Improve your skin’s pigmentation and freckles with peach blossom tea. Take 10g of peach blossoms and 15g of lotus flowers, steep them in boiling water in a sealed container for about 15 minutes, and enjoy throughout the day as a tea substitute.
Eastern traditional aesthetics believe that we can draw upon the freshness and beauty, the abundant and vigorous life force of spring’s flora to enhance the skin and body. Consequently, many spring flowers have been highly valued in the art of beautification, being prepared in various ways by our ancestors.
Peach Blossoms
Peach Blossom Wine: Take 150g of dried peach blossoms (freshly picked and dried in the shade) and soak them in 1,500ml of white wine, sealing it tightly. After 15 days, it can be consumed. Drink 10-20ml twice a day and also apply a little wine to the face. Benefits: Activates blood circulation, moisturizes the skin, and enhances beauty; useful for skin with many wrinkles and a dull complexion.
Peach Blossom Powder: Combine 30g each of peach blossoms and birch bark; 40g of winter melon seeds. Dry and grind into a fine powder, and take 3g three times daily with light wine. Benefits: Moisturizes and brightens the skin, helps prevent facial wrinkles.
Alternatively: Pick 300g of peach blossoms on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, dry them in the shade, then grind into fine powder, store in a sealed container, and take 3g three times a day. Benefits: Reduces fat, gives the face a rosy and vibrant appearance.
Alternatively: Fresh peaches picked on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month, dried in the shade, then ground into fine powder. On the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, mix an appropriate amount of black-bone chicken blood with the peach blossom powder to form a paste, applying a thin layer to the face. Benefits: Makes the skin smooth and bright. This is a secret beauty remedy from the Tang Dynasty (China).
Peach Blossom Dish: 20 peach blossoms; 30g of shrimp; 150g of radish; 75g of onion; 50g of tomato sauce, vegetable oil, and appropriate seasoning. Clean the peach petals, slice the radish and onion, heat oil in a pan, sauté the onion for aroma, then add shrimp, radish, and onion to stir-fry on high heat. When cooked, add tomato sauce and seasoning, serve on a plate, and sprinkle peach petals on top. Benefits: Nourishes the kidney, moisturizes the skin, and enhances beauty.
Orange Blossoms
10 orange blossoms (or lemon, calamondin, tangerine blossoms), 500g of water chestnut (Trapa bicornis L.), 150g of bamboo shoots, 30g of onion, 150g of bamboo shoots, 20g of carrot, tomato sauce, vegetable oil, and appropriate seasoning. Clean the orange petals, julienne the bamboo shoots, carrot, and onion, then stir-fry them. Clean the water chestnut, peel it, slice it, and stir-fry with vegetable oil before adding water to cook. Near the end, add bamboo shoots, carrot, onion, and bamboo shoots, season to taste, serve in a bowl, and sprinkle orange petals on top. Benefits: Dissolves phlegm, reduces blood fat, prevents obesity, moisturizes, and nourishes the skin.
Roses
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Roses (Image: ideasmerchant) |
5g of rose petals; 10g of lotus flowers; 15g of tea buds; steep all three in boiling water in a sealed container for about 15-20 minutes, then drink as a tea substitute throughout the day. Benefits: Prevents pigmentation and freckles.
Clove Flowers
Clove Face Wash: 110g each of white cloves, white carya, white astragalus, white mulberry, and white ceram; 75g of angelica; 18g of white aconite; 18g of white poria; 50g of jujube; a little mung bean. All ingredients are dried and ground into fine powder, stored in a sealed jar for later use. Each day, take a little powder and mix it with clean water to wash the face. Benefits: Cleanses the face, nourishes the skin, and reduces pigmentation and freckles.
Clove Tofu: 1g of clove powder; 200g of tofu; 100g of bean sprouts; 10g of shrimp; vegetable oil and appropriate seasoning. Cut the tofu into small pieces and fry until golden; clean the bean sprouts and shrimp. Heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic and onion until fragrant, then add bean sprouts and shrimp, stir-frying on high heat. Once nearly cooked, add tofu, clove powder, and seasoning to taste, serve hot. Benefits: Reduces heat, detoxifies, benefits water metabolism, helps reduce fat, and prevents pigmentation and freckles.
Clove Pork Hock: 3g of cloves, 1,000g of pork hock; onion, fresh ginger, pepper, wine, and appropriate seasoning. Clean the pork hock, slice it, marinate with ginger juice, clove powder, and seasoning; heat oil in a pan, sauté garlic and onion until fragrant, then add the pork hock, stir briefly, add enough water, and simmer until tender. Add a bit of wine before serving. Benefits: Stimulates appetite, replenishes energy, moisturizes, and nourishes the skin.
Plum Blossoms
Plum blossoms, pear blossoms; 18g each of white lotus and red lotus; 9g each of peach blossoms, papaya blossoms, cloves, agarwood, musk, and talcum; 6g of pearl powder; 35g of soybean flour. All ingredients are dried, ground into fine powder, and stored in a sealed jar for later use. Daily, take a small amount of the powder mixed with water to wash the face. Benefits: Moisturizes and nourishes the skin, prevents pigmentation, freckles, and wrinkles.
ThS Hoàng Khánh Toàn, Health & Life
