This is an easy to prepare tonic cum beauty soup. More commonly, bird’s nest is brewed with rock sugar and if ginseng is added, the usual ones used are Pao Shen or American Ginseng 泡参 and Ginseng 人参. Here, I use red ginseng 红参 instead. Please see Picture (a) below for the main ingredients.
Red Ginseng 红参 aids the production of collagen in the body, is warm and a suitable tonic for both the young and old. Being a mild tonic, Red Ginseng is also beneficial to those who are weakened and deliberated after an illness and it is known to strengthen the functions of the body and promote recovery. According to《本草正义》， 红参“气味浓厚，色亦重浊，具有温养生发之性，今用之于脾肾虚寒，真阳衰弱及中气不振，阴寒用事诸证，功效 甚捷”。An excerpt from this Chinese website 百科百度: 红参俱有补气、滋阴、益血、生津、强心、健胃、镇静等作用。这些作用红参与白参没有严格的区别，但在补虚方面一般认为红参强于白参。久服红参可以提高人体免疫力、抗疲劳、抗辐射、抑制肿瘤、调整人体内分泌系统。红参适合于老人、久病体虚者，红参具有火大、劲足、功效强之特点，是阴盛阳虚者的首选补品，医药上治疗虚脱或强补多用红参。
The usual way of brewing bird's nest applies: soak bird’s nest in water for 2 hours (b), remove feathers/dust particles, add red ginseng and rock sugar and brew over double boil (隔水炖) for an hour.
I prepare this tonic for my family fortnightly... hope you try the recipe and bring health and longevity to your loved ones. Cheers!
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