Food is not just something we eat for survival—food is meant to be enjoyed and savored. But different foods provide an array of healing benefits. Nuts are one category of healing food. Aside from their crunchy, salty bite—good as a party snack, and filling when you just need a tasty treat—each type of nut carries its own healing essence, and is therefore prescribed by TCM practitioners to treat and prevent many ailments.

Check out the following nuts and their properties, as described in the Eating-for-Healing Plan of our Dragon’s Way Qigong® program. And remember to toast any nuts before eating them. This warms the nuts and makes them easier to digest, therefore conserving your Qi for healing.

Walnuts and Pine Nuts

Walnuts and pine nuts (pinole nuts) have a very strong kind of energy essence that other nuts cannot match. They are especially effective for strengthening and increasing your Kidney Qi. Used as herbs and as food, the warm essence of walnuts also helps heal the Large Intestine, and improve Lung problems, constipation and memory. Can you see why? Just look at their shape! Walnuts look like tiny brains. The most valuable part of the walnut is the “screen” between the two halves. It has a lot of energy that can be used to strengthen your Kidney function. Some people make a tea out of walnut screens.

Peanuts

Peanuts help improve Spleen and Stomach function and are excellent for helping increase the volume of blood in your body. Munching on peanuts can also help lactating women increase their milk production. Stay organic and avoid super-salty peanuts.

Almonds

Almonds are known for their ability to boost Lung function. In Western society, sweet almonds are common, but TCM prescribes a different type of almond with even greater healing benefit—bitter almonds. This smaller almond helps the Lung relieve any type of cough.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds are placed into the same category as nuts in Dragon’s Way Qigong. Black sesame seeds are good for strengthening Kidney Qi, while white sesame seeds help improve Lung function. Both types of seeds can help prevent hair loss and constipation.

Try this tasty recipe. It combines almond and pine nuts for a healthy, satisfying treat!

Pinole Cookies

1 lb canned almond paste

1 1/2 cups sugar (raw or granulated)

3 egg whites

2 cups toasted pinole nuts

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Crumble the almond paste with a hand blender. Add the sugar a little bit at a time, until the mixture resembles small crumbles. Slowly blend in the egg whites. The mixture will be sticky.

Place the pinoles on a flat plate. Using a teaspoon, form the dough mixture into a small ball. Roll the dough in the pinoles until covered. Repeat until all of the mixture is formed into balls and is covered with pinoles. Place each cookie on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.

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