Health & Life

Don’t waste the incense ashes after lighting them, turn them into a nutritious and beneficial dish for your health.

Many people purchase the Buddha's Hand fruit to use it for burning incense, but once the fruit is dried up, they discard it without realizing its various culinary uses and health benefits.

Administrator

3 March, 2024

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Phật thủ, also known as Buddha’s hand, is a popular choice for incense offerings due to its fragrance and its shape resembling Buddha’s hand embracing and protecting. Nowadays, Buddha’s hand is grown in many places as both an incense offering and a feng shui plant, believed to bring good luck and auspiciousness.

The leaves and fruit of Buddha’s hand have a fragrance similar to that of citrus fruits. However, Buddha’s hand does not have pulp, only white rind and pith, so many people think that it is not edible.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Buddha’s hand has a warm, bitter, and pungent taste, which is good for the lung meridian and helps to transform phlegm. The fruit of Buddha’s hand has medicinal uses for conditions such as intercostal pain, upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, cough, bronchial asthma with abundant sputum, and dyspnea.

Buddha’s hand can be used fresh or dried. It can be prepared as a decoction, brewed as tea, or used in cooking, such as in soups or stews.

Some dishes and remedies made from Buddha’s hand include:

– For treating cough, chronic bronchitis: Take 6g of Buddha’s hand along with 6g of Ban Xia rhizome, decoct and drink multiple times a day. If you don’t have Ban Xia rhizome available, you can use Buddha’s hand alone.

– For stomach fullness, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting: Take 3-10g of Buddha’s hand decoction or infuse in alcohol for adults to consume.

– Buddha’s hand-infused liquor helps to enhance cognition and reduce depression: Soak 30g of Buddha’s hand in 500ml of white liquor for 7-10 days. Drink no more than 40-50ml at a time.

– Buddha’s hand syrup: Wash 15g of Buddha’s hand, finely chop it, and add an appropriate amount of sugar to a teapot. Pour boiling water and steep to drink as a tea substitute. It can be used for abdominal cramps caused by bloating. Alternatively, you can soak Buddha’s hand in rock sugar, cook it thoroughly to make syrup, and store it in a cool place for later use.

– Buddha’s hand porridge: Use about 15g of Buddha’s hand to boil water, remove the residue, and add rice to cook into porridge. Season with salt or sugar according to taste. It can be used for fever, cough, and chest pain caused by pleural effusion.

– Buddha’s hand tea: Take 10g of Buddha’s hand, rinse it, finely chop it, and infuse in boiling water to drink as a daily substitute for tea. It can be used for patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, bloating, nausea, and vomiting.

– Buddha’s hand and Coptis chinensis tea help to enhance vision and brighten the eyes: Take 60g of Buddha’s hand, 15g of Coptis chinensis, and 3g of tea. Cook Buddha’s hand and Coptis chinensis together to make a concentrated decoction, then pour it into a warm teacup with the prepared tea. Drink one cup a day, for 5-7 days per session. This type of tea helps to enhance vision and brighten the eyes, especially for elderly people and those with ocular paralysis.

– Buddha’s hand and pig’s heart stew: Use the uppermost section of a pig’s heart, a good-quality piece, clean it, and add 20g of Buddha’s hand to stew. Season with spices to taste. This dish is beneficial for women with leukorrhea and deficiency of blood due to dampness. Consume it 2-3 times a week continuously for 2-3 weeks.

With all these benefits, after offering Buddha’s hand incense, you can dry the remaining fruit thinly and use it to make tea gradually.

Frequently asked questions

Buddha’s hand has a citrus fragrance similar to that of lemon or orange blossoms. The leaves and fruit emit this pleasant aroma.

While Buddha’s hand is technically edible, it does not have the pulp commonly associated with citrus fruits. Instead, it consists of a white rind and pith, which some people find unappetizing. However, it can be used in cooking and to make tea or syrup.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Buddha’s hand has a warm, bitter, and pungent taste, which is beneficial for the lung meridian. It is believed to help with conditions such as intercostal pain, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, cough, bronchial asthma, and dyspnea. It is also used to treat phlegm and improve cognition and depression.

Buddha’s hand can be used fresh or dried. You can prepare it as a decoction, brew it as tea, or use it in cooking. Specific recipes include treating a cough or chronic bronchitis with a decoction of Buddha’s hand and Ban Xia rhizome, using it to alleviate stomach issues like fullness and poor appetite, and infusing it in alcohol to enhance cognition and reduce depression.

Yes, Buddha’s hand syrup can be made by chopping the fruit, adding sugar, and steeping it in boiling water. This syrup is good for abdominal cramps. You can also make Buddha’s hand porridge by boiling the fruit, removing the residue, and adding rice. Season with salt or sugar to taste. This porridge is believed to help with fever, cough, and chest pain.

Buddha’s hand tea can be made by infusing chopped Buddha’s hand in boiling water. This tea is suitable for daily consumption and is believed to aid patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. Another tea recipe combines Buddha’s hand with Coptis chinensis, which is said to enhance vision and brighten the eyes.

Buddha’s hand and pig’s heart stew is a dish that combines the uppermost section of a pig’s heart with Buddha’s hand and spices. It is believed to be beneficial for women with leukorrhea and blood deficiency due to dampness.

After offering the Buddha’s hand as incense, you can dry the remaining fruit thinly and use it gradually to make tea or other remedies.