TCM Soup to Nourish the Lungs
Pork and white fungus soup to nourish the lungs.
Recently, I took a backpacking trip with friends to high altitude (11,000-14,000 ft) along the John Muir Trail, hiking 47 miles from Onion Valley to Mount Whitney in Inyo National Forest, California. Although beautiful, it was breathtaking in a dangerous and uncomfortable way. After five days in high altitude, my lungs were weak and I developed Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). It was the first time experiencing pretty severe altitude sickness. My main symptoms of AMS were shortness of breath, in both rest and physical exertion, lack of appetite, and occasional headaches and insomnia. I also had constant nasal congestion and started to develop clogged ears, which is really common since our eustachian tube of the inner ear connects the ears to our throat and nasal cavity and is essential in equalizing pressure to prevent damage to the eardrum.
Us at 14,000 ft elevation! You cannot tell but I was suffering from altitude sickness here.
The beautiful 8.5 mile hike down from Mt Whitney, going from 14,000 ft to right below 8,000 ft. My ears were popping constantly!
I thought once I came back down to sea level (0 ft elevation), my symptoms would go away but unfortunately that was not the case! I still had shortness of breath for five days after, and clogged, painful, popping ears for ten days after coming down from high elevation. Even doing simple tasks, such as getting up to feed my dog, or walking around the house, left me breathless. After a terrible night of not being able to breathe, I drove myself into the ER to check that I didn’t severely damage my lungs. The ER doctor was especially concerned with fluid around my lungs, if I had contracted COVID or pneumonia, and also if I had put enough stress on my body to affect my eGFR and BUN test levels, which would indicate that I had overtaxed my kidneys. Luckily all my lab tests were within normal limits. Surprisingly, the doctor sent me home with little care instructions, simply to rest.
I decided to incorporate my knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbs to help support my lungs while recovering from AMS. It helped me recover quickly, regained my strength after experiencing fatigue and also helped expectorate my bloody tinged phlegm that seemed never-ending. My mom would make my family a similar soup in the fall time, which is the Lung’s time, to help us prevent colds and flus as we return to school and are potentially exposed to the dryness of autumn, which is most likely to damage the lungs.
It’s clear that if I ever wanted to return to the hauntingly beautiful John Muir Trail, a nature-lover’s and hiker-lover’s ultimate path, I’d have to greatly consider acclimating better before ascending in high altitude to prevent AMS. I hope to return one day!
A quick summary of therapeutic benefits of this soup:
pork butt/pork shoulder: build back Qi (vital life force energy), blood, yin, a great protein that is neutral in temperature, and thus is a great soup base that is suited and safe for many types of people
Asian pear: cooling, soothes the lungs, helps with cough
White fungus (bai mu er, Tremella fuciformis): benefits the lungs, very soothing coating that moistens dry lungs
Chinese apricot kernels (xing ren, Armeniacae Semen): stops cough, calms wheezing
Chinese red dates (da zao, Jujubae fructus): also builds up Qi (vital life force energy), harmonizes all ingredients to make it easily digestible
This simple recipe is great for all types of lung issues, asthma, cough and wheezing, cough with phlegm, dry cough and other coughing disorders. Many of the TCM herbs can be purchased at Asian grocery stores such as 99 Ranch Market. Please always consult with a licensed acupuncturist and TCM practitioner to make sure that you are purchasing the right ingredients and that this soup is right for you! It’s always important to use the correct plant species and also correct part of the plant to gain the therapeutic benefits!
Pork and White Fungus Soup to Nourish the Lungs
Ingredients
1 lb pork shoulder or pork butt
1 ounce dried white fungus, Tremella fuciformis
2 medium Asian pears, cored and cut into wedges (can also sub apples or papaya)
1/4 cup apricot seed/kernels, Armeniacae Semen
3-4 Chinese dates/red jujubes, Jujubae fructus
8 cups water
Salt, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the white fungus. Soak the white fungus in a big bowl for at least 30 minutes. When ready, drain the water, remove the tough yellow end with kitchen scissors, and cut the fungus into 1-inch pieces.
Prepare the pork. In the meantime, while waiting for the white fungus to soak, add the pork meat to a separate big pot with 8 cups of water on medium high heat. Bring to a boil for 2–3 minutes to blanch the meat and remove impurities. Dump the water, drain the pork, rinse well, and set aside.
Combine ingredients: In a large stockpot, add the blanched pork, soaked white fungus, pear wedges (or apple wedges, or papaya pieces), apricot kernels, and 8 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours, until the pork is tender. Monitor the soup and use a ladle or soup spoon to remove additional scum off the top and toss away. This will ensure a nice clean broth.
Season and serve. Season with salt to taste at the very end, right before serving hot. Recommended to drink before mealtime.
Please let me know if you try this soup or if your family has a similar soup recipe!
Enjoy and cheers to your health!
Jessica,
TCM practitioner and licensed acupuncturist
