Luo han guo (羅漢果) is a very sweet, round dried fruit of a viny plant that grows in southern Chinese provinces. It has been used in China for a millennium as a low calorie sweetener and in the treatment of diabetes and obesity, as its sugar is almost 300 times sweeter than regular sugar. Luo han guo is also used in Chinese medicine, herbal teas, and soups to treat chronic bronchitis and coughs. This fruit is also classified as generally safe by the USDA. [Read More...]
Green radish is a mildly flavored edible vegetable root with firm green flesh. Green radish is a common food ingredient in Asian cuisine, and can be used in soups and stews. Green radish is said to benefit our digestive function. This radish is high in fiber, and low in fats and calories. It is a great food to help with weight-loss. [Read More...]
Ginseng is the root of a slow-growing perennial plant that grows in Eastern Asia, North America, and Canada. Ginseng roots are typically pulled from the soil after 4 – 6 years of cultivation and dried before they are sold. The roots have a sweet and slightly bitter flavor, with a cooling menthol-like aftertaste. There are several similar-looking roots with “ginseng” in the name and people often confuse these with [Read More...]
Lotus seed is a mild-flavored seed of the Lotus plant and often used in Asian cuisine for soups, congee, desserts, pastries, or for medicinal purposes. Lotus seed is known to be very nutritious, restorative to one’s health, calming to the nerves, and supportive for the spleen and stomach. Although oxidation would turn overstored lotus seeds to a yellow brown color, avoid seeds that are brightly white as they are [Read More...]
Hawthorn is the bright red fruit of a small tree belonging to the rose family. The berries have a sour sweet taste and are often used in making jams and juices, or dried for making herbal teas. Hawthorn is high in vitamin C and contains valuable antioxidants that are good for the heart. Hawthorn is also know to aid digestion and nourish the stomach and spleen. [Read More...]
Herb Name: Goji, or Wolfberry Herb Name in Chinese: 枸杞 (gǒu qǐ) Description: Goji (wolfberry) is the bright orange-red fruit of a perennial plant native to Asia, and has been cultivated along the fertile Yellow River in China for over 600 years. Wolfberries are oblong-shaped and small in size, about half of an inch long. Each berry [Read More...]
Ingredient Name: Chinese Yam (also called Chinese Wild Yam or Nagaimo in Japanese stores) Ingredient Name in Chinese: 淮山 (huái shān), also called 山藥 (shān yào) Description: Chinese Yam is the swollen rhizome of a yam plant native to China that is also grown in Korea and Japan. The rhizome functions as a storage organ to hold [Read More...]
Ingredient Name: Watercress Ingredient Name in Chinese: 西洋菜 (Xī yáng cài) Description: Watercress is a fast-growing aquatic plant native to central Asia and Europe. It grows so fast that the edible shoots are harvested only a few days after germination. This vegetable belongs to the cabbage family, and is one of the oldest leaf-vegetables consumed by [Read More...]
Ingredient Name: Water Chestnut. Also called Chinese Water Chestnut Ingredient Name in Chinese: 馬蹄 (mǎ tí) Description: Water chestnut is a corm of an aquatic plant native to China that grows in marshes underwater in the mud. A corm is an edible short swollen plant stem that grows underground and serves as the plants storage organ to [Read More...]
Ingredient Name: Beet Root. Also called Garden Beet. Ingredient Name in Chinese: 紅菜頭 (Hóng cài tóu). Also called 紅甜菜 (Hóng tián cài) Description: Beet is a deep purple-red root of a plant specie that is related to leafy vegetables like chard. Some varieties of beet have an orange-yellow root. Beets were domesticated by the Mediterraneans and later [Read More...]