- [Narrator] Funding for Lucky Chow has been provided by.

(hiphop music) (Asian music) - For me, food is all about pleasure, whether I'm growing it, cooking it or eating it.

But in this episode, I'm looking at food in a different, more practical and more traditionally Asian way, how it affects wellness.

So for health purposes, is there a benefit of eating, you know, radish versus the cabbage?

(woman speaks foreign language) In America, when it comes to our health, we're more focused on curing things than preventing them.

Asian cultures see health in a more holistic way that emphasizes the crucial role of diet in maintaining the body's harmony, so I want to find out how different Asian cultures eat to be well.

(Asian music) (upbeat music) (Asian music) Traditional Chinese medicine has been around longer than the United States, 10 times longer.

These all natural practices date back 2500 years.

They're the epitome of time tested.

While western medicine focuses on fixing what's wrong, TCM focuses on overall health and wellbeing.

Some aspects of it, like acupuncture and cupping, are familiar in the West, but I'm meeting up with my friend and tour guide Hana to learn more about the dietary side of this ancient field at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum in Hangzhou, China.

- We are in (speaks foreign language), and this medicine store was built in 1874, 143 years ago and the medicine store has been like this for 143 years.

The houses behind used to be the workshops and today it's a museum.

Chinese medicine is based on three theories, the first one is yin and yang, there's an opposite for everything, only when yin and yang is well balanced, people are healthy and the second one is the channels.

There are 14 main channels inside our body and these channels are the way for the blood and the chi to go through, so they must be going smoothly, otherwise people feel painful and sick and the third one is the five elements.

The world consists of five elements and our body, five organs like five elements.

- [Danielle] What are some of the plants and the properties of Chinese medicine?

- [Hana] The very popular ones, like dates, goji berry, we eat them in our everyday life and meanwhile, they are medicine.

- So are you supposed to eat Chinese medicine every day?

- No, it does not mean we eat the Chinese medicine every day, it means food we are eating every day can digest yin and yang of our body.

(Asian music) - How do we take the medicine?

- First, when we get the herbs, we have to boil them and we drink the bitter tea, yes.

The nickname of the Chinese medicine from the young generation is bitter cook.

Chinese saying is (speaks foreign language), good medicine, bitter taste.

- Can you have the medicine in a pill form?

- Pill, it's for everyone.

The herbs is according to your situation.

The doctor diagnose you so it's personal so this works better than the pills and the capsules.

- Mmm, thank you so much, I have big bags of herbs to bring home now.

(Asian music) So many of us lead nonstop and busy lives.

For me, in New York, the nights end late and the mornings start early.

I could use more sleep and my stress level's definitely higher than it should be.

I wanted to see what a TCN doctor would prescribe me to help me feel better, more energetic and less stressed.

Wow, so I just came back from seeing the doctor and she gave me 30 different herbs, 30 plus different herbs all to treat what she calls my overthinking so I'm taking herbs like goji berries, mulberry, ginkgo nuts, all to help my liver restore itself during the block of time between 11 PM and one AM.

While TCM is ubiquitous in China with about 90% of the population practicing it, it's also available anywhere in the world where Chinese people have settled.

I'm going on a little TCM shopping trip with Sofia Tsao of Po Wing Hung Market, right here in New York City's Chinatown.

So Sofia, tell us about your shop.

- Our shop has been in Chinatown for almost 40 years.

My parents began the shop in a very small location on Hester Street, this is our third location.

We've been here for 20 years almost in just this spot.

We try to provide really good customer service by providing information.

We also specialize in higher quality products.

We have a really big team, just to select the best products that we can get.

- That's great, you're really taking this traditional herbal grocery store into the next generation, you see that this whole trend of functional food's really becoming popular amongst people of our generation in the West.

- [Sofia] Yeah, food and medicine in general is just so synonymous with health, Chinese people, we live that lifestyle so I don't think it becomes too apparent to us that we're actually practicing the TCM philosophy.

It's just our way of life.

- Can you show me some of your must have products for just overall wellness?

- Yeah, absolutely, we can get started.

- [Danielle] Yeah.

One of the prescriptions I have includes goji berries.

- Well, it really helps invigorate the chi and I think what's so popular about goji berries in general is that they're so sweet and so delicious to eat so you don't really feel like you're taking medicine.

- And these are gorgeous chrysanthemums, these bloom in tea, and how are you supposed to use these?

