Herbs for the Heart - Shou Wu (首乌）

Shou wu has been famous for its ability to turn grey hair into “black hair (首烏)”. It’s also used in the treatment of hyperlipemia, neurasthenia, split personality, premature white hair, nerve injuries, skin wind rash, and constipation. Other functions include: treatment of eczema, sores, carbuncles, goiter, scrofula, inflammation of lymph nodes, spermatorrhea, vagina discharge, and vulvovaginitis.

Shou Wu can also be eaten to treat high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

Shou Wu, Red Date and Egg Tea(首乌红枣鸡蛋茶）

Ingredients:
19g of Shou Wu
5 red dates
2 shelled hard-boiled eggs

Instructions:
1. De-shell red dates and rinse them.
2. Place all ingredients into a pot. Add 3 cups of water and boil the mixture. Add eggs. Reduce to low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Serve.

Benefits:
It nourishes the kidney and livers, blackens hair and defies aging.

Other Cooking Practices:
1. For people with insufficient body-fluid due to blood-asthenia, constipation due to dryness of intestines: add Dang Gui and cannabis seeds （火麻仁） to the recipe

2. For people with Blood-asthenia, measles, rash and itchy skin: add Fang Feng （防风） and Jing Jie to （荆芥） the reciple

3. For people with Kidney, liver, Jing or blood-asthenia, tinnitus and dizziness; lower back pain with weakness in the knees, numbness in limbs; early appearance of gray hair: add Dang Gui, fried Di Huang, matrimony vine （枸杞）and Tu Si Zi (菟丝子）.

4. For people with Schizophrenia: add Ye Jiao Teng （夜交藤） and red dates to the recipe.

Warning:
People, who have loose stools, phlegm and cough, should not drink this soup.