Stewed Hen with Poria (Poria cocos) and Alisma (Alisma orientale) – Medicinal Diet
Introduction to Medicinal Diet
Poria and Alisma Stewed Hen is a classic medicinal dietary dish adapted from the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Formulary of the Bureau of Taiping People’s Welfare Pharmacy), with the core actions of promoting urination and percolating dampness, fortifying the spleen, and calming the spirit. This medicinal dish stews two key water-draining herbs, Poria (Poria cocos) and Alisma (Alisma orientale, water plantain), together with a hen that supplements deficiency and provides warm nourishment. The soup is clear and bright, the meat aroma rich and mellow—it preserves the fresh flavor of chicken while blending in the sweet and bland qi of the medicinal materials. It is an excellent dietary nourishment for dispelling dampness and fortifying the spleen during the transition from spring to summer.
In folk tradition, this medicinal food is often used to regulate symptoms such as heavy body sensation, limb edema, and difficult urination caused by dampness obstruction. The hen is warm in nature, capable of tonifying deficiency and emaciation, and benefiting qi and blood. When combined with Poria (Fuling, *Wolfiporia extensa*) and Alisma (Zexie, *Alisma orientale*), it promotes urination without damaging the righteous qi, and tonifies without retaining pathogenic factors, embodying the TCM dietary wisdom of “dispelling pathogens while supporting the righteous.” The Poria used in this medicinal food is best sourced from Yunnan (known as “Yun Ling”), while the Alisma of highest quality comes from Jian’ou, Fujian (“Jian Zexie”). When simmered slowly over low heat with the hen, the soup has a mild, sweet, and neutral flavor, suitable for all ages.
Efficacy of Medicinal Diet
The main effects of Stewed Old Hen with Poria and Alisma are to fortify the Spleen and drain Dampness, calm the mind and tranquilize the spirit, and supplement Qi and nourish blood. Poria fortifies the Spleen, percolates Dampness, calms the mind, and tranquilizes the spirit; Alisma excels at promoting urination, draining Dampness, and draining deficient fire from the Kidney Channel; the hen warms the Middle Jiao, supplements Qi, and replenishes essence and marrow. The combination of these three ingredients allows water-dampness to be eliminated through urination, while simultaneously fortifying the Spleen and Stomach and replenishing Qi and blood, achieving a virtuous cycle in which “when dampness is eliminated, the Spleen is peaceful; when the Spleen is robust, dampness does not arise.”
Modern research indicates that Poria (Poria cocos) contains Poria polysaccharides, which have immune-enhancing, diuretic, and sedative effects; Alisma (Alisma orientale) contains alisol, which can significantly reduce blood lipids and improve water metabolism; chicken is rich in high-quality protein, various amino acids, and phospholipids, which can enhance physical strength and improve anemia. Therefore, this medicinal food offers good supportive regulation for conditions such as chronic nephritis with edema, menopausal edema, Spleen Qi Deficiency with diarrhea, and insomnia with dream-disturbed sleep. It is also an ideal dietary choice for postoperative debility and postpartum recovery.
The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Poria (Fu-ling): Fortifies the spleen, percolates dampness, calms the heart, and settles the spirit.
Poria (Fu Ling) is sweet and bland in flavor, neutral in nature, and enters the Heart (HT), Spleen (SP), and Kidney (KI) channels. Sweetness tonifies the middle, while blandness promotes seepage and drainage; therefore, Poria excels at both supplementing the Spleen and augmenting qi, and effectively disinhibiting water and percolating dampness. Its nature is gentle, disinhibiting water without damaging yin. For patterns of Spleen deficiency with exuberant dampness presenting as poor appetite, loose stools, and heavy limbs, as well as internal retention of water-dampness causing difficult urination, edema, and abdominal distention, Poria is an essential herb. Additionally, Poria calms the spirit and settles the mind, used for palpitations and insomnia, often combined with Suan Zao Ren (Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, Sour Jujube Seed) and Yuan Zhi (Radix Polygalae, Chinese Senega).
Alisma orientale (Water Plantain) (Ze Xie): Promotes urination and leaches out dampness, drains heat and descends turbidity.
