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Academy of Healing Nutrition Longevity DietTraining

Module 8
Advanced: Practical Cooking with Chinese Herbs and Tonic Foods

ahn-module-8 from Roger Green2 on Vimeo.

In this Module Master Herbalist Nam Singh demystifies Chinese herbs and shows how to bring the benefits of some of the most nourishing tonic herbs into everyday or seasonal cooking.

Nam brings the Taoist teachings into the curriculum. He covers the great principle of The Three Treasures – Jing, Qi and Shen – and talks about ways to nurture all three with proper lifestyle, meditation and exercise techniques, and diet, along with the use of special tonics of longevity.

Nam will introduce the most commonly used Chinese herbs in his PowerPoint presentation and talk about their energetics, uses and methods of preparation. You will learn how to make congee, or jook,  – a soupy rice porridge that can be made with various grains and herbs, and is the epitome of medicinal cooking.

Topics covered in this Module include:

Throughout the weekend, Nam Singh will also weave together some of the key component of Oriental diagnosis, counseling and coaching, acupressure and home remedies, and you will witness how to cook with Chinese herbs and make tonic dishes- for all of the seasons and many health conditions.

For this module you will receive a handout from Nam Singh with recipes and pictures of the most commonly used Chinese herbs.

Testimonial

“Nam Singh is a treasure. The knowledge he imparts in Cooking with Chinese herbs was absolutely of great importance for my own health and healing and I will now be able to pass this practical experience on to my patients. The lessons I have learned from Nam will ripple outward affecting my life, my family's life, and my patients' lives. What a great gift Nam Singh has given me. I am grateful.” Amy Olson, graduate from MN

Use of Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbs are used mainly for: Toxicity, Excess, Mucous, Phlegm, Cholesterol, Heat, Yeast infection, Wind, Chemical pollution, and Depletion. They help restore wholesome digestion, and increase qi, moisture, and blood as well as reinvigorate organ functions. If our organism hasn’t detoxified, eliminative therapy is suggested.

Tonic and Energetic Cooking workbook by Nam Singh 

The Origin of Better Health With Nourishing Food, The Principle of Taking Tonic Foods Seasonally, Chinese Medical Nutritious Cooking, Stewed Dishes, Chinese Savory Soups, Pickles, Homemade Cantonese Pickles, Putting Together a Chinese Herbal Pantry, Chinese Culinary Herbal Pantry, Purchasing Quality Herbs, Nam Singh’s Favorite Chinese Ingredients & Recommended Brand Names, Food Energetics, Spring: Lion’s Head Casserole, Summer: Suggested Summer Menus, Autumn: Translucent Glow Soup, Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Winter: Bracing the Cold, Winter Stir-Fry, Elemental Food Listings, Women’s Health, Revitalize the Valley, Asparagus Salad: Jo Pan Lou Sun, General Tonics, Ching Bo Leung, Hui Sup Liu, Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, Ng Gwun Tong, Recalibrate the Digestive System, The Sun And Moon In Your Belly, The Use of Jook, Patterns of Wind Cold and Wind Heat: The Common Cold, Recipes for Wind Heat and Wind Cold, Daikon and Tangerine Peel Jook, Daikon Juice, One Pot Dish Meal, Scallops, Chinese Sausage and Broccoli One Pot Meal, Herbal Teas, American Ginseng Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea, Tongue Diagnosis, Where to buy-Sources

Using the Five Elements -How to unfold your DESTINY- so that it works for you by Roger Green

Healing and Longevity with knowledge and wisdom from the 5000-year tradition of the Taoist Pathway. We have combined essential teachings from Taoist philosophy along with vital understandings from macrobiotic lifestyle applications.  The material is easy to learn and will open new doors of personal healing and understanding. You will leave this seminar with clear knowledge and understanding, and practical ways to improve your health and increase your awareness of the universe you live in.

Let vitality, acceptance, and compass replace resentment, fear and loss of the  ‘Way’. The goal is to create new clarity, meaning and purpose for each person attending this workshop.  The outcome will be positive and enriching.

Learn Taoist Longevity Techniques with the FIVE ELEMENTS
From basic to advance, Nam will cover aliments, emotions, foods, healing exercises, and acupressure points. There is also special session on tongue diagnosis.

