Kumquat and Pear Syrup

Kumquat and Pear Syrup

🍐 This simple preparation that you can do at home helps to moisten dryness especially during the autumn season.

🍐 Since autumn’s climatic factor is dryness, creating herbal and food based syrups can be a helpful way to moisten dryness as well as aide in sore throats.

🍐 Foods like pears and kumquats are really helpful at nourishing lung yin. Pears help with moistening dryness especially dry throats, dryness from an overused vocal cords and sore throats while the sourness of kumquats helps with moistening dryness too and keeping yin from leaking out.

🫚 🌿 In this recipe, I also added ginger and mint as aromatics to help with digestion and releasing wind out of the exterior and lime to also help support yin. Sour flavors are astringent and keep yin in. 

🍐 Instead of using granulated sugar, I used brown sugar instead as it’s warming as the days become cooler. Usually a standard syrup is 1:1 water and sugar but sometimes the sugar tends to be too overpowering for me so I lessened the dose.

🍐 Pears are high in fiber and fructose along with containing many antioxidants that help aide in digestion, reduce inflammation, soothe sore throats and regulate blood glucose levels. Pears are cooling in temperature with a sweet and sour flavor. They enter the lung, stomach and spleen meridians. They help to nourish lung yin, clear heat and resolve phlegm.

Kumquats contain high amounts of vitamin C and other antioxidants that help to support the immune system, regulate blood glucose levels, promote eye health and digestive health. Kumquats are warming in temperature and are sweet, sour and pungent in flavor. They enter the liver, stomach and spleen meridians. They help to promote the circulation of qi, clears dampness and resolves phlegm.

Limes are cooling in temperature and are sour in flavor. They enter the liver, stomach, spleen and lung meridians. a well as promote the generation of fluids, clear heat and moisten dryness.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

▪️Asian Pears - 3

▪️Kumquats - 1 lb

▪️Lime - 1

▪️Ginger - 6 slices

▪️Mint - 3 sprigs

▪️Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Cooking Instructions:

▪️ Cut kumquats in half and pears into smaller slices. Place kumquats, pears, ginger and brown sugar into 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.

▪️Bring water to a boil and once the water is boiling, reduce to simmer and cover pot.

▪️Let simmer for two hours with gentle stirring throughout. The last 15 minutes of cooking, add the mint sprigs.

▪️After the 2 hours, separate herbs from decoction. Add lime juice to the decoction and enjoy!

▪️Stores in the fridge for up to 4 months.

▪️Recommended dosage: Take 1-2 tablespoons a day in warm water.

References:

1. https://www.meandqi.com/herb-database/pear-skin

2. http://chinesenutrition.org/view_image.asp?pid=456

3. http://www.acupuncture.com/nutrition/pears1.htm

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657810/

5. http://chinesenutrition.org/view_image.asp?pid=441

6. https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3120148/aid-digestion-and-respiration-kumquat-lucky-lunar-new#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20Chinese%20medicine%2C%20foods%20we,the%20inflammation%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20explains.

7. https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/kumquats-discover-the-splendid-uses-nutrition-and-health-benefits-of-this-winter-fruit#:~:text=In%20traditional%20medicine%2C%20this%20tangy,and%20keep%20infections%20at%20bay.

8. https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/lime/#:~:text=In%20China%2C%20limes%20have%20been,juice%20to%20cleanse%20yourself%20with.