Most new mothers are aghast when they survey their stretch marks and general appearance. Getting back that slim figure is no easy task, but these natural remedies could help.

Peach flowers (scientific name: Prunus persica) can help with shedding some fat in a short time and has the added benefit of giving the complexion a ruddy glow. According to the lore of Eastern medicine, peach flowers also relieve constipation quickly and make it easier to urinate.

To get the most out of them, start by plucking 300 grams of blossoms from three different peach trees on the third of March, and put them out to dry in an airy place. When the petals are dry they can be ground into a medicinal powder, which should be kept in an air-tight jar or pot.

One gram of the powder in a glass of water should be taken before every meal, but caution is advised as it can cause diarrhea and should be stopped if that is the case. Also, don’t use the powder for too many days as it loses its effectiveness and actually makes the skin worse if taken to excess. It’s also contraindicated for new mothers with a weak constitution.

Trà (tea)

Good old-fashioned tea is more than a pleasant drink to sip; it’s also a diuretic and therefore ideal for reducing the swollen feet and limbs that bedevil pregnant women and new mothers. And tea is good for losing weight too as it helps dispose of fatty substances. Be sure to boil fresh water when making tea as water that’s twice boiled is stale. Drink it hot and frequently to shed fat and retrieve that slender figure.

Lá sen (fresh lotus leaves)

Lotus leaves taste cool, literally, and are often added to the porridge pot for this reason. On the medicinal side, they liquefy redundant fatty substances to reduce obesity, and they can stop bleeding and so can be used to treat many diseases involving the blood.

To make a useful medicine from the lotus, wash a fresh leaf in water, cut off the peduncle and trim the edge, then dry it. Once it’s obviously dry, tear off more of the leaf to make a square, put it in a frying pan, cover with a mixture of yellow soil and salty water, and paste a piece of white paper on top to show when the leaf has been sufficiently cooked.

Put the pan on a low heat and wait until the paper turns brown. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool, then remove the paper, tip out the mixture and grind it into a fine powder. This can be dissolved in water left over from cooking rice and drunk three times a day.

Bí đao (waky pumpkin)

Waky pumpkin is suitable for women with leucorrhoea and anyone with a weak spleen, and can be used as a soup ingredient or pickled in saline. Being almost entirely water, waky pumpkin is ideal for filling the belly without putting on weight and makes the perfect cooking for dieting. In fact, it even eradicates redundant fatty substances if eaten regularly. Of course, anyone who wishes to gain weight should go light on this particular vegetable.

By Dr Le Thu Huong (Suc Khoe & Doi Song)