Cough Relieving Pear Dessert 止咳雪梨汤 - TCM Singapore 

Maybe it’s the extremely hot weather, or it was that night after eating some durians :P, my little one developed sore throat & cough with phlegm. As with previous episodes, antihistamines and cough syrups don’t do much help. So this time round, I tried this TCM Singapore pear dessert and it seems to work on him, relieving his cough and clearing his phlegm much faster.

Pear is known to be nourishing & moistens the lungs in TCM. Chuan Bei Mu (Fritillaria cirrhosa bulb) clears heat and dissolves phlegm, while nourishing and moistening lungs. Apricot kernel helps to relieve coughs and sore throats. There are 2 kinds of apricot kernels – Northern Apricot Kernels (北杏仁) and Southern Apricot Kernels (南杏仁). The former is bitter while the latter is on the sweet side. The proportion of Northern to Southern kernels used is 1:2. Southern Apricot Kernels (南杏仁) also has nourishing skin benefits.

This dessert is suitable for treating heaty cough. It is not meant to treat cold cough as chuan bei is very cooling to the body. This has to be taken for 7 days continuously to relieve the cough and loosen the phlegm. If still not well, rest for 5 days before taking for another 7 days. 

This yummy dessert can also be taken if there is no cough, just to relieve heatiness, soothe the throat and nourish the skin. Snow fungus can be added for additional skin nourishing benefits.

最近的天气很热，那天儿子吃了榴莲晚上喉咙痛，咳嗽。用西药没什么帮助，就让他吃这顿汤试试。雪梨、川貝母，南北杏，都是清热润肺的，很适合干燥的天气喝。

南杏仁又名甜杏仁，内含丰富的维生素E，能润肺平喘、生津开胃、润大肠，故有肺病、高血压、高血脂的患者如能长期食用，对身体健康大有裨益。它也有润燥补肺滋养肌肤的作用。

北杏仁又名苦杏仁，能祛痰宁咳、润肠。北杏仁中起着关键药理作用的是一种叫氢氰酸的物质，它可以对呼吸神经中枢起到一定的镇静作用，具有止咳的功效.

天气干燥，也会感觉皮肤干燥，或者咳嗽，嗓子不舒服。这时候喝上一碗暖暖的“冰糖川貝南北杏炖雪梨”，整个人都温润顺畅起来。

Ingredients材料 (serves 1)

1. Half a pear (I used korean brown pear); 雪梨半个
2. Chuan Bei Powder 2 g; 川貝母粉 2克

2-3 grams for a 30 kg child (check with the medical hall for the appropriate amount to use; I also got the medical hall to grind the chuan bei into powder for me.)

1. Rock Sugar small piece; 冰糖 一小块 (optional)
2. 1 Red date ；红枣 1个
3. Northern and Southern apricot Kernels  1 tsp ; 南北杏 1小茶匙
4. Boiling water 200ml (depends on container); 沸水（适量）

Method做法

1. Rinse the pear, remove skin & core and cut into small pieces. 将雪梨冲洗，去皮，挖出梨心， 切成小快。
2. Rinse the red dates, remove the seed. Rinse the apricot kernels. 将红枣冲洗去心，南北杏仁冲洗。
3. Put about 2 grams of chuan bei powder into the bowl. 将川北母粉放进碗里。
4. Fill the bowl to about half with boiling water. 倒入一半的沸水。
5. Stir to dissolve the chuan bei powder in the water. 将粉溶解。
6. Add in the rock sugar and stir to dissolve it. 加入冰糖。
7. Add in the pear and red date & apricot kernels. 加入雪梨，红枣与南北杏仁。
8. Cover the cup with its cover, put into pot. 盖上放入锅。
9. Then, fill the pot with boiling water (to be about ½ the height of the cup). 锅里加入沸水。
10. Stew / boil for 4hours. 大火烧开后，转小火，慢炖4个小时即可.
11. Remove and serve when cool (best is to eat everything in it- my boy is super picky so he only drinks the soup, well still better than nothing). 等凉了即可饮用。

Tips小诀窍

1. Suitable for kids as young as 1 (but remember must adjust the amount of powder and pear used according to weight – do check with the medical hall).