Astragalus, Ginger, Red Date, Tangerine Peel and Beef Tripe Soup

Why people make this soup

Astragalus root (bei qi or huang qi) is one of the most important qi-tonifying herbs in Chinese medicine — warm in nature, it is traditionally used for people who feel easily exhausted, sweat spontaneously, or have what Chinese medicine calls “qi deficiency.” People with qi deficiency often find that their organs tend toward prolapse: the stomach (gastroptosis), the uterus (uterine prolapse), or other internal organs may drop from their normal position when the qi that holds them up is weakened.

Gastroptosis can range from mild — producing nothing more than slight bloating after eating — to moderate or severe, where constipation, nausea, vomiting and upper abdominal pain after meals become significant problems. Beef tripe (the stomach lining of cattle) is traditionally prescribed in Chinese food therapy using the principle that “eating an organ nourishes that organ” — pairing it with astragalus to tonify qi creates a combination that targets both the energy level and the specific organ involved.

Method

1. Soak and rinse the astragalus root and tangerine peel; remove stones from the dates.
2. Cut the beef tripe into pieces and blanch in boiling water for 2–3 minutes; rinse well.
3. Place all ingredients into a pot with 2.4 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 1.5 hours until reduced to 1.2 L.
5. Serve; eat the tripe and dates as well as drinking the soup.

Nourilo’s Tips

Cattle have four stomach chambers, and fresh tripe — if you can source it — is more effective than frozen. To clean fresh beef tripe: soak it in water for one hour, drop it into a large pot of boiling water briefly to blanch, remove and scrub off the dark inner lining, rinse thoroughly, then cut into pieces for cooking. Avoid the snow-white heavily processed frozen tripe slices (niu bai ye) — these undergo extensive chemical bleaching and are not good for frequent consumption.