Alisma orientale (Water Plantain), with a sweet and bland flavor and cold nature, enters the Kidney (KI) and Bladder (BL) meridians. Its primary action is to promote urination and leach dampness, while also draining deficient fire from the Kidney meridian. It is indicated for water-dampness internal retention presenting as edema, dysuria, diarrhea, stranguria (lin zheng) with turbid discharge, and related conditions. The *Bencao Gangmu* states that Alisma “leaches damp-heat, promotes the movement of phlegm-rheum, stops vomiting, treats dysentery, hernia pain, and beriberi (jiao qi).” When combined with Poria (Fu Ling), the one warm and the other cold, they complement each other so that water-dampness is drained without damaging yang qi, and deficient fire is lowered without harming the Spleen and Stomach.
Hen: warms the Middle and supplements Qi, supplements Essence and fills Marrow.
Mother chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is sweet in flavor, warm in nature, and enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians. It warms the middle and supplements the spleen, boosts qi and nourishes blood, and supplements the kidney and essence. It is especially suitable for patterns of qi and blood deficiency such as emaciation due to deficiency-consumption, poor appetite and food intake, uterine bleeding and morbid leukorrhea, and postpartum insufficient lactation. When stewed as a soup, its nutritive and medicinal components are easily extracted. When cooked together with Poria (Poria cocos) and Alisma (Alisma orientale), it moderates the draining and disinhibiting natures of these two herbs, making their medicinal effect mild and sustained, while simultaneously enhancing the soup’s fresh aroma and flavor to improve appetite.
Indications
Poria and Alisma Stewed Hen is particularly suitable for the following individuals: first, those with Spleen deficiency and exuberant Dampness, presenting with heavy body sensation, limb edema, loose stools, a white and greasy tongue coating, and a soft, moderate pulse; second, those with mild edema, including idiopathic edema, premenstrual edema, and patients with chronic nephritis edema in a stable phase; third, those with Heart Spirit disquiet, manifesting as insomnia with excessive dreaming, palpitations and easy startling, forgetfulness, and irritability; fourth, those with general deficiency and fatigue, including post-illness recovery, postpartum Qi and Blood deficiency, and age-related weakness in the elderly.
Furthermore, this medicinal food also provides beneficial auxiliary regulation for individuals with metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and obesity. This is because Alisma orientale (water plantain) has the effects of lowering blood lipids and counteracting fatty liver, Poria cocos (poria) promotes the metabolism of water-dampness, and hen provides high-quality protein without adding extra fat. During spring when dampness is heavy, the whole family, including the elderly and children, can consume it 1 to 2 times per week to strengthen the spleen and remove dampness, thereby enhancing overall constitution.
Contraindicated Individuals
The following groups of people should not consume Poria and Alisma stewed hen: First, those with Yin deficiency and fluid depletion, presenting with dry mouth and tongue, dry and sore throat, dry stools, and a red tongue with little coating. This is because Poria and Alisma drain dampness and promote urination, which can further damage Yin fluids. Second, those with Kidney deficiency and seminal emission, as Alisma can drain deficient fire from the Kidney channel, but it also damages Kidney Qi, potentially worsening seminal emission and spermatorrhea. Third, those with excessive urination, as this medicinal food has a strong diuretic effect, which can exacerbate urinary frequency. Fourth, use with caution during pregnancy, as Alisma is cold in nature and promotes discharge, which may harm fetal Qi, especially in early pregnancy, where it should be avoided.
In addition, it is not suitable for those in the edema stage of acute nephritis or severe renal failure with oliguria or anuria, as strict restriction of fluid and electrolyte intake is required at such times, and the soup in the medicinal food may increase the burden. It is contraindicated for individuals allergic to chicken or the medicinal herbs. People with hypotension should also use with caution, as Alisma (Ze Xie) has a mild antihypertensive effect that may further lower blood pressure. It is recommended to consult a professional TCM practitioner before consumption, and select according to individual constitution and pattern differentiation.
Ratio of medicinal ingredients in the formula
Main ingredient: 1 hen (approximately 1200-1500 grams, preferably an old hen, ideally a free-range indigenous chicken raised for more than two years).
Herbs: Poria (Fuling, *Poria cocos*) 30 g, Water Plantain (Zexie, *Alisma orientale*) 15 g. For Poria, select high-quality Yunnan Poria that is white in color, firm in texture, and rich in starchy powder; for Water Plantain, choose large slices that are yellowish-white and smooth in texture.
Supplementary ingredients: 15g fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale, sliced), 20g scallion (Allium fistulosum, cut into segments), 20ml cooking wine, and salt to taste (for final seasoning, recommended no more than 5g). Optionally add 5 red dates (Ziziphus jujuba, about 15g) and 10g goji berries (Lycium barbarum) to enhance the effect of nourishing blood and liver.
