Cumin

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At the mention of cumin, my mind can not help but return to the street vendors standing among the smoke swirling in the breeze in front of their simple charcoal ovens, and calling out for us to buy their “Xinjiang kebabs”—skewers of lamb coated with cumin and other spices. So aromatic, so tempting!

Even in Southern China, Xinjiang kebabs have been popular in street snacks. they have been sold on the streets of Shenzhen (just north of Hong Kong) since about 1989—especially in winter.

Cuminum cyminum, and genera cumin—the plant’s dried seeds of the same name, are both referred to simply as “cumin.” It is the cumin seed, however, that has become well-known as a spice for its very special flavor and strong aroma. It is popular and commonly used throughout North Africa, the Middle East, the entire Asia continent, and South-Central and Latin America.

Cumin seems to have originated in North Africa and the Mediterranean coast adjacent to the East Indies. It is said that in the 3,000 BC, the ancient Egyptians of the Old-Kingdom were already using cumin seeds. The used it not only as a spice in cooking, however:. It was also used in the process of mummification.

Historically, Iran is a the major producer of cumin, with Inida a close second. Cumin was introduced into China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-280 CE) through the Silk Road that lead through the deserts and mountains of Xinjiang in northwestern China.

Xinjiang is the main source of cumin used in China. Cumin from Xinjiang is similar to that of Iran, its quality ranging between that of the India and Turkey crops. Cumin seeds from Xinjiang are plumpish, bright in color, rich flavor, and of high quality.

Because of its strong fragrance, the Chinese use Cumin to get rid the smell of fish and meats. It can reduced meat’s greasy flavor, as well, and has valuable antiseptic (preservative and sterilizating) effects. That perhaps explains why, in addition to its flavor, people from so many countries like to use cumin with their food. Even German people add it to sausage, and the Dutch add it to their cheese. The Spanish use it with seafood and rice. Of course in India and the Middle East, curry powders or chili powders almost always are made with cumin. The people of the Northwest China like to use cumin as seasoning and flavoring for grilled meat.

Today, cumin seasoning is no longer limited to use in these, nor is it only used with beef and lamb. Now its flavor and aroma has been extended to use in vegetarian dishes, as well as with seafood, hot pots, and a wide range of recipes. Cooking with cumin, not only to makes dishes taste rich, but interesting and distinctive, as well.

Cumin powder is its most popular form, but the seeds are also used crushed, or even whole in some cases. The popularity of cumin has led to its being available in grocery stores around the world.

In addition to its use in cooking, however, cumin has certain therapeutic value. Chinese medicine holds cumin to be therapeutically spicy in flavor and warming in effect. It is used help to warm the mid-abdomen and digestive system as a regulator of digestive and general functioning. It is also used to stimulate the appetite, to relieving cold, pain, and dampness. People with cold in the stomach will add some cumin to get rid of the cold. Normally cumin therapeutically in doses of from 3g to 9g. Since cumin has a warming effect, the dosage should not be too high—either when used as a seasoning in food, or therapeutically. Use of cumin should be reduced or even avoided in the summer. Cumin is suitable for relieving indigestion, cold-based  stomach pain, kidney weakness, and excessive urinary frequency. Cumin is not suitable for use by those who have hemorrhoids and constipation because it is too warm and drying.

Please help this cause . . . it may help you or someone you care about

We are launching a documentary project to conserve and make available the living health wisdom of China’s elders. If you have studied or practice traditional Chinese medicine or health care and feel confused or disappointed in the results you have been getting, this project deserves your support. Why? Because Chinese medicine and yangsheng, for all of their value to every person in the world, simply ARE Chinese traditional culture: HEART, MIND, BODY–coordinated in a way of living that is the root of every human life. This current generation of China’s elders may be the last one that still has daily-life familiarity with Chinese medicine and yangsheng IN PRACTICE. Won’t you please help us to conserve and make their precious knowledge available for all–ESPECIALLY in this time of economic distress. We need what they know about surviving in health! Your contribution, no matter in what amount will be put to good use in this task!  http://www.indiegogo.com/listen-to-them

Say “Chee!”

The Chinese word “qì,” as it is spelled in Pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system that uses the Roman alphabet, is pronounced like “chee” as in “cheeze, but with a “falling” tone to the vowel sound.

It is one of the words that most attracts non-Chinese to Chinese culture. And it is one of the most troublesome words.

In contemporary Chinese, qì is used to refer to the air we breath. But it is also used in reference to strength and stamina, as well as to energy and force, among other things. In spite of its being so confusing and easily misunderstood, there doesn’t seem to be any English word that could take its place. And it is a word of critical importance in Chinese traditional health practices, as well as in traditional Chinese medicine.

The history of the word goes back to Chinese philosophy, where it means “action” or “movement,” thus further complicating attempts to nail its meaning down.

I guess that, until someone comes up with just the right word in English, we will just have to keep using it. But please, don’t associate it with anything magical. After all, it is an ancient Chinese philosophical attempt to tell us something about the real world.

Perhaps we can officially adopt it into the English language. That is, as soon as we can figure out how to write about it in the dictionary.

Until then, please smile whenever you say qì!

Jennifer Tan

© Copyright 2012 Jennifer Tan. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion of TCM Health Talk™ may be used in any way without prior written permission for each instance.

