Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treats illnesses by utilizing virtually any substance, even seemingly insignificant waste discarded by people, which can become "treasures" for healing. Details follow:
1. Tangerine Peel Protects the Spleen and Stomach
We often toss tangerine peels after eating.In reality, you're discarding a valuable medicinal ingredient. Cut fresh orange peel into thin strips, air-dry them in a well-ventilated, shaded area, and after a year, they become aged orange peel (Chen Pi).
Chen Wenbo explains that aged orange peel regulates qi and harmonizes the spleen and stomach. In his household, they add a bit of aged orange peel to every meat dish. Eating too much meat can lead to stagnation, causing bloating and indigestion—a small amount of aged orange peel effectively resolves this issue.Meat dishes infused with aged tangerine peel also develop a distinctive, refreshing aroma. How much should you use? For a plate of stir-fried beef strips, 3–5 grams suffices.What to do? Chen Wenbo explains that dried tangerine peel and zhi shi (fructus aurantii immaturus) form an "ideal pairing." Decocting 10 grams of dried tangerine peel and 6 grams of zhi shi in water can treat chest and epigastric fullness. Some ask: Since dried tangerine peel is orange peel, can fresh orange peel be used? Chen Wenbo clarifies that fresh orange peel contains high levels of volatile oils unsuitable for medicinal use; properly processed dried tangerine peel is essential.
II. Eggplant Stems for Clearing Heat
When eating eggplant, people often cut off and discard the stem. Yet in traditional Chinese medicine, the stem is a valuable medicinal ingredient.
Chen Wenbo explains that eggplant itself has a cold nature, and its stem is even more cooling.Traditional Chinese medicine holds that cold-natured herbs possess heat-clearing and toxin-eliminating properties. Conditions like intestinal bleeding (hemorrhoids with blood in stool), toothaches, or skin sores indicate internal heat, which can be addressed by using eggplant stems to clear heat and detoxify. If you feel overheated and have fresh eggplants at home, simply chop the stems and add them to your dishes to alleviate symptoms.Decoction or infusion made with fresh eggplant stems combined with Coptis, Phellodendron, or lotus seed hearts can treat mouth ulcers. III. Peanut Skins Nourish Blood A riddle goes: "A speckled house, a red canopy, inside dwells a white plump one." The answer is the peanuts we commonly eat.Peanuts boast high nutritional value, earning them the title of "the most cost-effective nut." Yet many people, when eating roasted peanuts, habitually rub off that "red curtain"—the reddish skin covering the peanut kernel—and eat only the kernel. In fact, this eating habit is quite detrimental. You should know that this red skin offers significant health benefits and is even used as a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient.
Chen Wenbo explains that peanuts harmonize the spleen and stomach, nourish blood and stop bleeding, lower blood pressure and reduce lipids. The "nourishing blood and stopping bleeding" effect primarily comes from the red skin surrounding the peanut kernel, known in Chinese medicine as "peanut skin." Traditional Chinese medical theory holds that "the spleen governs blood." People with qi deficiency are prone to bleeding. Peanut skin, precisely because it can replenish the qi of the spleen and stomach, achieves the effect of nourishing blood and stopping bleeding.
Peanut skins are especially beneficial for women. Those experiencing menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, or lactation often face significant blood loss and nutrient depletion. Regular consumption of peanut skins can help nourish and replenish blood. Additionally, peanut skins promote hair growth and darkening, increase platelet levels, boost red and white blood cell counts, and enhance immunity.