Water volume: about 2500-3000 ml of fresh water, enough to fully submerge the chicken. If additional water is needed during simmering, add boiling water rather than cold water to avoid compromising the soup’s flavor and medicinal efficacy.
Preparation method
Step 1: Kill the hen and remove the feathers. Open the abdomen and take out the internal organs (the heart and liver can be kept). Cut off the chicken feet and the tail tip. Soak the chicken in clean water for 30 minutes to remove blood, then remove and drain. If using a frozen chicken, thaw it naturally in advance and marinate with ginger slices and cooking wine for 15 minutes to remove any gamey smell.
Step 2: Rinse Poria (Poria cocos, Fu Ling) and Alisma (Alisma orientale, Ze Xie) quickly with clean water to remove surface dust; do not soak for long to avoid loss of active constituents. Slice fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale, Sheng Jiang), cut scallions (Allium fistulosum, Da Cong) into sections, wash red dates (Ziziphus jujuba, Hong Zao) and remove pits, and briefly rinse wolfberries (Lycium barbarum, Gou Qi).
Step 3: Place the hen into a stew pot and add enough clean water (approximately 2500 ml). Bring to a boil over high heat, then use a spoon to skim off the foam. This step must not be omitted, as skimming the foam helps keep the broth clear and pure in flavor, while also removing some purines and impurities.
Step 4: Add Poria cocos (Poria), Rhizoma Alismatis (Water Plantain), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Allium fistulosum (Scallion), and Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae (Jujube) into the pot. Pour in cooking wine, cover with the lid, reduce to low heat, and slow-cook for 1.5–2 hours. Maintain a gentle simmer throughout to prevent rapid evaporation of liquid and loss of medicinal potency caused by high heat. Cook until the chicken is tender enough that chopsticks can easily pierce the thickest part of the drumstick.
Step 5: Ten minutes before turning off the heat, add Goji berries (Lycium barbarum) and salt to season. Goji berries should not be cooked for too long, and salt is added last to prevent the protein from coagulating prematurely, which would affect the tenderness of the meat. After transferring to a soup bowl, you may remove the herbal residues (or eat the Poria cocos directly) and enjoy while hot. It is recommended to tear the chicken into small pieces and dip them in a small amount of light soy sauce or ginger paste for an extra flavor.
Drinking Tips
1. Administration Timing: It is recommended to take the decoction warm between 9:00–11:00 AM (Spleen Meridian [SP] time) or 5:00–7:00 PM (Kidney Meridian [KI] time). Consume 200–300 ml of the soup each time, along with 50–100 g of chicken meat. A course of treatment consists of taking it for 3–5 consecutive days, followed by a 2–3 day break before repeating. Generally, noticeable effects are observed after 2–3 courses.
2. Dietary Contraindications: During the period of consuming medicinal meals, a light diet is recommended. Reduce intake of raw, cold, greasy, spicy, and stimulating foods to avoid compromising the efficacy of the medicinal meal. Additionally, it is inadvisable to consume this medicinal meal together with cold-natured foods such as crab or softshell turtle, as this may impair the spleen-stomach yang qi. If you are currently taking diuretics or antihypertensive drugs, allow an interval of at least one hour before consuming this medicinal meal to prevent synergistic drug effects.
3. Storage Method: When a large batch is prepared in one cooking session, the remaining soup and chicken should be stored separately. After cooling, place the soup in the refrigerator; it can be kept for 2-3 days. Wrap the chicken tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate; reheat thoroughly before serving. For longer storage, it can be placed in the freezer, but it is recommended to consume within one month. When using frozen soup, it must be fully heated to a boil before drinking to ensure safety.
4. Constitutional Adjustment: For those with a marked Deficiency-Cold constitution (aversion to cold, cold extremities, loose stools), add 5 grams of dried ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma) and 10 grams of longan (Longan Arillus) to the decoction to enhance the effect of warming the Middle Jiao and dispersing cold. For those with a Dampness-Heat constitution (bitter taste in the mouth, yellow greasy tongue coating, dark yellow urine), add 30 grams of coix seed (Coicis Semen) and 20 grams of adzuki bean (Phaseoli Semen) to strengthen the action of clearing Heat and draining Dampness. The adjusted formula should be used under the guidance of a TCM practitioner.