April 7, 2007
Chinese Herb: Wolfberries
Previously 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.
While most Chinese herbs contribute to the general well being of men and women, some are potentially dangerous if consumed by women during pregnancy in large quantities. But how much is too much? I seriously don’t know, so I will heed my readers’ advice and avoid them (from now on, that is, cos I have already eaten the Herbal Chicken Soup, uh oh!).
Today I am researching on another Chinese Herb called Wolfberry for this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Anh from Food Lover’s Journey.
Wolfberries (枸杞子 Gou Qi Zi in Mandarin) are also called “Fructus Lycii Wolfberries” or “Goji Berries”. They look like bright red raisins, don’t they? Wolfberries are considered a “yin” tonic, a cooling herb. (For a brief writeup on what is “yin” and “yang”, refer to here.)
Rich in vitamin C, wolfberries also contain large amounts of vitamins B1, B6 and vitamin E. With 18 amino acids, 21 trace minerals (including significant amounts of zinc, iron, copper and calcium), essential fatty acids and more beta carotene than carrots, these little red gems are power-packed with nutrients, aren’t they?
One of the many benefits of wolfberries is that they help improve eyesight. Hence they are suitable for people with blurred vision or have degenerated eyes.
I thought I read somewhere that wolfberries should not be eaten by pregnant women in their first trimester as that might induce abortion! (Luckily I am at my third trimester now *phew!*) Unfortunately :( I cannot locate that article again else I would have put it here.
When I was in Singapore in February, I visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor at Eu Yan Sang. I had specifically asked him what Chinese Herbs I should avoid when pregnant. He said that I can eat all in moderation, and the only thing I should avoid is a strange looking one called tian qi (田七).
So I seem to be getting contradictory information. This could be due to the fact that there had not been substantial research done on the effects of Chinese Herbs on pregnant women. I mean, which pregnant woman would subject themselves to be a guinea pig?!?!?
Picture below shows the assortment of herbs used to cook Herbal Chicken Soup. These herbs are used in very small quantities. Example, the wolfberries (枸纪子 Gou Qi Zi) used is only 15g (5oz). Can you spot the little red gems in the midst of all the other herbs?
This is the final “product” - Herbal Chicken Soup - cooking the chicken with a herbal mix pack for 2-3 hours under low heat. If cooked for too long, the “herby” taste gets stronger and stronger and may not taste too pleasant.
I can’t wait for my baby to pop so that I can eat anything I want again. Oh wait…. dang! I’ll be nursing… that means whatever I eat goes to the milk. Hmmm….
Bite This!
More recipes:
Weekend Herb Blogging! - Red Dates
Instant Noodles? Kick It Up A Notch With Spinach Soup
Weekend Herb Blogging - Lemon Grass
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April 7th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I remember my mom making chicken soup with wolf berries and ginseng as a kid. I love the wolf berries because it made the soup sweet. But I haven’t eaten them since I was probably 10.
April 7th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Apparently, there is a thing called wolfberry drink too. Supposed to be very sweet, but I only saw it online, not in supermarkets.
April 7th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
You know, babies absorb what their mothers eat through the blood. The “tastes” they get in the womb help shape their food preferences later on. If you want your child to have a varied and developed palate, you need to eat those flavors while pregnant and introduce them to the child once he/she is born.
April 8th, 2007 at 3:30 am
A lovely set of photographs. I like the story with them too. I saw you mention what brown eggs taste like. All eggs, natural or those laid by hens in wire cages, will taste like the food they eat. So change the feed and the egg taste will change. Feed chickens so little green onion tops and the eggs will taste exactly like little green onions.
My first visit to your blog. It is nice and informative.
April 8th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Chubbypanda:
No wonder the waitress was commenting that my kid will grow up to like curry fish head cos we ordered that in the restaurant yesterday. I do hope my kid will not be a picky eater.
Abraham Lincoln:
You must have popped by from Ming’s blog. Woohoo! Thanks for your compliments… I am still learning :) RE: Eggs, do green eggs really exist?!?!
April 8th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
For extra dose of energy (and especially during confinement), my wife makes a drink out of red dates, dried longans and wolfberries (simmered using slow cooker overnight).
April 8th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Oh. I thought it’s supposed to be black dates and dried longans only. I guess there are variations to the “formula” and wooo… slow cooking it must make the drink really really sweet! I can’t wait to try!
April 8th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I guess there’s a potential bad side to herbs that I was not aware of.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:43 am
Thank you for visiting and commenting on my hummingbird post. I appreciate it.
April 9th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
I wish I could fly over to your place for that nutritious herbal chicken soup!
An informative post! Thanks for participating in this week WHB.
April 10th, 2007 at 12:49 am
Mixing wolfberries with chrysanthemum tea is delicious and healthy. not sure if mum to be can drink it.
It gives it the sweetness without adding sugar.
oh ya, this week, while shopping at supermarkets, realise that they have chrysanthemum tea and wolfberries ready made drinks now, in the 1 litre milk carton packaging!
April 10th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Anh, thanks for hosting WHB!
KM - I’ll wait for bb to pop first then try that drink :)
April 10th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I love learning about these new things from you. I’m laughing at your comment “I do hope my kid will not be a picky eater.” I hope so too, for your sake. I once dated a man (not for long!) who would not eat anything it seemed like. What a pain.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:22 am
After this early morning weather I needed my wolfberry juice first thing. It is sweet and delicious. The best tasting health drink on the market. No junk juices. It has allowed me health benefits. The Chinese ningxia wolfberry is organic and they are awesome in your oatmeal, and pancakes, etc. Let me know if you want more info on this power packed berry. Fragrant Blessings
December 26th, 2007 at 5:26 am
Hi, i just give birth recently by operation, i would like to know when can i eat herbal chicken soup? What herb i should avoid? Thanks
January 6th, 2008 at 7:12 am
You should check with your doctor what herbs you can eat and when. As for me, my mom cooked with herbs like dang gui and wolfberries after I gave birth. If you are breastfeeding, avoid is a strange looking herb called tian qi (田七)
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Somewhat off-and-on topic…
This fall, I ate at a wonderful Chinese Vegetarian restaurant in Borneo, Malaysia. They served a great soup - it was very green - full of crushed green leaves of some sort. A Chinese woman explained to me that it is a traditional Chinese soup given to women before/during/after childbirth to help with the delivery. She said normally it is with some sort of meat in the broth, but since this was a vegetarian restaurant, it was served with tofu balls. We ate it as a soup, and some people just poured it over rice.
Does this sound familiar? Do you know what the name of the soup is? I would love to try to find it again (I am back in the USA).
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Oopsie… sorry that doesn’t ring any bells.