Winter Yao Shan: Warming Tonics and Soups for Cold Months

Last updated: April 2026

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider or licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner before starting any herbal regimen. Some TCM herbs may interact with medications or be contraindicated for certain conditions.

Quick Answer

• Winter is the premier season for tonification (进补, jìn bǔ) in TCM — the body's metabolism slows, yang energy retreats inward, and the Kidney organ system becomes the focus of nourishment.
• Six warming yao shan recipes — including the 1,800-year-old Dang Gui Ginger Lamb Soup from Zhang Zhongjing — provide targeted warm-tonifying (温补, wēn bǔ) support for cold months.
• TCM winter dietary rules follow three principles: tonify the Kidney, warm the yang, and supplement qi and blood — while avoiding raw, cold, and overly greasy foods.
• Key warming herbs and foods include lamb, astragalus (黄芪), cinnamon bark (肉桂), dried ginger (干姜), and walnuts — all classified as warm or hot in nature by TCM pharmacology (translated from Chinese medical sources).

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Why Winter Is the Season for Warming Tonics

TCM theory holds that winter belongs to the Water element and corresponds to the Kidney organ system. The Kidney stores the body's fundamental essence (精, jīng) — a concept roughly analogous to constitutional vitality and reproductive health in Western terms.

During winter, nature enters a state of dormancy. Bears hibernate. Trees drop their leaves. In TCM's framework, the body's yang qi retreats deep inside, consolidating and storing energy for the growth cycle of spring. This inward movement creates a unique window: the body is primed to absorb and retain tonifying substances because the yang is contained rather than dispersed.

This is why the Chinese medical tradition considers winter the best time for supplementation. The Anyang Disease Prevention and Control Center published guidelines noting that winter supplementation should follow "six principles," including: warm tonification is primary, nourish the liver, supplement the Kidney, and avoid cold damage (translated from Chinese). A 2022 survey by the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission found that 82% of Chinese households that practice food therapy increase their consumption of medicinal soups during winter months.

But there is an important nuance. TCM winter supplementation follows a principle called "三宜三忌" (sān yí sān jì) — three dos and three don'ts:

Three Dos:

1. Warm tonification (宜温补) — use warming foods and herbs
2. Nourish the liver (宜养肝) — support the organ that spring will activate
3. Supplement the Kidney (宜补肾) — the organ of winter

Three Don'ts:

1. Don't expose yourself to cold (忌受寒)
2. Don't stay up late (忌熬夜) — winter sleep should be longer
3. Don't be sedentary (忌懒惰) — gentle movement keeps qi circulating

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Recipe 1: Dang Gui Ginger Lamb Soup (当归生姜羊肉汤)

This is the single most famous winter medicinal soup in all of Chinese food therapy. It was first recorded by Zhang Zhongjing (张仲景), the "Sage of Chinese Medicine," in his masterwork Jingui Yaolue (Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet), written around 200 CE. That makes this recipe over 1,800 years old — and still prescribed by TCM practitioners today.

Original Formula (from the Jingui Yaolue)

Zhang Zhongjing's original proportions:

• Dang gui (当归, Angelica sinensis): 90g (3 liǎng)
• Fresh ginger (生姜): 150g (5 liǎng)
• Lamb (羊肉): 500g (1 jīn)

Modern home cooks typically scale down the dang gui and ginger, but the ratios remain important.

Modern Adapted Recipe

• 500g lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 3cm chunks
• 15g dang gui (当归)
• 50g fresh ginger, sliced thickly
• 5g salt
• 15ml rice wine (料酒)
• Optional additions: 5 red dates, 10g goji berries, small piece of tangerine peel

Instructions

1. Remove any silver skin from the lamb. Cut into chunks and place in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes to release blood and impurities. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Place the blanched lamb, dang gui slices, and ginger in a clay pot or heavy stockpot.
3. Add approximately 2 liters of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Add rice wine. Skim any remaining foam from the surface.
5. Reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until the lamb is fall-apart tender.
6. Season with salt. Serve hot — eat the meat and drink the broth.

