It is also believed that its flowers can help children with slow speech development. Its leaves can be pounded and mixed with fresh turmeric to cure diarrhoea and bloody stool.<br />
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According to <a href="http://www.amdi.usm.my/index.php/senduduk-putih-plantdatabase" target="_blank">this website</a>:<br />
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<i>The leaf and root extracts are used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, epilepsy and rheumatism. Shoots are ingested to treat puerperal infections, high blood pressure and diabetes while juice can be used as a mouthwash to relieve toothache or to treat leucorrhea. The bark is used for skin diseases and flowers are used for cancer treatment.</i><div>
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To get rid of scars as a result of chickenpox, just rub the flowers onto the scars. The flower can also be eaten to promote youthfulness and is said to taste like guava. It also has a mystery of its own in that the Malay folklore considers the white rhodendron to be closely related to the spirit world in the jungle. As such, it is a rare flower to be found. Other folklore says that the white rhodendron flower is used in love potions. </div>
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Interestingly, the Malays believe that if you find this plant in the jungle, you mustn't just pluck the flowers or take the cuttings home as the plant has its own guardian spirit. They believe that your cuttings will not survive even if you plant them well. And women who have their period are not allowed to water this plant as it will die. (Then again, I have heard this same precaution for the kaffir lime plant. I wonder if a menstruating woman really has such potent powers?) </div>
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Anyway, do you know of this plant? Let me hear your thoughts. Most of what I found online were from Malay blogs and most seem to repeat and echo each other. </div>
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But isn't it such a wonderfully mystical plant?<br /><div>
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-45543825478675387592019-02-10T16:35:00.001+08:002019-02-10T16:59:55.298+08:00Becoming a Healer and Other Adventures in Prana Violet Healing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The past few months have been hectic and that is why the blogs suffer - I haven't had the energy or the time to blog! And it's now 2019 so it means I haven't been blogging for many months.<br />
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But I also want to tell you what's happened in the past year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello there! Nic and I took this selfie recently in Kuching</td></tr>
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I have been diligently drinking my Ba Zhen Tang every week. Remember when I said I was looking for a sinseh to help me with my hair fall issues? Well, that was in February last year.<br />
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Priscilla who is in her 30s trained as a sinseh and she runs her family's medical hall in Paya Terubong. While it isn't terribly far, I still need to make that trip to her shop to get my supply of Ba Zhen herbs. I find her herbs of better quality and the formula she uses is quite palatable and smooth to the palate.<br />
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That's the only reason why I go back to her shop. She doesn't have a good sinseh's touch and can be rather millennial in her attitude (which I think is an absolutely stupid way to do business). I got quite fed up with her at one point and just went for the sake of buying the packet herbs (so I bulk buy the herbs each time I go - like 12 packets at one go). She speaks when spoken to, and aside that is not a pleasant person to visit. Give me a happy sinseh, a welcoming sinseh at any time.<br />
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But I have been drinking Ba Zhen Tang weekly and I can see that my period has become regular, arriving every 28 to 30 days. In the past when I used to drink Ba Zhen once a month, my period could be very late.<br />
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And my hair fall issue has improved somewhat. I find that if my scalp is hot (as a result of overwork, late nights, not eating at proper hours) the hair will drop. I am trying my best to reduce the work that I do but then more and more website clients and other side projects keep coming!<br />
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<b>Men Can Take Ba Zhen And Here's How</b></h4>
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These days, I have a system of sorts. I will brew the herbs in my slow cooker overnight and drink half the soup the next day (usually noon-time, before I have lunch) and keep the other half in the fridge for imbibing 2 days later. I space out the brew because I feel it works better for me as a consistent brew rather than down one whole pot in one sitting.<br />
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Also, I don't throw out the herbs after the first brew. I add more hot water, immersing the herbs completely and switch it on for a second brewing (again, overnight if possible). This second brew is meant for Nic. He often drinks it at night and he says it gives him a lot more energy the next day.<br />
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On the soup front, I have not been cooking as much so the soup making has been reduced to quite a bare minimum. We also found a nearby hawker centre (Lucky Eatery opposite Setia Spice Convention Centre) that sells a decent array of Chinese herbal soups in clay pots. We have been fans since as the soups are tasty and I didn't have to work up a sweat making them.<br />