- Very simple, just put it into boiling water, add a little bit of honey or some rock sugar and that's just how you take it and it's very calming.

- It's like a chamomile.

- Yes, like a chamomile.

But I like this one better because I feel like it's a little bit more flavorful than a chamomile.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- So in the case of these cordyceps, what exactly are the properties?

- It's a, basically a turbo booster for our immunity.

There's no particular industry to cultivate these.

You really do need to head into the mountains of Tibet or to northern China and to find one little straw.

This is my mom, Nancy.

- Oh, hello!

- Hi.

- So my mom, she's the founder of this business along with my dad.

(laughs) If you come here, basically every day of the week, you'll see my mom behind the counter.

- I was going to ask you how people learn about these various ingredients and it needs to be so personalized but I guess your mom is a wonderful resource.

- My mom has many, many years of experience, but we also have herbalists, we have people who have been working in pharmaceuticals in China but when they immigrated here to the US, there's not a big field in TCM and so they come and they help us with quality control and to help prescribe things to our customers.

- [Danielle] Can you show us some of the different types of ginseng?

- Sure, let's take a walk over.

Ginseng is very good for energy.

Taking a little bit of ginseng just like awakens your senses.

- Really.

- Right.

This red ginseng, it has a different scent to it.

More sweet, sweetness to it.

I do think that comes out during the steaming process.

- Ah, yeah, it smells almost like a date or a lot of woodsiness, I mean, I guess that's why it makes the soups really palatable.

Not bitter at all.

- Not bitter at all.

Ginseng is not something that you would consume every day because it is such a powerful herb.

For busy people like you and I, I would just recommend taking it in slice form.

You just add it into warm water and make it into a simple tea.

(upbeat music) - So what are some basic ingredients that you need to make an overall wellness soup?

- The basic that you need in every Chinese cook's kitchen would be a red date, so these are so versatile.

One, it adds such great sweetness to any soups or anything that you're making, it really helps to invigorate blood flow, it really boosts the chi so this is something that's very, very common.

So this is, it's a dried yam, it's a long root that's sliced and then dried, what (speaks foreign language) is it helps you to absorb all the nutrients that you're eating.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah.

(laughs) If you want to add a nice flavor, mushrooms are perfect.

- Mushrooms.

- Yeah, mushrooms are perfect for that.

A general rule of thumb is just everything in about equal proportions, I mean, dosage is quite important.

Find a recipe and follow it to the T. - And no need for meat or vegetables or any other stuff.

- Not necessary.

- Okay.

(upbeat music) - So you're ready to check out?

- Yes, yes.

- Okay, let's go.

- TCM should not be seen as a substitute for food.

- TCM or medicine is just basically, like you said, a supplement to your diet and it's a way to restore your energy back.

When you feel a little bit unbalanced, your body will tell you and just come in and we'll help you out, prescribe something to you.

- Thank you, Sofia, hopefully I'll come back glowing like you.

(both laugh) I wanted to be a good patient, so I brought home all the herbs that were prescribed for me and made some healthy concoctions in my own kitchen.

(upbeat music) Eventually, these soups and teas should help me feel more balanced and energized.

TCM isn't an exact science, but maybe as a society we're too eager to take medicine as a quick fix when we could slow down and use our diet as a way to avoid getting sick in the first place.

Perhaps the hottest of all the wellness trends is probiotics, Americans have recently taken to foods and supplements containing these living microorganisms, but in Korea, they've been a part of everyday life for centuries.

Every Korean family has its own kimchi recipe and often a separate kimchi refrigerator to house their probiotic, rich pickled vegetables.

Kimchi is so important to Koreans and Korean culture that there's even a museum in Seoul dedicated to this national treasure.

Before I explore the history of this delicious dish, I'm going to put on some traditional Korean garb to set the mood.

(woman speaks foreign language) Kimchi!

(woman speaks foreign language) I defeat bad germs in your intestines and make your body healthier, says Mr. Kimchi.

(upbeat music) Is there such a thing as a kimchi day?

(woman speaks foreign language) I love how the making of kimchi is done together and then it's shared together as you said.

And I couldn't leave the kimchi museum without a cooking lesson from an expert.

What makes kimchi so healthy?

(woman speaks foreign language) Is it true that every family has a secret recipe?

(woman speaks foreign language) So for health purposes, is there a benefit of eating radish versus the cabbage?