The concept of the five elements is one of the basic descriptive frameworks in ancient Chinese thinking - five notes in music, five viscera in physiology, five constants and five virtues in sociology, five senses and five emotions in psychology. The five elements are represented by fire, water, metal, wood and earth; the five elements are "assembled' in Taoism for the reconstruction and unification of the human being.

In terms of health, the five elements (also referred to as the five transformations) reveal how energy moves through the body, nourishing each organ system in an orderly and methodical manner.  The body can be understood as an integrated circuitry system in which chi, prana, ki, or life force, flows through the system continuously according to an orderly pattern.  Health can be described as a state in which energy flows unimpeded through the system and thus fully nourishes every organ and cell in the body

Step one:  Heal your Kidney chi, the water element

In Chinese medicine there are certain energies that must harmonize to create natural vitality.  And among these, kidney is the controlling force. This vitality is expressed as physical stamina, sexual vitality, determination and will.  The outcome is called esprit-de-corps, a “spirit for life”.

Step two: Heal your Liver chi, the wood element

We will explore the body’s largest organ from both Western and Oriental medical viewpoints. In Chinese medicine the Liver plays a key role of harmonizing the blood and the emotions.  And on a spiritual level, it houses the soul.  How these facets work together is crucial for a deeper appreciation of life.  Since you can’t live without it, come learn how to care and prosper this great organ.

Change is the only real constant.  Change is movement—of energy, blood, muscles and consciousness.  Health is the ability to flow with change smoothly.  All disease, on some level, reflects blockages, stagnations or weakness that prevents this harmonious movement.  In Chinese medicine, the liver governs all change—of body, mind and spirit.  Learn how to adapt internally and externally so that you can maintain great flexibility and wellness

The spiritual essence of the wood element is called the HUN or Soul. Hun can be interpreted as the realm of the subconscious that is particularly active during sleep time. which Rudolf Steiner would call your astral body.   This dim state of consciousness during dreaming, or the elusive visions we see meandering during nocturnal sleep, all fall under the category of Hun. Hun, in other words, can be understood as an ethereal type of consciousness which can separate from the body during sleep and interact with other "souls" Hun is what is believed to leave the body after death and what can be called upon in prayers.

Step 3: Lung chi- A Breath of Fresh Air--Keeping Lungs Healthy

The importance of breathing is obvious, yet the dynamics of healthy lungs elude most people.  Lungs symptoms are among the first indicators that something is wrong in our bodies, whether the common cold, cough, phlegm, asthma or shortness of breathes.  Through the lens of Chinese medicine, we will explore the importance of lungs to physical, emotional and spiritual health. He will discuss ways to create stronger lungs, including foods and herbs to benefit the lungs.

When the lungs are weak and are unable to supply adequate Qi for defense on the surface of the body, external pathogens such as wind and cold can invade.  This according to TCM is how we catch a cold. Chronic deficiency of the lungs usually leads to general tiredness, a pale complexion and sometimes breathlessness.  When the lungs are unable to circulate Qi, it accumulates producing a tight, chest, cough and or asthma.

The emotion of grief is housed in the lungs. If grief is repressed, it festers in the body and, over time, causes the lungs to contract, which means the lungs can’t extract sufficient qi from the air or distribute that qi around the body. The undistributed qi clogs up the lungs. Therefore weakening the wei qi (body’s defense) etc. susceptibility to viruses and pathogens.

The Po is the alchemical term to denote the spiritual essence of the lungs.  Originally an ancient astronomical term designating the material body of the moon, while its counterpart, Hun, is used to specify the light of the moon. When human beings are first born, they can see and hear, their hands and feet can move; these actions are due to the workings of po. Since breathing is the most fundamental of all instincts, the lung is the residence of the po spirits.

Step 4: Healing your Digestion - The EARTH element and Spleen

From its earliest beginnings, Oriental medicine recognized that ‘food as medicine’ is the key to long life. They established what is know as “The School of the Stomach and Spleen”, a 5000 year old tradition that gives advice on how to eat, how to prepare food, how to establish good digestion and assimilation.

All healing begins with digestion.  When the stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, liver and intestines are not fulfilling their roles properly then minor or major sicknesses will occur. Michael will explain, from oriental and western medical viewpoints, how these organs are designed to serve our healing.  He will teach you how to recognize signs of troubles brewing and how to know when problems are really improved.  You will learn which foods weaken and disturb specific organs and functions and then which foods can strengthen and support continued wellness.  Cooking styles, proportions and variations due to activity, sex, and body types will be discussed.