TCM Analysis

• Lamb: Sweet, warm. Enters Spleen, Stomach, Kidney channels. The preeminent warming meat in TCM. Tonifies qi, nourishes blood, warms the middle burner, expels cold.
• Dang gui: Sweet, pungent, warm. Enters Liver, Heart, Spleen channels. Tonifies and invigorates blood, moistens the intestines. The "women's herb" — but equally useful for men with blood deficiency patterns.
• Ginger: Pungent, slightly warm. Enters Lung, Spleen, Stomach channels. Disperses cold, warms the middle, stops nausea.

Zhang Zhongjing designed this formula for blood deficiency with cold — people who feel cold easily, have a pale complexion, experience abdominal pain that improves with warmth, and may have irregular or painful menstruation. The lamb provides warmth, the dang gui nourishes blood, and the ginger disperses accumulated cold.

Modifications (from Chinese clinical sources):

• If cold is severe: increase ginger, add 3g dried ginger (干姜) or 2g cinnamon bark (肉桂)
• If there is nausea: add 6g tangerine peel (陈皮) and 10g white atractylodes (白术)
• If qi is also deficient: add 15g astragalus (黄芪) and 10g codonopsis (党参)

Cultural note: Zhang Zhongjing, who created this formula, is commemorated every year during the Winter Solstice festival. Legend holds that he distributed lamb-and-herb dumplings shaped like ears (jiaozi) to poor villagers suffering from frostbitten ears during a harsh winter. This is one of the origin stories for why Chinese families eat dumplings at the Winter Solstice — a tradition that persists across northern China to this day. The dang gui ginger lamb soup is essentially the filling of those original medicinal dumplings in soup form.

For a deeper exploration of this recipe's history and variations, see our dang gui ginger lamb soup guide.

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Recipe 2: Black-Bone Chicken with Astragalus and Red Dates (黄芪红枣乌鸡汤)

Black-bone chicken (乌鸡, wū jī) — also called silkie chicken — is one of TCM's most prized food-medicines. Its dark meat and bones contain higher concentrations of carnosine, melanin, and amino acids compared to regular chicken, according to a 2021 study in Poultry Science.

Ingredients

• 1 whole black-bone chicken (about 800g–1kg), cleaned and quartered
• 20g astragalus root (黄芪)
• 10 red dates (红枣), pitted
• 15g codonopsis root (党参)
• 10g goji berries (枸杞子)
• 5 slices ginger
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Blanch the chicken pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
2. Rinse the herbs under running water.
3. Place chicken, astragalus, codonopsis, red dates, and ginger in a large clay pot or slow cooker.
4. Add 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add goji berries in the last 10 minutes.
6. Season with salt. The broth should be golden-amber and richly fragrant.

TCM Analysis

• Black-bone chicken: Sweet, neutral to slightly warm. Enters Liver, Kidney, Lung channels. Nourishes yin, tonifies qi and blood. Unlike lamb (which is strongly warming), black-bone chicken is gentle enough for people with mixed deficiency patterns.
• Astragalus: Sweet, slightly warm. Enters Lung, Spleen channels. Tonifies qi, raises yang, consolidates the defensive qi (卫气, wèi qì). A 2022 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Pharmacology reviewed 14 clinical trials and found that astragalus-containing formulas significantly improved immune markers in 11 of them.
• Codonopsis: Sweet, neutral. Enters Spleen, Lung channels. A milder, more affordable alternative to ginseng. Tonifies middle-burner qi.

This soup is especially recommended for people recovering from illness, postpartum women, and the elderly. In many Chinese households, black-bone chicken soup is the first medicinal food given to a woman after childbirth, and it remains a staple throughout the 30-day "sitting the month" (坐月子, zuò yuè zi) confinement period. It is a staple of Chinese postpartum food therapy traditions.

Sourcing note: Black-bone chickens are widely available in Chinese supermarkets, both fresh and frozen. Look for whole birds labeled 乌鸡 or "black silkie chicken." They are smaller than standard chickens (typically 800g–1.2kg) and have dark purple-black skin, bones, and meat. The flavor is richer and more mineral-tasting than conventional chicken.

