The famously extravagant Empress Dowager Cixi used three cheap things to preserve her youth. Why?

It seems that a person who lives a lavish life like Tu Hi would never touch common things. But unexpectedly, these 3 common foods in life were loved and used regularly by her.

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835 - 1908) - a famous figure in Chinese history with an extremely lavish lifestyle. Not only that, she can also be considered a "health expert" as well as having many secrets to keep her youth for a long time. An American artist once told about the experience of drawing a portrait of Cixi: "Although Cixi was 70 years old at that time, she still looked like she was only 30 years old."

Along with that, many history books also describe Empress Dowager Cixi with smooth white s.kin, full of vitality despite her old age. This makes future generations curious about the health care secrets of the Old Buddha.

Today, many remaining relics of Empress Dowager Cixi reflect her health care, especially her great attention to diet in her daily life. According to Jin Liang's "A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty Palace", the daily meals of the Old Buddha would include honey, walnuts, pine nuts, blueberries, red dates, sesame oil...

These are actually quite common foods in daily life, and ordinary people can buy and use them. No one would think that a luxurious person like Empress Dowager Cixi would touch them.

It is known that Tu Hi often used honey and chrysanthemum in her daily life as a medicine and also as a sweetener. Honey is considered a "premium product", a high-class medicine that can prolong life, is not harmful to health and can be used for a long time.

Honey tastes sweet and has the effect of nourishing the lungs, moistening the lungs and relieving coughs. It can treat symptoms such as persistent cough due to fatigue, dry throat and little phlegm, or dry cough without phlegm. In addition, honey can also improve intestinal function and treat constipation.

Many studies have shown that honey is composed of glucose and fructose, which can be absorbed directly by the human body without enzymatic d.ecomposition, so it is good for people with poor digestive function, especially the elderly.

In addition, honey also contains many types of proteins, enzymes, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin H, vitamin K, vitamin C, ... which help regulate the acid-base balance in the body. Honey crystallizes very easily, but its nutritional value will not decrease after crystallization.

Honey can be mixed with warm water for use, but note that the water temperature must be lower than 50°C because too high a temperature will deactivate the enzymes in honey and cause vitamins to be lost.

In addition to honey, Empress Dowager Cixi also often used walnuts in her daily life. According to records, the best walnuts were placed in the tea room, bedroom, and study so that the Old Buddha could enjoy them at any time. She also often used polished walnut shells to massage her feet, helping with b.lood circulation.

Empress Dowager Cixi once told her close imperial physician that the secret to good health was to eat walnuts. Thanks to her regular consumption of this food, when she was in her 70s, her hair was still shiny black and her s.kin was incredibly white.

Walnuts are warm and have a rich flavor. They help nourish the kidneys, warm the lungs, relieve asthma, and improve digestion, thereby prolonging life. Many studies have also shown that grinding walnuts with black sesame can improve s.kin elasticity, keep s.kin soft and smooth, and reduce aging.

In addition, walnuts also have the ability to nourish brain cells, the ingredients in this type of nut are all important substances for the brain cell metabolism process; help reduce cholesterol absorption in the intestine, remove impurities from the b.lood vessel walls, thereby helping b.lood circulate better in the body. Has a good effect on patients with cardiovascular disease and high b.lood fat.

Finally, the Poria cake that Empress Dowager Cixi loved to eat was often made with pine nuts as the main ingredient. In addition, many other sweet cakes in the palace also contained pine nuts. The reason is not only because of the characteristic fragrant and rich taste but also because pine nuts contain many beneficial substances in moisturizing and delaying s.kin aging.

Pine nuts are also warm and have a nutty taste similar to walnuts, but have the effect of moistening the intestines, laxative, reducing cough as well as prolonging life. Therefore, in many oriental medicine books, this is called the "longevity nut."

Many modern studies have also shown that pine nuts are rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other trace elements. Consuming a certain amount of pine nuts every day has a good effect in prolonging life, nourishing the body, beautifying and moisturizing the s.kin.

The phosphorus and manganese content in pine nuts also has a very good effect on the brain, nerves and prevents Alzheimer's. Especially for people who often do mental work. Although pine nuts are very good, they are not suitable for everyone. People with weak spleen and stomach, d.iarrhea, and phlegm should be careful when using pine nuts or should use them under the guidance of a doctor.

In addition, because pine nuts are relatively high in oil and are high in calories, eating too much will increase the amount of fat in the body. It is best to consume 20 to 30 grams of pine nuts per day. Pine nuts should also not be stored for a long time because they will have an "oily" smell due to the oil being degraded, making them unsuitable for eating.

Empress Dowager Cixi was famous for her authority, but there was only one person who made her "speechless" Uyển Đình18:46:38 15/07/2024At the e.nd of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi was always considered a figure above ten thousand people, the person in charge of the Qing Dynasty. Possessing supreme power, Tu Hi makes many people fear and dare to disobey her wishes.