Herbs to Strength Chicken Soup (Dun Ji Tang Liao)

Boil an organic chicken in approx. three to five litres of water for two hours. Then add all the herbs of the dun ji tang liao formula; simmer for a further two hours on low heat. For the last hour you can add organic vegetables, spices and salt to taste. The soup should not be too heavily spiced, however, since spiciness consumes Qi and xue. The soup can, for instance, be flavoured with a little olive oil, a small quantity of fresh ginger, rosemary and thyme with a dash of salt and pepper. According to taste, the soup can be filtered or eaten with the chicken pieces and edible herbs. It is also possible to cook the chicken overnight (up to 12 hours). The herbs, however, should only be added for the last two hours.

Eat one bowl of hot soup per day in the morning or at lunchtime. Do not heat in the microwave. One bag of herbs is enough for a week. Do not begin taking the soup until three
or four days after childbirth. Do not eat it during an acute illness. Keep in the refrigerator for no longer than one week.
Not recommended during pregnancy.

Soak black beans in water overnight, then cook them together with some potatoes and the mixed herbs in approximately three litres of water for one hour. Then add various organic vegetables (for instance carrots, celeriac, savoy cabbage, leeks and onions) and simmer for a further hour. At the end, add pine nuts and sunflower seeds and season with a little salt and pepper. For the vegetarian option, an egg yolk can be added with each warmed-up daily portion; in the vegan version this is simply omitted.