(woman speaks foreign language) Ah.

Mmm.

It's really good, it tastes like it's already aged.

(upbeat music) I read that the average Korean eats 40 pounds of cabbage a year.

(woman speaks foreign language) (both laugh) Well, thank you for sharing your secret recipe with me.

(both laugh) (Asian music) Kimchi storeroom.

(woman speaks foreign language) So what is the comparison between Korean kimchi and then Western pickles?

(woman speaks foreign language) It looks like there's no vegetable a Korean mom can't pickle.

But fermenting your own produce isn't the only way to make something delicious that also has wellness benefits.

(upbeat music) At his pharmacy and wellness bar on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Stanley George draws on his South Asian heritage as well as his sensitive nose and palate.

Why did you decide to call this place which sells tonics and wellness drinks, also medicine, a pharmacy, rather than say, like, a wellness term?

- Pharmacists were the original tonic makers.

They would take these fresh ingredients and mix up these kind of natural medicines.

- It sounds like you're a real proponent of incorporating Eastern and Western practices.

- The spectrum that I practice blends the Ayurvedic traditions with the Chinese and even European homeopathy.

I really enjoy bringing that aspect into my pharmacy practice.

- Your motto is?

- Drinks and drugs.

- (laughs) Well, tell me about the drink part.

- It's what I do, you know?

I'm a pharmacist and I make drinks, but we take all these amazing herbs that we procure, we turn 'em into teas, we mix 'em up, they're all custom based drinks for how you feel and it's a combination of blending different teas and juices and ferments, extracts that we make, all to create these unique tastes and flavors that actually have an effect for whatever might ail you or refresh you.

Tell me how you feel, I'll make you a drink.

- Okay, so I feel tired.

Stressed.

That I need energy.

- All right, all right, let's do it.

- Okay, you know, when you go see a traditional Chinese doctor, they'll give you these individually prescribed bags of herbs that you brew into teas.

Do you do the similar thing for patients here?

- Absolutely, and I'm gonna do that for you right now.

I'm gonna give you a little bit of Stanley's pharmacy proprietary detox, take a whiff of that.

Lemon myrtle, rose hips, mmhmm.

- It smells amazing.

- Mmm.

It's a great kidney flush.

Gonna give you a little bit of this, this is schizandra, it's excellent for your liver.

- Schizandra, what is that?

- Schizandra berries?

Mmhmm, it's actually an adaptogen of Chinese medicine.

Little bit of lavender.

- Uh-huh.

- You know this, right?

- Yes.

- Here.

I want to do something for you.

- I don't usually have it in my tea, though.

(quirky music) - Doesn't that smell?

- Amazing.

- Mmhmm.

(laughs) - Okay, I'm just gonna make me fall asleep.

(both laugh) - So this is something called rhodiola and it's also considered an adaptogen in traditional Chinese medicine and it's considered really good for your adrenal glands and helps to regulate adrenal secretion and make your energy levels more stable.

- Huh.

- This is what's gonna change your life, this is the husk of a plantago seed and it's used in Ayurveda.

We take it in and it'll literally just expand and scrub the inside of your digestive tract.

- Hmm.

- It's gonna feel great.

- What's old is new again and you're taking traditional medicine practices but you're modernizing it and reintroducing it to new audiences and that's so cool.

- Thank you, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

(upbeat music) - I love it, tastes really difference than any juice I'm used to.

- It'll just go in and help flush everything out.

- Mmhmm, it's really tart and super spicy, I guess it's from the ginger, but I also love the texture of it because I suppose it's what you were talking about, the herbs that are gonna help to.

- You literally feel it go, just falling right down your throat and yeah.

- I feel so much better now than when I first walked in here, this place is a really happy place, love what you've done by putting your own spin on wellness and introducing people to, like, ancient Asian culture through food.

- Mmm, my pleasure, my pleasure, Danielle.

- [Danielle] If you're like me, there are gonna be times when you want a little buzz to achieve your optimal wellness.

That's why I'm friends with Albert Trummer, a master mixologist who designs cocktails the way top chefs craft their signature dishes.

He's opened one destination bar after another, but today he's going to make me some delicious elixirs using traditional Chinese ingredients with medicinal properties.

Hi, Albert.

- Hi, Danielle.

We have something special for you.

It's Asian kumquat and we ferment it with some juices, Austrian elderflower and also some herbs of the Chinese medicine.

