Mung Bean Broth for Healing, and Dr. Miriam Lee

The dense fog/wildfire smoke of this last week has left me feeling nauseous, watery eyed, and bleh. I was thinking this morning how inviting a nice tasting broth sounded. One of my fave soups is mung bean but that sounded too heavy. I wondered how a mung bean broth would taste and what the benefits would be, so I looked it up! Lo and behold I got a history lesson, which is always a delight.

Dr. Miriam Lee, the reason we even have legal acupuncture in this country, was a huge proponent of mung bean broth, touting mung’s healing benefits for reducing hypertension, clearing internal heat, detoxifying the body and balancing pH. They say most diseases start in the gut and pH imbalance is a big contributing factor. Who wouldn’t appreciate such a simple recipe for staying healthy?

I put a 1/4 cup of dry mung beans in about 3 cups of water and brought it to a boil, then simmered for about 20 mins. Added a little mushroom powder for flavoring and voila! A tasty morning drink. Save the beans and make another batch at noon and one in the evening using the same beans. You can eat them after the last cup of broth is made. Other recipes say suggest 2-3 Tbl. in a cup of water and steep for about 20-30 mins. Your pick.

Dr. Miriam Lee came to the states in ’69 and worked in a factory line for her first job, but she brought her acupuncture talents with her and privately treated friends in her home. Eventually, she became so popular she had to expand her practice and found a compassionate MD who loaned her his space during his off hours. In 1974 she was arrested for illegally practicing medicine, but the minions of people who received healing relief from her acupuncture and healing wisdom came to her court appearance, insisting she be allowed to lawfully practice acupuncture. In 1976 California made acupuncture legal and eventually the healing art spread to the remaining 49 states. I wish to extend heartfelt gratitude to the spirit of Dr. Lee for her generous heart. Her work model was adopted here in Oregon and laid the foundation for Working Class Acupuncture that provides “low-cost acupuncture to the community through a cooperative, grassroots, financially self-sustaining model“.