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The soup that you choose comes with rice and you can add on stir-fried lettuce or cabbage to complete your meal. That's also a reason why my soup-making exploits have slowed down. And since we know the Indonesian worker at the stall (Ayu), we often call up first to find out what soups are still available and pre-order.<br />
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But this post isn't so much about me as it is about Nic.<br />
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<b>Becoming A Healer </b></h4>
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While both of us learnt <a href="http://pranaviolethealing.com/" target="_blank">Prana Violet Healing </a>(PVH), he has taken it one step further. He attended a PVH class on using the healing wand to heal. Granted, all of us who take the class are supposed to heal others. Together with healing, there is an additional modality of 'sensing' which means using the wand to sense if the chakras are spinning properly or if there are issues with a certain organ in the body. <br /><br />If there are health problems, the problem can be rectified easily with PVH. PVH has documented many testimonies from healed patients and <a href="http://pranaviolethealing.com/index.php/prana-violet-healingpvh/" target="_blank">the basis of the healing is stated here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nic sharing PVH with some friends - even my friend's son was transfixed! </td></tr>
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I am not keen on sensing because I doubt myself. Most of my healing is either using the wand on myself and my own issues (headache, for instance) or on animals (we used PVH to heal my sister's cat a few months ago).<br />
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I also find it very useful for general aches like shoulder aches - I just did it on myself yesterday while I was driving and had stopped at the traffic lights. The pain or discomfort disappears almost immediately. Which yes, unfortunately for most people, can be quite hard to believe. After all, we are all schooled in the idea that we need medicine, injections and a doctor's opinion in order to get well!<br />
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We never believe that our bodies can heal and we never quite believe that a simple application of the healing wand or even other modalities like reiki are possible alternatives (and even better alternatives as I have seen too many people go under the knife for various issues - one lady was asked to remove one of ther kidneys and she complied with her doctor's suggestion).<br />
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Anyway, a friend, Joanne who is highly sensitive can even feel a buzz of energy when she holds the PVH wand!<br />
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I am not that sensitive and that why I have not been doing sensing at all.<br />
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But PVH is not something that you can disclose to anyone. Two weeks ago, I asked a friend if she wanted to try using PVH to heal her daughter's sinusitis problem. When I showed her the wand, she was incredulous. She remarked that she wouldn't believe that a logical, rational person like me would believe in such things.<br />
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I asked her, "Can you see wifi?"<br />
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She was stumped for a moment. Because PVH, which is energy healing, is like wifi. You can't see it but it works. How it works - honestly I cannot explain but I also feel we humans at this stage don't have the vocabulary to explain it, YET.<br />
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Auras can be measured and seen using Kirlian photography. Prior to that, auras were something woo-woo and unbelievable.<br />
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Anyway, for those who don't believe, I just say that it's not their time yet.<br />
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But Nic can sense using the wand and he can heal as well. This has opened up a floodgate of requests from friends and even sometimes, people we don't know, to help sense and see what is bothering them.<br />
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The wand is a conduit for the universal divine energy to energise and heal the human body but first, some protocol must be observed. Nic asks that those who ask for help read the Forgiveness Affirmations and Spiritual Affirmations for 9 days consecutively before he 'checks' the health of the person.<br />
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This serves as a filter for those who are truly serious about wanting to be healed. Those who don't believe or are lazy won't do it and this saves us time. We practice this in our web design business with clients and so we use the same filtering practices with people who wish to be healed. In business, if you don't filter real prospects from the tyre-kickers, you'd be wasting your time talking to the wrong people.<br />
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Unbelievably Easy And Effective But You Have To Do The Work </h4>
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In this way, the 9-day protocol is a filter to determine if you wish to be healed. If you are sincere about getting well, you will do what it takes. After all, reading the affirmations take less than 5 minutes even if you're the slowest reader in the world. But we found that some people are blocked by their own karma and are their own worst enemies and don't want to get well so they don't read the affirmations or conveniently forget. Well, none of us forget to log on to FB daily, do we? What is FB compared to your health then?<br />