- Oh, thanks.

- So Danielle, we're going to show you some of the secrets of our medicinal bar.

A good cocktail has three elements.

The first element is the fruit, the second element is some herbs or dried herbs, what they use in Chinese medicine and the third element, of course, it's the alcohol, so we're going to use alcohol and juices and combine these into a beautiful handcrafted cocktail.

- Well, you're known as sort of a doctor slash bartender.

How is your approach to cocktails different?

- When I opened my first bar in Chinatown, I learned to use Chinese herbs, botanicals.

Also I learned to use the same ingredients like chefs do in the kitchen to create a culinary experience and to make a brilliant cocktail.

So here is the overflow of all our ingredients, what we're using today, I'd like to invite you behind the bar and then we're going to practice a little bit together to make a beautiful cocktail.

- Right, thanks for the lesson.

(upbeat music) - The first process of making a cocktail, you need to create an elixir, so here we have like some dried figs.

- Okay, this looks like you're a chemist.

- It's like the chemist container, so you put two of those.

You're a good student, then you put like three of the blackberries.

- Okay.

- We put two figs in there.

- I can't decide if you're a chef teaching me how to cook or if you're a doctor teaching me how to make medicine.

- So here's the next step, we take a few leaves of this beautiful artichoke and put it in there, then we get a little bit of this juice of this guy like this in here.

- Ah.

- Yes, this is the good part is we're using fresh juices so the basic concept is really basic herbs, no sugar and no artificial flavor, so we have the baby coconut.

Then we get the starfruit.

- Starfruit.

- [Albert] Yeah, it's very healthy, squeeze that in too.

- Huh.

- So we finished with the juices and the fruits so the next thing, it's the herbs, we have some mushrooms, dried mushrooms, you find this in Chinatown all over, there's, like, I think thousands of mushrooms, we took two of the mushrooms - We're gonna put mushroom in the elixir?

- Yes, that's what they do in Chinese medicine but also important, the herbs, what we use in sage, so we put two sage leaves in there.

And then not too much rosemary.

- How did you learn all of this?

- It's like I'm testing it out on my colleagues and if we feel good, then we release it to the customer so it's almost our own FDA approvement.

So the next thing for the fermentation process, get a little bit of the bourbons.

And then you can put a little bit of the bourbon in there and I'll say stop.

That's fine.

To make the cocktail and the elixir perfect, we need to ferment that, so the fermenting process is going to be with the fire.

(upbeat music) - [Danielle] I feel like I'm in science class or chemistry class.

- It starts fermenting, little by little, it's like almost home cooking.

- Oh my goodness.

- Yeah, you're doing a really perfect job.

- Ooh, it smells amazing.

- You don't need to do it too long, but it really brings the herbs and botanicals, the secret essence out in the juice.

So we finished the process and we do the last of the fermentation, if you can put the container on the thing.

- Right on there?

- Be careful with the hands.

- Hoo.

- And then we can put this right in there.

(Danielle screams) Here we go.

- This is very magical.

- This was the final fermentation.

After our fermenting experience, we're going to taste the homemade elixir, cheers, cheers to you.

- Time to drink our medicine?

- Yes, we drink the medicine.

(quirky music) We call it Danielle number three.

Let's make this into a cocktail.

I would put a little bit rosemary each.

And then we have some sage.

So the next step is gin.

A little more.

- Yeah, a little more.

- Yes.

And then I like to put a little bit of lime juice.

There's a special tonic.

And then we fill this up with tonic and stir gently.

- (laughs) You know, Albert, I think that there's just a general trend in the food world towards wellness and functional foods.

How is it crossing over into your world?

- It goes years back when I opened up back in Chinatown, I was so close to all these natural healing stores.

I was so inspired by Chinatown and the Asian medicine to create beautiful things and beautiful cocktails with Chinese medicine.

- Love it, so you can drink your way towards enlightenment.

- Yes, cheers, thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Danielle] While setting a cocktail on fire might not be the easiest way to achieve wellness, it's certainly entertaining.

As Asian ideas of wellness take their place in the American mainstream, I'm glad that I was able to go to the source to see where some of these trends came from and how they work on an everyday basis.

Now I know just how healthy an Asian diet can be.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Funding for Lucky Chow has been provided by.

(hiphop music) To learn more about Lucky Chow, visit luckyrice.com.

(orchestral music)