Hi Everybody-
I want to stir fry licorice and dried ginger ‘black’. Separately of course. Do I use honey to do this? Can I use a cast iron pan or should I use stainless steel? How black should I make it?
THANKS in advance for your response!
Ginko
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
Cast iron is generally better than stainless steel for these processes not least of which because it heats more evenly and not as sharply. And, yes, you can use honey, but there are other substances depending on what functions are you trying to promote. Most of the time “zhi” or liquid frying would utilize honey (moisturizing), liquor (more moving), vinegar (liver issues), ginger (increase warmth and digestive issues). So Gan Cao is commonly fried with honey “Zhi Gan Cao”, which has a much stronger qi tonification properties.
Comment by Archived User
Thanks Chad. I am trying to promote a drying function- specifically for diahreea. I think this means it can be stir fried black without water or vinegar or anything- basically charring it. Is that correct? Thanks!
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
Yes, in general that is correct. However, as you most likely already know, you do need to be careful about why the diarrhea is there to begin with. So, giving someone drying substances with Stomach Yin deficiency, for example, wouldn’t work well. And drying someone with parasites probably wouldn’t work well either. Not knowing what exactly you are trying to treat, I can only speculate, but from a formula perspective something like wu mei wan or xiao chai hu tang might be relevant examples to look at for broader functions.