Chick Pea Soup Recipe for Chronic Poor Digestion AKA Spleen Qi Deficiency, Cold in Abdomen, Food Stagnation, Sneezing After Eating, and Wind Cold-EPI. Cory Trusty, International Chinese Medicine Journal of Daytona. Crystal Moon, Red Planetary Moon Year [ June 2003]. Vol. 1:1.
Summary
2 hour preparation time Serves 4
Primary Channels: Stomach, Spleen, Lung
Main Functions & Indications: Spleen Qi or Yang deficiency causing chronic loose stools, bloating, low energy, nausea, and diarrhea. Cold in the abdomen. chronic Food Stagnation. Sneezing after Eating due to damp overflowing from the Spleen to the Lungs, and Wind-Cold External Pernicious Influence (EPI).
Contraindications: Yin Deficiency with heat signs, Yang Excess, Summer heat stroke, Wind-Heat EPI
Ingredients
1.5 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 medium carrot diced
1 onion diced
1 stalk of celery sliced
5 cloves sliced garlic
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 twigs rosemary
2 twigs thyme
black pepper
salt
olive oil
Preparation and cooking
Soak the chickpeas overnight in water. Drain chickpeas and cover again with water to 2 inches above the lever of the chickpeas . Add sliced garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer partially covered for one hour. Remove thyme and rosemary twigs. Add carrot, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cook for another 30 minutes or so. Add some more water. Beat the soup with and egg beater until partially pureed. Add minced garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add olive oil and serve.
Properties, Zang Fu & Channels, and Functions of Ingredients
Chickpea: neutral, sweet; Heart, Stomach
Garlic: acrid, warm/hot, sweet, salty; Heart, Liver, Lung, Spleen
Strengthens Yang, reduces Damp and Phlegm, benefits Qi Circulation
Rosemary: warm, sweet, pungent; Heart, Kidney, Lung,Spleen
Strengthens Yang, warns Cold, reduces Phlegm
Thyme: warm, bitter, pungent; Lung, Spleen
Reduces Phlegm, improves Qi circulation
Carrot: neutral, sweet; Liver, Lung, Spleen
Improves Qi Circulation
Onion: warm, pungent; Lung Stomach
Promotes sweating
Celery: bitter, sweet, cool; Liver, Stomach
Reduces Damp, Drains water, clears Heat
Pepper: hot, sweet, pungent; Kidney, Heart, Large Intestine, Stomach
Warms Cold, reduces Damp and Phlegm, removes Toxins, improves Qi circulation
Olive oil: neutral, sweet; Spleen, Liver
Salt: salty, cold; Kidney, L.I., Stomach, Spleen
Clears Heat, reduces Phlegm and Toxins
Discussion
The overall nature of the soup is generally sweet, warm and pungent, and the ZangFu and channels affected are the Spleen, Stomach and Lung. It is good for someone with the following Chinese medical diagnosis: Stomach and Spleen Qi deficiency, Spleen Yang deficiency, cold in the Middle Jiao, dampness, chronic food stasis due to deficiency, Wind-Cold EPI (a common cold without heat signs). Therefore, persons with the following conditions will benefit from this soup: nausea, gas and bloating, chronic low energy, loose stools, chronic indigestion and food stasis due to weak digestive function, diarrhea or dysentery due to cold or weak digestion, sneezing after eating, clear or white phlegm in sinuses, and Wind-Cold EPI.
Soups are easy to digest, especially those with herbs such as these. Therefore this dish is good for people who have a the following type of poor digestive function: looses stools, bloating and low energy; condition known as Spleen Qi deficiency. The sweetness and warming nature of the soup from ingredients like chickpea, garlic, and rosemary. Together, they strengthen the Spleen to transform damp, reduce nausea, and facilitate digestion. The celery is beneficial to drain damp and water, which commonly manifests as loose stools and bloating. The garlic, pepper, and carrot work together to warm the Middle Jiao, clear phlegm and prevent food stasis, warm cold in the abdomen and resolve diarrhea/dysentery.
The pungent nature of the onion, pepper, and rosemary benefits the Lungs and Spleen. Persons who start sneezing after eating are suffering from dampness overflowing from the Spleen to the Lung. One can understand that this is because the Spleen Qi is too weak to transform damp. Pungent foods and herbs have a dispersing and ascending nature. Since this dish is easy to digest and is damp-draining, less sneezing is expected. In addition, due to the dispersing and ascending nature of the pungent of the herbs, one can expect this soup clear watery phlegm from the sinuses. Similarly the warm, pungent nature of the soup will promotes sweating to dispel Wind-Cold EPI's. which presents as chills, stiff neck and body aches, sneezing, superficial pulse.
As a regular dish, this soup is best eaten in autumn or winter due to it's warm nature.
This dish is contraindicated for hot conditions including the following: Yin Deficiency with heat signs, Yang Excess, Liver or Stomach Fire, Summer Heat Stroke, and Wind Heat-EPI
References:
1. Leggett, Daverick, Helping Ourselves. 1995. England: Meridian Press