Healing Soup for the Change of Seasons

The change of season is a time that you can catch a cold. During the change of seasons I regularly get acupuncture and take herbs to prevent a cold. But Grandma suggestions also work!  Eating soup is a good way to boost up your qi.

Healing Vegetable Soup

There is no big secret to vegetable soup.  I make it all the time, especially during the change of seasons to prevent colds from coming on.  This recipe is also super easy to make and requires no skills.

I particularly like it during the colder months, summer to fall, because it helps to warm the body and open the respiratory system with aromatic vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion
4 carrots
2 turnips
2 celery stalks
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt

optional: broccoli stalks, cauliflower leaves, turnip greens, or any root vegetable

The simple directions for vegetable soup

Put 8 cups of water up to boil.   Chop all the vegetables.  Put in the ingredients in the soup.  Gently boil for 20 minutes.  When serving dress lightly with olive oil.  Serve with toast or add noodles. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Ingredients Analysis

Chinese medicine describes foods in terms of their tastes, temperatures, and healing properties.

In this soup we have a number of different vegetables.

The aromatic vegetables, such as the onion and the turnips will help to fight off viruses by warming the body.  In Chinese Medicine, we say these are acrid  and bland and release the exterior.

Celery and parsley are bitter as well as aromatic.  This will open the respiratory system but also create circulation in the body.

Its always good to have a little sweet to take the edge off of the bitter. Carrots are sweet and used to boost to body’s energy.  Naturally healthy sweet foods tend to give the body qi.

Mix them together you get a rich health soup to ward off the colds.

Joseph Alban

Joseph Alban, L.Ac.

Joseph Alban is a Doctor of Acupuncture, New York Licensed Acupuncturist, and NCCAOM Board Certified Herbalist providing the highest quality Acupuncture and Chinese medicine care tailored to your needs.

you might also be interested