In Oriental medicine all foods, as with the whole body-mind, contain different “energy” natures that are released through digestion for “nourishing” our being.  By using terms such as “heating,” “cooling,” “dampening,” “drying,” “ancient,” and “modern,” we can begin to see how to use foods for different conditions and in different times of the years.  We can also express the energy nature of the foods by their Five Transformational qualities.

Spiritual Aspect:  The Yi THE MIND
YI refers to the ability of thinking and remembering; associated with the generation of ideas and a clear mind. They are related to the emotions of sympathy and the organ of the spleen

The yi represent the powers of the earth in us. They are the spirits that give us the capacity for sustained intention, purpose, and clarity of thought, altruism, and integrity. They support our capacity for thought, intention, reflection, and the act of applying ourselves to our heart’s purpose. They give us the ability to concentrate, study, and memorize data for one’s work, and they endow us with the capacity for clear thought. In other words, they allow us to apply our spirit to the world of forms.

Step five: The Shen, translated as your ‘consciousness’, which is housed in the Fire element/Heart

Energy:  Outward, expansive, ripening, fruition, active, social, expressive, the peak of yang movement, the emotion of joy, enlightenment, contentment, bliss. Related Organs:  Heart and Small Intestine, Pericardium and Triple heater meridians

The Heart stores the Shen (Spirit).
The term "shen," frequently translated today as "spirit," encompasses some of the most complex concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. In the Neijing, shen is mentioned about 240 times. Traditionally, the term refers to the mechanism of change, the mystery of sudden and profound transformation, and the expression in a person's face, particularly the eyes. When applied to the human body, the term describes a major part of what would be called physical vitality, mental activity, and spirit.

Shen is best translated as Spirit.  It is an elusive concept, perhaps because, in the medical tradition, it is the Substance unique to human life. If Jing is the source of life, and Qi the ability to activate and move, then Shen is the vitality behind Jing and Qi in the human body.  While animate and inanimate movement are indicative of Qi, and instinctual organic processes reflect Jing, human consciousness indicates the presence of Shen.

Shen is associated with the force of human personality, the ability to think, discriminate, and choose appropriately, or, as is commonly said:  “Shen is the awareness that shines out of our eyes when we are truly awake.”

It is also said that the Heart rules the Shen.  When the Heart’s Blood and Qi are harmonious, and then is nourished and the individual responds appropriately to the environment.  When the Shen-storing of the Heart is impaired, the individual may show symptoms associated with the Shen, such as insomnia, excessive dreaming, or forgetfulness.  More serious disorders of this type are hysteria, irrational behavior, insanity and delirium.

Shen is the name given to the most yang of the Five Spirits. This spirit personifies the fiery spark of conscious awareness.  During our life, the shen is said to reside in the empty center of the heart from where it guides us along our path through life. Although it is invisible, the shen’s presence is reflected in the light that shines from the eyes of a healthy human being. In the presence of healthy shen, there is a luster and brightness to the disposition, a feeling of connection and awareness. Most of all, the presence of healthy shen results in a life that is uniquely suited to the individual and a person whose actions make sense within the context of the surrounding environment.

The Tao Alchemy of the MIND. What is the nature of the mind?

The Ancient Taoist Way of Alchemy arose as a distinct movement in the 13th and 14th centuries. Wu Chen P’ien wrote the classic “Understanding Reality” - which is concerned with the totality of experience, and with furthering human progress. Among the literary formats used was the imagery of ‘Alchemy’, which is an allegory for the process of inner development. One meaning of the blending of yin and yang is expressed in the Taoist slogan  ‘being beyond the world while living in the world’. The complete human being is considered a combination of experience of the ‘Heavenly Realms’ (the vast dimension of nirvana enlightened consciousness) while at the same time living effectively in the ‘Earthly Domain’. The journey of Spiritual Alchemy – is the unity of nature (Tao) and the individual brought into consciousness, focus and awareness

Daoism alchemical language is an embodied experience, a merging of the adept's intelligence (shen), energy (qi), and body essence (jing). It's possible to view the alchemical language speaker (shen), the language/words being silently spoken (qi), the recorded form of the speech (jing), and the total field of possible expression (wu) as all contained within the alchemist and communicated by resonance with the macrocosm of Nature.

This is the practice of cultivating shen.