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Recipe 3: Ten-Perfection Great Tonifying Soup (十全大补汤)

This is the most comprehensive tonifying formula in TCM, combining Four Gentlemen Decoction (四君子汤, which tonifies qi) with Four Substances Decoction (四物汤, which tonifies blood), plus astragalus and cinnamon bark. The result is a formula that simultaneously addresses qi deficiency, blood deficiency, and yang deficiency.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (or half a chicken, about 600g)
• 3g codonopsis root (党参)
• 12g poria (茯苓, fú líng)
• 12g white atractylodes (白术, bái zhú)
• 6g honey-prepared licorice root (炙甘草)
• 9g dang gui (当归)
• 6g chuanxiong (川芎, Ligusticum)
• 12g rehmannia root (熟地黄, shú dì huáng)
• 12g white peony root (白芍, bái sháo)
• 12g astragalus root (黄芪)
• 2g cinnamon bark (肉桂)
• 5 slices ginger, 2 scallion stalks

Instructions

1. Place all herbs in a clean muslin bag and tie securely.
2. Clean and quarter the chicken. Blanch in boiling water, drain, and rinse.
3. Place the chicken and herb bag in a large clay pot. Add 2.5 liters of water.
4. Bring to a boil, add ginger and scallion, then reduce to a low simmer.
5. Cook for 2–2.5 hours until the chicken is very tender and the broth is deeply flavored.
6. Remove the herb bag. Season with salt.
7. Drink the broth and eat the chicken over 2–3 servings.

TCM Analysis

This formula targets qi and blood dual deficiency with yang weakness (气血两虚兼阳虚). Signs include: persistent fatigue, pale face, cold extremities, poor appetite, shortness of breath, dizziness, and thin or irregular menstruation.

The ten herbs work in four functional groups:

1. Qi tonics (党参, 白术, 茯苓, 甘草): Strengthen the Spleen to generate qi
2. Blood tonics (当归, 川芎, 熟地黄, 白芍): Nourish and move blood
3. Yang warming (肉桂): Warms the Kidney yang, the root of all yang in the body
4. Qi lifting (黄芪): Raises qi upward and consolidates the exterior defense

Important caution: This is a powerful tonifying formula. It is NOT appropriate for people with heat patterns (red face, irritability, thick yellow tongue coating, fever) or active infections. TCM practitioners emphasize that "tonifying when there is excess is like adding fuel to fire" (translated from Chinese).

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Recipe 4: Astragalus Black Pepper Lamb Soup (黄芪黑椒羊肉汤)

A Cantonese variation that adds black pepper's warming punch. This recipe was recommended by the Shenzhen Municipal Government's health education materials as suitable for winter warming and stomach protection.

Ingredients

• 500g lamb, cut into chunks
• 10g whole black peppercorns (黑胡椒粒)
• 15g astragalus root (黄芪)
• 6g dried tangerine peel (陈皮)
• 20g rehmannia root (熟地黄)
• 15g fresh ginger, sliced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Blanch lamb pieces, drain, and pan-sear briefly with a small amount of oil until lightly browned.
2. Rinse the herbs. Lightly crush the black peppercorns.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2 liters of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
5. Cook for 90 minutes to 2 hours until lamb is tender.
6. Season and serve hot.

TCM Analysis

• Black pepper: Pungent, hot. Enters Stomach, Large Intestine channels. Warms the middle, disperses cold, improves appetite. Black pepper is classified as "hot" (热, rè) rather than merely "warm" — making this a more intense warming formula.
• Rehmannia: Sweet, slightly warm (in its prepared/cooked form). Enters Liver, Kidney channels. Nourishes blood and fills essence.
• Combined effect: This formula is particularly suited for people with Spleen-Kidney yang deficiency — those who feel cold in the abdomen and lower back, have loose stools, and experience poor digestion during winter.

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Recipe 5: Goji and Huangjing Mother Hen Soup (枸杞黄精母鸡汤)

This recipe comes from the Yiyang Municipal Government health guidelines. It balances warming and nourishing — good for people who need winter tonification but tend toward yin deficiency.

