How to consume dried hawthorn slices?

Dried hawthorn slices are a common traditional Chinese medicinal ingredient known for their properties in promoting digestion, resolving food stagnation, lowering lipid levels, aiding weight loss, activating blood circulation, and removing blood stasis. Methods of consumption include:

1. Making tea: Dried hawthorn slices can be combined with other herbal ingredients such as chrysanthemum flowers and goji berries to brew a tea. This beverage can help clear heat and detoxify the body while promoting digestion, making it an ideal drink for summer.

2. Cooking congee: When preparing congee, clean dried hawthorn slices can be cooked together with rice. The resulting congee helps strengthen the spleen and stomach and relieve food accumulation.

3. Making soup: Dried hawthorn slices can be simmered with ingredients such as lean meat or pork ribs to make a soup. This enhances the nutritional value of the dish and improves digestive function, making it suitable for consumption after meals.

4. Stewing with meat: When stewing beef, adding dried hawthorn slices can make the meat easier to soften and reduce greasiness, thereby aiding digestion and nutrient absorption.

5. Grinding into powder: Dried hawthorn slices can be ground into a fine powder and consumed directly with water or added to foods such as pastries and congee. This form facilitates digestion and absorption and is especially suitable for elderly individuals and children.

When consuming dried hawthorn slices, care should be taken not to consume excessive amounts, particularly for individuals with deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, who should use it cautiously.