The medicinal effects of turtle, cuttlefish, and carp: A health-preserving diet for men that nourishes essence and blood.

The following foods are neutral in nature, rich in nutrients, and can regulate libido, offering good sexual health benefits:

Turtle

1. Nutritional Components

Turtle meat contains protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, etc.; turtle shell contains animal collagen, fat, protein, calcium, etc.

2. Properties and Efficacy

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that turtle meat is sweet and salty in taste, and neutral in nature. It has the effects of nourishing essence and blood, nourishing yin and clearing heat, and can be used as an adjunct treatment for tuberculosis cough, impotence, and premature ejaculation. Turtle shell is salty in taste, and neutral in nature. It has the effects of nourishing yin and suppressing yang, benefiting the kidneys and strengthening the stomach, and can be used as an adjunct treatment for weakness in the lower back and legs, palpitations, and insomnia.

3. Examples of Sexual Health Applications

(1) For those with kidney deficiency, lethargy, and seminal emission:

Take one turtle, remove the head and intestines, and wash it clean; add 25g of wolfberry, 25g of privet fruit, and 20g of rehmannia root to a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer until cooked. Discard the dregs and eat the meat and drink the soup.

(2) For those with deficiency fire rising upwards, heart and kidney disharmony, and frequent dreams and seminal emission:

Take 250g of turtle meat and 20g of fish maw, cook them together, and eat.

4. Examples of Combining Food and Sexual Health Applications

Turtle is both a delicious dish and a good medicine.

Dishes such as turtle stewed with Ganoderma lucidum and red dates, turtle stewed with longan and pork bones, turtle stewed with cordyceps, steamed turtle, turtle playing with a pearl, and Xiao Xiang Five-Element Turtle are all delicacies with health benefits.

Longan and pork bone stewed turtle is not only delicious and visually appealing, but also an ideal health-promoting dish for patients suffering from emaciation, impotence, premature ejaculation, and aplastic anemia. It can be eaten regularly. The preparation method is as follows: Take one live turtle (about 500g), 50g of longan pulp, 250g of pork spine (including meat and marrow), 100g of carrot, and appropriate amounts of fine salt and aged vinegar. Kill the turtle, remove the head and internal organs, cut into pieces, and place in a casserole. Wash the pork spine, chop it, and add it to the casserole along with the carrot and longan pulp. Add cooking wine, fine salt, and appropriate amounts of water, and simmer over low heat until cooked. When almost cooked, add an appropriate amount of aged vinegar and cook until done. Add MSG, remove from heat, plate, and serve as a side dish.

5. Precautions

(1) A major taboo when eating turtle meat is that you should not drink alcohol at the same time.

(2) When eating turtle meat, it is also not advisable to eat amaranth or fruit.

Cuttlefish (Squid)

1. Nutritional Components

Cuttlefish contains protein, fat, vitamin A, and inorganic salts.

2. Properties and Efficacy

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cuttlefish is salty, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It nourishes blood and yin, invigorates qi and strengthens will, and nourishes yin and preserves essence. It can be used as an adjunct treatment for seminal emission, leukorrhea, metrorrhagia, palpitations, and timidity.

3. Examples of Sexual Health Applications

Male infertility and frigidity:

Regular consumption of cuttlefish stewed with rooster can have an auxiliary effect in treating these conditions.

4. Examples of Combining Cuttlefish with Food and Sexual Health

Cuttlefish meat is fragrant, fresh, and delicious, with a unique flavor. It can be used to make many flavorful and health-promoting dishes. Examples include stir-fried cuttlefish cubes, braised cuttlefish dumplings, and wontons with cuttlefish. Stir-fried cuttlefish cubes are particularly beneficial for young and middle-aged men, as they can enhance physical fitness, increase sexual arousal, and treat certain conditions.

The preparation method is as follows: Take 300 grams of alkali-soaked cuttlefish, rinse it clean with water, score the cuttlefish meat, and cut it into 1 cm cubes. Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, remove, drain, and set aside. In a bowl, combine salt, chicken broth, MSG, cooking wine, and cornstarch to make a sauce. Heat a wok, add about 250 grams of cooking oil, and when the oil reaches 80% of its smoking point, add the prepared cuttlefish cubes and fry briefly. Turn off the heat, remove the cuttlefish cubes, drain the oil, and pour out the remaining oil from the wok, leaving a little at the bottom. Over high heat, sauté garlic slices and scallions until fragrant, then add the fried cuttlefish cubes and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Pour in the prepared sauce, stir-fry until the sauce thickens, remove from heat, plate, and drizzle with sesame oil.

5. Precautions

Use with caution in patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension.

Carp

1. Nutritional Components

Carp meat contains protein, creatine, fat, vitamin B₂, nicotinic acid, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc.; the white, sac-like substance inside the abdomen of male carp is male sperm, which has male hormone effects; the roe inside the abdomen of female carp has female sex hormone effects.

2. Properties and Efficacy

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that carp meat is sweet, neutral, and non-toxic, and has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing and strengthening the body. It can be used to treat nephritis edema, male impotence and premature ejaculation, and female frigidity.

3. Examples of Sexual Health Applications

(1) For men with impotence, premature ejaculation, and spermatorrhea:

Take one male carp (do not discard the white, sac-like substance inside the abdomen), boil it into a soup and drink it. Eat it regularly.

4. Examples of Combining Food and Sexual Health Applications

Among various types of fish, carp meat is not only tender and delicious, but also the easiest to digest. The exceptionally tender texture of carp meat is related to its structure. Carp meat is composed of individual muscle groups with relatively fine muscle fibers, and these muscle groups contain a considerable amount of soluble collagen, resulting in a delicate and soft texture.

In China, there are many flavorful dishes made with carp, such as Tianjin's "Zheng Beng Carp," Heilongjiang's "Jingpo Carp Shreds," Shanxi's "Sweet and Sour Carp," Wenzhou's "Three-Shredded Carp," Jiangxi's "Wuyuan Lotus Bud Red Carp," Henan's "Tomato Stewed Carp," and "Five-Spice Carp."

"Five-Spice Carp" is easy to prepare and use, fragrant, tender, and delicious, and it also has nourishing and health-promoting effects. It is suitable for the elderly, postpartum women, and children, and has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on patients with malnutrition, anemia, calcium deficiency, and kidney deficiency. Preparation method: Take 500g of carp middle section meat, and appropriate amounts of fine salt, soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine, ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, five-spice powder, and peanut oil. Wash the carp middle section meat, drain, place it on a cutting board, and slice it into pieces about 1cm thick. Arrange the pieces on a plate, add fine salt, cooking wine, and soy sauce, mix well, and marinate for about 30 minutes. Heat a wok, add peanut oil, and when the oil reaches 60% heat, drop the fish pieces one by one into the oil and fry until golden brown and the crust peels off. Remove the fish pieces with a slotted spoon, remove the wok from the heat, and discard the remaining peanut oil. Reheat the wok, add scallions, ginger slices, star anise, and cinnamon, and sauté briefly until fragrant. Add the fried fish pieces, add water to cover the fish, add soy sauce, sugar, and cooking wine, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat to allow the fish to absorb the flavors. Finally, reduce the sauce over high heat until thickened, sprinkle with five-spice powder, and arrange neatly. Arrange on a plate and serve.

5. Precautions

(1) Those with weak spleen and stomach should consume with caution.

(2) The black, pasty substance inside the carp's belly should not be eaten.