Ingredients

• Half a free-range hen (母鸡, mǔ jī), about 600g
• 20g goji berries (枸杞子)
• 15g codonopsis root (党参)
• 20g huangjing (黄精, Polygonatum sibiricum)
• 15g fresh ginger, sliced
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Clean and quarter the hen. Blanch in boiling water and rinse.
2. Rinse all herbs.
3. Place the chicken, goji, codonopsis, huangjing, and ginger in a clay pot.
4. Add 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Season with salt. The broth should be rich and golden.

TCM Analysis

• Hen (mother chicken): Sweet, warm. Enters Spleen, Stomach channels. TCM distinguishes between rooster (公鸡, which is more yang and dispersing) and hen (母鸡, which is more yin-nourishing and consolidating). Hen is preferred for tonification.
• Huangjing (Polygonatum): Sweet, neutral. Enters Spleen, Lung, Kidney channels. Tonifies qi, nourishes yin, strengthens the Spleen. This herb bridges the gap between qi tonics and yin tonics — moistening without being cold.
• Goji berries: Sweet, neutral. Enters Liver, Kidney, Lung channels. Nourishes Liver and Kidney yin, brightens the eyes. Contains high concentrations of zeaxanthin and beta-carotene (about 14mg per 100g dried weight according to USDA data).

This formula works well as a gentler alternative to the lamb-based soups for people who find lamb too heating. It is also suitable for those with mild yin deficiency who still need winter warmth. See our best warming foods in Chinese medicine for more options.

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Recipe 6: Warming Congee with Dried Ginger and Cinnamon (干姜肉桂温阳粥)

A simple breakfast congee for the coldest days of winter. Published by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine as a recommended daily warming food.

Ingredients

• 100g rice
• 3g dried ginger (干姜, gān jiāng), sliced thin
• 1g cinnamon bark (肉桂, ròu guì), crushed
• 5 red dates (红枣), pitted and halved
• 15g brown sugar (红糖)
• 1.5 liters water

Instructions

1. Wash rice and soak 30 minutes.
2. Place rice, dried ginger, cinnamon bark, and red dates in a pot with water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat.
4. Cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until congee is thick and creamy.
5. Stir in brown sugar just before serving.

TCM Analysis

• Dried ginger: Pungent, hot. Enters Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, Heart, Lung channels. Dried ginger is more warming than fresh ginger — fresh ginger disperses external cold, while dried ginger warms internal cold. This distinction matters.
• Cinnamon bark: Pungent, sweet, hot. Enters Kidney, Spleen, Heart, Liver channels. Supplements the fire of the Gate of Vitality (命门之火, mìng mén zhī huǒ) — TCM's concept of the body's core metabolic fire located in the Kidney. Only small amounts are needed; excessive cinnamon can damage yin.
• Brown sugar: Sweet, warm. Enters Liver, Spleen, Stomach channels. Warms the middle, invigorates blood, dispels cold.

This is the simplest recipe in this collection but potentially the most practical for daily winter use. It can be eaten every morning during the coldest 4–6 weeks of winter (roughly from Da Xue through Da Han — mid-December through mid-January).

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How Much Is Too Much? The TCM View on Winter Over-Tonification

A crucial point that Chinese sources consistently emphasize: more tonification is not better. The Anyang CDC guidelines state that "eating one medicinal meal per week is sufficient" (translated from Chinese). Over-tonification can produce several problems:

1. Excess internal heat (上火, shàng huǒ): Symptoms include mouth ulcers, acne, irritability, constipation, and nosebleeds. This is the most common side effect of overdoing winter warming foods.
2. Digestive stagnation (食积, shí jī): Heavy tonifying soups can overwhelm the Spleen if consumed too frequently, especially in people with weak digestion. Signs: bloating, loss of appetite, thick tongue coating.
3. Dampness accumulation: Rich meats and fatty broths can generate dampness (湿, shī) in susceptible individuals, particularly those with phlegm-dampness constitutions.

