Chicken eggs are used to make a handful of remedies and traditional medicines

Herbalist Hoai Vu says chicken egg yolks are more nutritious than the whites.

Vu says yolks are particularly good for the lungs and can help reduce fever and detoxify the body. He says their nutrients help improve memory, particularly in children and the elderly. Pregnant women, convalescents and the ill are encouraged to eat egg yolks to help revitalize their bodies.

According to Vu, a 100-gram chicken egg contains 12.7g of protein and 159mg of vitamin A as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, D and E.

Mix egg with honey and lemon to foster strength

Beat two egg yolks with 50ml pure honey until they dissolve together. Pour 50ml boiling water into the mixture and beat steadily for a minute or two. When the mixture is about 40 degrees Celsius, squeeze half a lemon into the bowl, but remember to remove the lemon seeds beforehand. Then stir everything together and drink while it’s still warm.

Make sure you do not add the lemon before the drink has reached 40 degree or below. Too much heat will make the lemon bitter and destroy the vitamins in its juice. This beverage should be taken in the morning as breakfast, along with bread or cake.

But Vu warned that raw eggs, including egg yolks and egg whites, should never be eaten. Egg whites contain risky amounts of biotin (Vitamin H or B7), which can cause gastric problems and diarrhea. And your body only absorbs 30 percent of the eggs’ nutrients when you eat them raw, as opposed to close to 100 percent when cooked.

Eggs are harsh on the liver and people with liver problems should not eat more than three eggs a week. People who suffer arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure or coronary disease should not eat more than one egg yolk a day as it is high in cholesterol.

Porridge and egg for colds

A cold usually means headache, runny nose, physical discomfort and occasional shivers. Instead of searching through the medicine cabinet, boil up a small pot of rice gruel and put it in a bowl along with 50g of shredded tía tô (perrila) leaves, three shredded violet onions, 10g of shredded ginger, some black pepper and a chicken egg yolk. Stir the mixture thoroughly so that the heat cooks the yolk, season it with salt, and eat while still hot.

Stop the runs with egg and apricot leaves

Dysentery is a common consequence of eating hot, spicy cooking and can be countered by an eating omelet with apricot leaves. To prepare it, start by putting three eggs and 50g of shredded apricot leaves in a bowl and beating thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

Lay a piece of green banana leaf in a pan, cover it with the eggs and apricot leaves, and place the pan over a medium fire. When the egg is done to a turn, flip the whole lot over and cook the other side. The telltale sign that the omelet is ready is the scent of apricot leaves wafting through the kitchen. When that happens, take the pan off the stove, carefully transfer the omelet to a plate, and serve with salt.

By Thanh Tung