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So this has opened up another new world for us (as if we aren't occupied enough as it is with business and talks and such) but this offers a different level of satisfaction. As healing is not transactional and Nic asks the healed to donate directly to PVH, Nic does it out of a desire to help and heal. He has dealt with many cases in the past year or so - some have tumours, some have eczema, some have past life issues, some have white magic and more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMoZ4vvoEcPDdFnLvzk29jvRDpJ5jiJcWK9wPobtUSKHnX_Dx_5ANc5uasJpofoqYPW7rSDkG-1b3GOT7Uh41GkH4yFVRrlh7N1C0CbjQmRjmti4KqZ1LOyTq2nPIQs_AwLm52g/s1600/January+12%252C+2019+at+0737PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMoZ4vvoEcPDdFnLvzk29jvRDpJ5jiJcWK9wPobtUSKHnX_Dx_5ANc5uasJpofoqYPW7rSDkG-1b3GOT7Uh41GkH4yFVRrlh7N1C0CbjQmRjmti4KqZ1LOyTq2nPIQs_AwLm52g/s400/January+12%252C+2019+at+0737PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A private sharing session to practise sensing and healing for friends </td></tr>
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Healing A Thai Woman </b></h4>
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He even healed a Thai woman in Bangkok - a jewellery store manager in her 50s - last October. She was amazed that the pain in her leg and stomach eased. Despite the language barrier, she seemed to understand and even readily accepted the healing. To think that I was there to shop for a gemstone ring! Nic ended up sharing PVH with her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZIahLke1hR_Mf85PPaPN_D2IDKVJAtl3e3H7LxATSferpX1vC_nzo7sakWu1LnwFrEmuye9GZJb_QO8GBun-21-S7nMMEevrUvMT1CJ8i_9KKoFqhmtAMHNLLdOdWotekMGM3g/s1600/October+18%252C+2018+at+0455PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZIahLke1hR_Mf85PPaPN_D2IDKVJAtl3e3H7LxATSferpX1vC_nzo7sakWu1LnwFrEmuye9GZJb_QO8GBun-21-S7nMMEevrUvMT1CJ8i_9KKoFqhmtAMHNLLdOdWotekMGM3g/s400/October+18%252C+2018+at+0455PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the jewellery store in Bangkok with Noi, the store manager that Nic healed. </td></tr>
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It's been a journey of learning for me and him. One recent case involved a friend's family who had spiritual disturbance in their rented house in PJ! But in all cases, Nic says the best way is to deal with the souls is to show them compassion and kindness through the affirmations.<br />
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So you see, with all these taking place, making soups is the last thing on my mind. But I wouldn't mind sharing nutritious recipes with most people. I realised even older people don't know much about herbs.<br />
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Perhaps that's my complementary calling!<br />
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-43740971657073730982018-04-17T16:40:00.001+08:002019-09-11T23:26:13.055+08:00Nic's Birthday Basket of Liu Pao Tea <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's something different from all the herbs and plants that I post about. This video is about Nic's recent birthday and how he decided to give himself a basket of tea. A 6kg basket of Liu Pao tea all the way from Wuzhou, China (from one of China's largest tea manufacturers and exporters). <br />
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We are big tea drinkers. In fact, if you read my blog long enough, you know I don't drink coffee. Not at all. <br />
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So friends who know me well will often buy me tea when they travel. I've got an entire tea cabinet filled with tea from all over the world.<br />
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Now besides teas that friends buy me, Nic and I drink Pu-Erh daily after our dinner. Pu-Erh is a digestive tea that helps people to keep slim and fit. It's also suitable for night drinking as some people do find it hard to fall asleep if they drink too much of other teas like jasmine. <br />
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This tea that Nic is unboxing is Liu Pao tea. It is a fermented tea that is good for detoxification. While Pu-Erh dissolves all the fats (supposedly), Liu Pao is a healing tea that cools the body. It is named after a village in China called Liu Pao but it gained popularity in Malaysia over the years, thanks to the tin miners in Ipoh who used to imbibe this tea daily. Right now, it is becoming popular in China again thanks to its humble beginnings in Perak. <br />
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We got reacquainted with this tea early this year and it is a good addition to our tea collection.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j3lOJ_fPTh4" width="480"></iframe></div>
Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20364394.post-56301525062143457712018-03-25T23:14:00.000+08:002018-03-25T23:31:44.792+08:00Hair Fall Update After Drinking Lots (And I Mean LOTS) of Ba Zhen Tang! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been drinking Ba Zhen Tang twice a week now for about 6 weeks. (<a href="http://soupqueen.blogspot.my/2018/03/drinking-ba-zhen-tang-again-more-hair.html" target="_blank">See my previous post</a>)<br />
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When I say twice a week, it's not that I boil Ba Zhen twice a week. I brew Ba Zhen herbs in my slow cooker in 700ml of water for about 4 to 5 hours on Auto mode.<br />