The practical guideline: one to two medicinal soup meals per week during winter, supplemented by warming congee and teas on other days. People with robust constitutions need less tonification than those with deficiency patterns.

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A Practical Weekly Winter Meal Plan

Here is how to structure a week of winter eating that incorporates these recipes without overdoing the tonification:

Day	Morning	Lunch/Dinner
Monday	Warming ginger-cinnamon congee (Recipe 6)	Regular balanced meal
Tuesday	Regular breakfast	Dang gui ginger lamb soup (Recipe 1)
Wednesday	Walnut and chestnut congee	Regular meal with root vegetables
Thursday	Ginger-cinnamon black tea + regular breakfast	Black-bone chicken soup (Recipe 2) — lighter tonification
Friday	Warming congee (Recipe 6)	Regular meal with seasonal greens
Saturday	Regular breakfast	Astragalus black pepper lamb (Recipe 4) or goji hen soup (Recipe 5)
Sunday	Red date and longan tea + breakfast	Light soup or congee — rest the Spleen

The pattern: Heavy tonifying soup 2 times per week. Warming congee or tea 3–4 mornings. Regular balanced meals fill the rest. This matches the Chinese clinical guideline of "one medicinal meal per week is sufficient" while allowing slightly more frequency during the coldest weeks.

Peak tonification window: Between Dong Zhi (Winter Solstice, ~Dec 21) and Da Han (~Jan 20), you can increase to 3 tonifying meals per week. Outside this window, 1–2 per week is plenty.

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Who Should Avoid Winter Warming Tonics?

Not everyone benefits from warming tonics. TCM identifies several groups who should use caution:

• People with yin deficiency and heat signs (night sweats, hot flashes, red cheeks, dry mouth at night) — warming tonics can worsen these symptoms. Focus instead on yin-nourishing foods.
• People with damp-heat patterns (oily skin, bitter taste in the mouth, yellow tongue coating, irritability) — warming plus dampness equals stagnation. See our damp-heat constitution guide.
• People with active infections or fever — never tonify during acute illness. TCM practitioners say: "Close the door after the thief has left, not while they are still inside" (translated from Chinese). Treat the illness first, tonify after recovery.
• Children under 3 — their digestive systems are still developing and cannot handle strong tonifying herbs.

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The Science Behind Winter Warming Foods

Modern nutritional research provides some evidence for the warming properties TCM attributes to winter foods:

Lamb and thermogenesis: Lamb is high in L-carnitine — a compound involved in fat metabolism and thermogenesis (heat generation). A 2019 study in Meat Science found that lamb contains approximately 190mg of L-carnitine per 100g, compared to 130mg in beef and 30mg in chicken. Higher L-carnitine intake has been associated with increased fat oxidation, which generates body heat — potentially explaining TCM's classification of lamb as the strongest warming meat.

Ginger and gingerols: The warming sensation from ginger is mediated by gingerols and shogaols — bioactive compounds that activate TRPV1 receptors (the same receptors activated by chili peppers, but at lower intensity). Dried ginger contains higher concentrations of shogaols than fresh ginger, which aligns with TCM's distinction that dried ginger (干姜) is "hotter" than fresh ginger (生姜). A 2019 meta-analysis in Food Science & Nutrition reviewed 43 studies and found that ginger supplementation significantly reduced inflammatory markers and improved circulation.

Cinnamon and metabolic effects: Cinnamaldehyde, the primary bioactive compound in cinnamon, has been shown to activate thermogenesis in adipose tissue. A 2017 study in Metabolism found that cinnamaldehyde increased energy expenditure in human adipose cells — providing a metabolic basis for TCM's claim that cinnamon "supplements the fire of the Gate of Vitality."

Astragalus and immune function: Astragaloside IV, the primary active compound in astragalus, has been extensively studied for immunomodulatory effects. A 2023 review in Phytomedicine analyzed 23 clinical trials and found significant improvements in immune markers including natural killer cell activity and T-cell counts. This supports TCM's claim that astragalus "consolidates the exterior defense" (固表) — strengthening the body's resistance to winter infections.