My Goal

One of the greatest problems we’ve been facing in preparing our forthcoming educational materials on yang sheng—the problem that, in fact, has been our motivation for doing so, is that we want to help people to be able to apply yang sheng effectively in their own lives.

How can people do that without having to become Chinese (let alone traditional Chinese, which is the category of thought to which yang sheng belongs).

It’s not that we don’t want people to come up with their own ways of apply yang sheng in their own lives. Helping them to do so, to get the full benefit of yang sheng, is exactly what we want!

That’s the problem: how to accomplish that.

And that’s why we’re about to announce our series of courses on yang sheng.

I want to go beyond simply writing articles and hoping that people will be able to organize them into real, systematic learning. Since I believe yang sheng is unique in the various cultural health knowledge of the world’s countries, and that it is precious—and becoming even more precious in modern life, I want people who are interested to at least have the chance to learn it.

In its own way, it — a matter of life and death.

Jennifer Tan

© Copyright 2012 Jennifer Tan. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion of TCM Health Talk™ may be used in any way without prior written permission for each instance.

Where am I?

“Where am I?”

I find this question to be an invaluable tool in life.

Sometimes I find myself so busy with the details of life that I am no longer aware of being on the road I want to be on.

“Where am I?” gives me a chance to re-orient myself, and even to re-evaluate my life and redirect it if necessary. I helps me to see whether my choices are still ones I want to follow.

This is most important to me in regard to matters of health—to my own health, as well as the health of those whom I love and care about.

I will always regret that I didn’t understand the importance of health—and the importance of learning how to manage health correctly—at the time my mother became ill and suffered until she finally died. I wanted so much to do more for her—to help her. I remember how helpless I felt not being able to do so.

Gradually I realized what I might have been able to do for her if only I had asked myself sooner, “Where am I?”

By the way, Where are you?

Jennifer Tan

© Copyright 2012 Jennifer Tan. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion of TCM Health Talk™ may be used in any way without prior written permission for each instance.

New in the New Year

We are in the season of New Year celebrations, having just celebrated the solar or civil new year day on 01 January, and looking forward to the traditional lunar or agricultural new year day, which falls on 23 January of this year.

In celebrating the civil new year we look forward to happiness. In celebrating the traditional new year, we look forward to healthy longevity and good fortune.

Preparations for Chinese agricultural new year celebrations begin in the kitchen and ultimately spread out from there to climax in the fields with the planting of crops. Chinese new year celebrations focus around various traditions that express our desire for “good luck”–for success in all aspects of life, especially healthy longevity and financial prosperity, which are the the two necessary bases in the life of the individual.

This new year of 2012 will see new things developing around TCM Health Talk™, as well. Starting around the time of the Chinese New Year (23 January), we will be publishing articles on a weekly basis–once or twice per week. We are doing this to be able to bring you more complete and practical information about how to implement authentic Yang Sheng in modern Western life. To do this, we need space to drill down into the real meanings of the tings we talk about. You’ll find you get more helpful information this way.

In a few days we will be adding a new, regular monthly feature to TCM Health Talk™ in the form of a complete monthly Chinese Almanac that will help you to better understand the Yang Sheng perspective on daily life. Our Almanac was originally planned for inclusion on our new sister website, ysPedia™ (which will make its debut later this month), but I decided that its real place is here on TCM Health Talk™. We also will be announcing another website, ysMentor™. Other new things are coming as well!

Our goal is to make 2012 into the year that American’s learned about the benefits of Yang Sheng!

We are glad you are with us1

Jennifer Tan

TCM Health Talk™ is published by American Medical TCM Institute, Inc. for informational purposes only. Jennifer Tan is not a professional health care provider, and writes only about her own experience and knowledge for those who seek to increase their understanding of traditional Chinese self health care. None of the information presented here is intended to cure, treat, prevent, or diagnose any disease or illness, nor is it intended be construed as medical advice. Before making any major changes in your lifestyle or health-related habits you should seek professional medial advice from a physician.
© Copyright 2012 Jennifer Tan. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion of TCM Health Talk™ may be used in any way without prior written permission for each instance.

Marketing . . .

New Year Greetings, Everyone!

We will be back in full operation on 07 January (2012) with new features we hope will be of value to you.
In the meantime, I want to share this story with you. It came up during our discussions about what we could learn from other websites about marketing. I heard it originally from my Father. more . . .

Coming in 2012

As of the week of 01 January 2012, TCM Health Talk will be published on a weekly basis, and it will continue to be available free of charge. Here’s what else we will be offering:

Until next year,

Jennifer
Chicago, December 30, 2011

P.S. Please notice our MAIL feature in the menu above. Jennifer Tan appreciates questions from readers.

Jennifer Tan is an independent researcher, author, and speaker on the subject of traditional Chinese health practices. She is not a doctor, nor a health care provider or practitioner, and does not provide health care treatment or treatment advice for specific individuals or specific illnesses. This article is offered solely for informational purposes about Chinese cultural approaches to health. The information it presents is in no way intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or medical condition, nor to provide any form of medical advice or recommendations for any specific individual. Should you experience any of the conditions discussed in any of these articles, you are strongly advised to seek advice, diagnosis, and treatment from a physician, and to obtain a second opinion, as well.

TCM Health Talk, the slogan above, Yang Sheng Mentor, and ysMentor are trademarks of TCM GREEN MEDICINE CO. LIMITED, Hong Kong.

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