With the recent bad weather, looks like the cough season is back. I was having a real bad cough with sore throat. Itchy throat caused persistant cough especially at night, causing many sleepless nights.
Instead on relying on the cough medicine prescribed by the doctor, I will also turn to traditional Chinese remedies. This sweet delicacy is good to soothe the lungs & throat. Good for kids & adults. Even you are not having cough, you still can drink this.
For me, I will add a small spoonful of grounded Chuan Bei (Fritillary Bulb extract). Chuan Bei is traditionally use to treat cough & moisturize the lungs. You can buy from any Chinese medicine store, and ask them to ground it into powder form. Alternatively, you can also use the ungrounded type, roll it with a rolling pin to smashed it into small pieces. Then it will be ready to be use.
Chuan Bei (Fritillary Bulb Extract)
Ingredients : (serves 1-2)
2 green apple (skin removed as I don't want the wax)
50 gm rock sugar (I prefer less sweet, add more rock sugar if you find it too sour)
1 small spoon of grounded Chuan Bei
2 cups of hot water
Warning : Must remove the apple seed. Apple seed is poisonous to be consume especially for small kids.
Step by Step :
1. Remove apple skin & cut apple into 4 pieces.
2. Put cut apples, water, rock sugar & chuan pei into mini slow cooker.
3. Switch on the slow cooker and leave it for 4 hours. Cook in high for 3 hrs & turn to low heat for another 1 hour. (Depends on individual slow cooker function, check on the water level so that it won't dries out.)
4. Serve warm. Drink all the soup & eat all the apples.
Note:
You can substitute apples with Chinese pears. Chinese Pear is good for moisturizing the lungs as well.
This sweet syrup with a slight tinge of sourness from the green apple is indeed very soothing to the itchy & ticklish throat. This is not a guaranteed antidote/remedy but no harm in trying for it may work for some but not suitable for others.
For non coughing individual, adding chuan pei is not necessary. Just double boil apples with rock sugar.
