March 31, 2007
Chinese Herb - Dang Gui
The picture above shows a mix of Chinese Herbs used to make Herbal Chicken Soup. I bought this “herb pack” from a Traditional Chinese Medicine shop at Tiong Bahru Plaza in Singapore. It costs only S$3.50 with a 20% discount because it was during the Chinese New Year period (works out to be about US$1.80 nett).
One of the ingredients is Dang Gui (当归). The portion of Dang Gui required in the making of Herbal Chicken Soup is very little - only 7g i.e. 2.3 oz.
Dang Gui is also called the “female ginseng” and is excellent as an all purpose women’s herb. For centuries, Dang Gui has been used by women in China to help regulate the menstrual cycle and to ease premenstrual pain, migraine, mood fluctuations and cramps. Women who has taken “The Pill” and would like to regain their normal menstrual cycles do so with the help of Dang Gui. This Chinese Herb has also proven helpful for relieving hot flashes during menopause.
Dang Gui should not be used during menstruation, as it can stimulate bleeding. Stop taking it a week before menstrual bleeding begins and resume once menstruation ends. Women with heavy menstrual flow should not use Dang Gui at all.
I did some research on this Chinese Herb because mom said I need to buy Dang Gui to cook herbal soups after the delivery of my little one in June, since there will be major exertion of strength during labor and blood loss during delivery.
She said Dang Gui can help speed a woman’s recovery after childbirth and deal with symptoms of low energy or chronic fatigue. Not only does Dang Gui help to relax the muscles of the uterus, it also keeps the muscles in the arteries dilated, helping to maintain regular blood flow and heartbeat.
Before it is sliced, Dang Gui looks like a root. Traditional Chinese Medicine shops will also grind this root into a powder upon request, and you can mix the powder with warm water and consume with meals.
I can get Dang Gui easily here in the Bay Area, but to make herbal soups, other Chinese Herbs are required as well, hence I prefer to buy a “herb pack” that already has all the portions weighed out. Luckily, these “herb packs” can also easily be gotten in the Asian supermarkets here. :)
This post was written for this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Kalyn’s Kitchen.
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More recipes:
Weekend Herb Blogging! - Red Dates
Weekend Herb Blogging - Lemon Grass
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April 1st, 2007 at 6:12 am
Very interesting. I love learning more about the herbs used in Chinese medicine. When I went to Hong Kong and Beijing I loved the herb shops. Of course I didn’t know what hardly anything was, but it was very fun asking. My brother got a bad cold and we got him some kind of tea remedy, which seemed to really work!
April 1st, 2007 at 7:26 am
Yeah… TCM is an interesting topic. I’ll need to research on the benefits of some of the other herbs I need to buy for cooking. *mom’s order!*
April 1st, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Makes you wonder how did people originally decide which herbs to include. With so many hrebs around, there must have been many recipes that just didn’t work out.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Horror! I got a shock when I saw Danggui herbal soup. In your condition (prenancy), you shouldn’t be drinking this.
Aren’t you coming home to give birth? Is your Mom or mil going over to take care of you during confinement? Start planning early.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:07 am
For herbs, don’t know what can or cannot be taken, particularly when it comes to preggies, but you better be careful. Dang gui is a “heaty” herb right? Or a “cooling” one?
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
DF - No idea how the herb combination comes about. Some “herb packs” I tried have too strong a herb smell.
ECL - Why cannot eat dang gui when pregnant?
Baby will pop in the US. Have made arrangements for mom to come over.
Tiga! Dang Gui should be a “heaty” herb, cos after delivery, the mom is supposed to eat lots of ginger (”heaty”) and stay away from the “cooling” stuff like pears, coconut juice etc.
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
[…] Chinese Herb - Dang Gui | Home […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
simcooks,
u dun understand Chinese language much huh? I translate.
Danggui is good for blood circulation and to regulate menstrual flow. Good for ladies because regular intake of it makes them glow and be radiant. There are lots of benefits for non-pregnant ladies.
However, in your case, you have to be cautious when using it. Since your foetus is only a few weeks old, refrain from taking danggui.
My son has a medical condition and I have to ‘tune’ his diet, so I read up a lot on Chinese medicinal herbs. I’ll email you next week a list of the herbs you can or cannot take. I have them in Chinese oredi so have to translate to English. It’s in preparation for my future aaughter-in-law. hehe…
April 3rd, 2007 at 9:51 am
ECL:
I actually went to Eu Yan Sang and asked the TCM doctor there specifically what herb I CANNOT eat now, and he only said I cannot eat 田七. Now I will be more cautious and listen to you. I can read simplified Chinese (sometimes need hanyupinyin help) but not traditional Chinese. As for understanding Chinese… er… can pass la… :)
You are a SOLID mom! So fast prepare for future daughter in law liow!
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:19 am
Thanks so much, this really helps. I love Chinese herbals so much but I never know what they are called. This is the greatest post yet!
April 7th, 2007 at 7:33 am
[…] Chinese Herb: Wolfberries Tag:chinese herb, Ingredient, Traditional Chinese Medicine, weekend herb blogging, wolfberriesPreviously when I did a post on the Chinese Herb: “Dang Gui“, I got a couple of readers very concerned about me eating that and alarm bells went off. […]
April 16th, 2007 at 7:49 am
wow!! thank for this wedsite of yours. you did a great help cause i have been finding information about herb for my project..thank alot!!! you and your baby will be bless, and knowing the knowledge will really do a great help in preparing meal as well as staying healthy. i always believe in chinese herb but not in supplyment such as pills or all sort of western medicine..
April 16th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Hi Jack, thanks for your well wishes and good luck in your project! It’s interesting to know that recently a couple of students have been referencing my blog for their project work! All the best!