Black-bone chicken: A 2021 study in Poultry Science found that black-bone chicken meat contained significantly higher levels of carnosine (an antioxidant amino acid), melanin, and essential amino acids compared to conventional broiler chicken. The melanin content may contribute to the higher antioxidant capacity attributed to black-bone chicken in TCM.

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FAQ

Q: Can vegetarians practice winter yao shan? A: Yes. While lamb and chicken feature prominently in traditional winter formulas, many warming herbs can be combined with plant-based proteins. Walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, and black sesame are warming foods that provide sustenance without meat. Warming congees with ginger, cinnamon, and red dates are entirely plant-based. Astragalus and codonopsis soups can be made with mushrooms (especially shiitake, which TCM considers neutral-to-warm) instead of meat.

Q: Is it true that different parts of lamb have different TCM properties? A: Yes, according to traditional sources. Lamb kidney (羊肾) is considered the strongest for supplementing Kidney yang. Lamb liver (羊肝) is used for Liver blood deficiency and vision problems. Lamb bone marrow (羊骨髓) is used for essence deficiency. For the soup recipes in this article, leg and shoulder meat are the standard cuts — they provide balanced warming and nourishing without being too targeted to one organ system.

Q: What is the difference between warm-tonifying (温补) and hot-tonifying (热补)? A: This is an important TCM distinction. Warm-tonifying uses herbs classified as "warm" (温, wēn) — like astragalus, dang gui, and lamb — which gently support yang without causing excessive heat. Hot-tonifying uses herbs classified as "hot" (热, rè) — like aconite (附子), dried ginger, and cinnamon bark — which powerfully drive out cold but risk causing interior heat if used carelessly. Most home cooking should stay in the warm-tonifying range. Hot-tonifying herbs should be used under professional guidance.

Q: When exactly should I start and stop eating winter warming foods? A: TCM follows the solar terms (节气, jié qi). Winter formally begins at Li Dong (立冬, around November 7) and ends at Li Chun (立春, around February 4). However, the peak period for winter tonification is between Dong Zhi (冬至, Winter Solstice, around December 21) and Da Han (大寒, around January 20). Many Chinese families traditionally begin their heaviest supplementation at the Winter Solstice. After Li Chun, the diet should gradually shift toward lighter, sprouting spring foods.

Q: Can I use a slow cooker or instant pot instead of a clay pot? A: TCM traditionalists prefer clay pots (砂锅, shā guō) because they distribute heat evenly and are believed not to react with medicinal herbs. However, modern slow cookers replicate the low-and-slow conditions well. Instant pots and pressure cookers work for time savings, though some practitioners feel the rapid cooking at high pressure alters the "qi" of the soup. Practically speaking, slow cookers produce results closest to traditional clay pot cooking.

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Sources

• Zhang Zhongjing. Jingui Yaolue (Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet). Eastern Han Dynasty (c. 200 CE).
• Anyang Disease Prevention and Control Center. (2023). "Six Principles of Winter Medicinal Food Supplementation." (冬季药膳进补"六项原则"). Retrieved from aycdc.cn.
• Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (2019). "Winter Warming Congee." (寒冬时节话养生，温补粥品最宜人). Retrieved from zyj.beijing.gov.cn.
• Shenzhen Municipal Government. (2024). "Winter and Spring Supplementation for Cold Prevention." (冬春如何调补防感). Retrieved from sz.gov.cn.
• Yiyang Municipal Government. (2024). "Winter Stomach Nourishing: Three Medicinal Meals." (冬季养胃，这三款药膳值得一试). Retrieved from yiyang.gov.cn.
• Tianjin Municipal Health Commission. (2021). "Different Constitutions, Different Medicinal Meals." (不同体质适合不同药膳). Retrieved from wsjk.tj.gov.cn.
• The Paper (澎湃新闻). (2023). "8 Winter Warming Stomach Soups." (8款冬季暖胃汤). Retrieved from thepaper.cn.
• YaCook. "Four Seasons Health: Winter Medicinal Food." (四季养生之冬季药膳). Retrieved from yacook.org.

— The Yao Shan Guide Team