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I usually drink 350ml of the soup and save the remainder for two days later. Two days later, I'll gently reheat the soup on the stove and drink it while it's warm. This means my one pot of soup lasts me two sessions.<br />
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I've also switched up my drinking time. I used to drink it at night (11pm or so) because I used to brew the soup around 7pm.<br />
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But the problem is that at night I used to toss and turn, unable to sleep!<br />
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When I told my sinseh this, she told me to drink it in the evening around 6pm (or at least before dinner time).<br />
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I found that switching up the time of drinking Ba Zhen Tang was better. I didn't have difficulty sleeping - apparently, Ba Zhen invigorates the body so all that energy at night was not suitable at all.<br />
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When I switched my Ba Zhen drinking time to 6pm I also made my life easier! I would then start brewing the herbs in my slow cooker around 1pm (yes, it helps that I work from home mostly) and by 6pm, it's ready.<br />
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Then, of course, I don't throw out the herbs but add another 700ml of hot water to the slow cooker and switch it on to brew for another 5 hours until 11pm. Then I take out the soup, put it into a thermos so that my husband can drink this the next morning!<br />
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So what's the verdict after weeks of doing this?<br />
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I did find that my hair fall was lessened considerably! I am not kidding. So all the while it is the blood and nourishment (well, at least for me).<br />
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The hair fall reduced a lot so this means that Ba Zhen does work.<br />
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I think that's like the best thing so far. Just a packet of herbs, twice a week.<br />
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Another thing I've been taking is this pill that I don't know the name for. I went back to my sinseh a week or so ago and she checked my pulse and said I needed more nourishment for my stomach. So she gave me these white balls which contain a black, gingery tasting soft nougat-like medicine. I was supposed to chew this black ball thingy before I ate. The first time I tried it, it was so pungent on my tongue. I quickly chewed and swallowed the awful stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKsE3-tnf_RpNEOuXQ5P4oENj6sQTx234L_tKKqndA53uzw0nDWswnuRb9GMofupk6-Tg36tbPDWT1kY9Y0g6RF06HW0OKKw7_NRIWrtfqMxk_c4YnungOHfGS8YdIrYX7GYBSg/s1600/March+25%252C+2018+at+0821PM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKsE3-tnf_RpNEOuXQ5P4oENj6sQTx234L_tKKqndA53uzw0nDWswnuRb9GMofupk6-Tg36tbPDWT1kY9Y0g6RF06HW0OKKw7_NRIWrtfqMxk_c4YnungOHfGS8YdIrYX7GYBSg/s640/March+25%252C+2018+at+0821PM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plastic ball coated with wax. Need to break it open. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbekU8E5j3IHvD9KpZLuWrbpXjFjVrbX8O9lP-I5OLPyX006eMRQdVKsjOI9aoiYonRvJEhmAB3p4hoQQAeHYFtKqScJWi5XxoL4Mz3N6j4rMAcw_dfQW2kDRLwU1ppa_O601vg/s1600/March+25%252C+2018+at+0821PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbekU8E5j3IHvD9KpZLuWrbpXjFjVrbX8O9lP-I5OLPyX006eMRQdVKsjOI9aoiYonRvJEhmAB3p4hoQQAeHYFtKqScJWi5XxoL4Mz3N6j4rMAcw_dfQW2kDRLwU1ppa_O601vg/s640/March+25%252C+2018+at+0821PM.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black chewy ball of medicine inside! </td></tr>
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After taking one pill per day for the past 10 days or so, I am getting used to the taste and the chewing.<br />
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Not sure if this pill helps reduce the hair fall but my sinseh says it's perfectly OK to take this pill and also drink Ba Zhen, as long as I am not heaty.<br />
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I'll be back to see her in a week or so. Will update more then!<br />
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P/S: I tried a type of massage called <a href="https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/bioelectric-therapy#1" target="_blank">DDS Bio-electric Therapy</a> early this week when I was in town. This tiny shop is in Komtar and I wouldn't have known about it had a friend not posted this on her FB page (yes, FB has its benefits). Nic and I were in town and we wanted a foot massage. So we went in search of this place and when we found it, there was only one reflexologist for foot massage. Nic opted for this while the lady asked if I would like to try a Bio-electric therapy massage. It was electricity running through me as she massaged me gently. It felt really good and relaxing. Even she told me that drinking Ba Zhen was good for women.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuBRuUz80Cjgmbmdik0t91wAcXijxERNYDtSW750QhiURiNn5SPHeZd00N_pUMUSqkDo-a0oSs2fVJ-ieKxEgcZZrGDa7zcx7-vhXYALv2N8nT8Vw3GQAd0xN87n4hvgtHocc2A/s1600/March+14%252C+2018+at+0245PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuBRuUz80Cjgmbmdik0t91wAcXijxERNYDtSW750QhiURiNn5SPHeZd00N_pUMUSqkDo-a0oSs2fVJ-ieKxEgcZZrGDa7zcx7-vhXYALv2N8nT8Vw3GQAd0xN87n4hvgtHocc2A/s640/March+14%252C+2018+at+0245PM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my sinseh's shop all the way at Paya Terubong. </td></tr>
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Krista Goonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167888914729437002noreply@blogger.com0