OLIOTALKS SEPTEMBER 6TH 2014
OLIO TALKS Beauty Wisdom from the Orient - part 1
SNOW FUNGUS By Eileen & Alice
Initial reaction on people’s face after they hear the name “snow fungus” is, generally, not that great… with good reasons. The word “fungus” tends to scare people off, not to mention its “wriggly” texture, thus making this nutrient-packed ingredient an unsung hero in the Western world. First things first, let’s make this a little more pleasant to read by giving you its other names :
What is Snow Fungus?
Snow Fungus is an almost translucent, jelly-like fungus grown out of dead broadleaf tree logs in warm climates such as Asia. Its “claim to fame” dates back thousands of years when royalties from ancient China started using it for longevity and beauty.
Chinese : Shu-Er, Bai Mu Er 雪⽿耳 English : White Wood Ear Latin : Tremella fuciformis
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Dried snow fungus is sold in most Asian grocery stores at a fairly inexpensive price. To use, soak it in water for about 30 minutes until it expands to its full size. In determining its quality, always try to look for the ones that are yellowish in color (once it expands, the color lightens).
FASHIONMONTHLY August 28, 2014
OLIO TALKS Beauty Wisdom from the Orient - part 1
HEALTH BENEFITS Among its many benefits, the most common ones are for replenishing
fluids in the body, soothing dry coughs, and nourishing the lung. It contains iron, vitamin C, calcium and phosphorous. Studies have also shown that certain properties contained in snow fungus help enhance the body’s cancerfighting abilities in patients.
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OLIOTALKS SEPTEMBER 6TH 2014
OLIO TALKS Beauty Wisdom from the Orient - part 1
SKIN BENEFITS
There is also an old Chinese saying – “One white covers three ugliness” – that further demonstrates the obsession of having a light complexion by Asian women.
When it comes to skincare, this oddlooking, jelly-like “mushroom” is high up in the ranks as an effective agent in the anti-aging department. Due to its moisture-retention property, it helps hydrate the skin from the inside out, as well as diminish the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. In addition, it enhances production of antioxidants in the body.
When applied topically, i.e. as a face serum, it helps improve elasticity of the skin, sort of like collagen. Another popular, though not scientifically-proven, skin benefit of snow fungus is its ability to “whiten” the skin, thus diminishing dark spots. This tends to lead to a whole new topic regarding the perception of beauty between the East and the West; so in order not to deviate too much from our current topic yet provide a better reasoning behind its popularity, we’ll just give you a short and sweet explanation.
Basically, it’s all about complexion. In the West, healthy-looking skin is often associated with a “tanned” complexion. In the East, women strive for a “whiter/ paler” complexion because for centuries, skin complexion has been synonymous to the social class system. A person with whiter skin would be considered to be of noble background; on the contrary, a person with a darker complexion would be seen as laboring class, due to the excessive sun exposure from working in the field.
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OLIOTALKS SEPTEMBER 6TH 2014
Beauty Wisdom from the Orient - part 1
GENERAL USAGE IN FOOD AND SKINCARE With its concentration of highly beneficial nutrients, in addition to its economic value, it’s not surprising that the snow fungus becomes a sought-after ingredient for many households in recipes for food as well as skincare. In food, it’s most often used in desserts, primarily “sweet soup”, as well as in regular soup and congee. In skincare, snow fungus can be used to make an awesome face serum that has the feel of collagen. We will be posting some popular recipe suggestions for both categories in a follow-up post on our Olio Talks facebook page. So make sure to be on the lookout for it.
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OLIOTALKS SEPTEMBER 6TH 2014
OLIOBeauty TALKS Wisdom from the Orient - part 1 Please Share… We hope we have given you some interesting insights about this generation-tested “beauty secret” from Asia. Remember this saying – “You can’t judge the book by its cover”? Well, in this case, maybe it should be – “You can’t judge the character by its name”? We welcome participation from you by means of sharing your thoughts and suggestions with us, as well as spreading the words to your friends about the Olio Talks forum. Next week, we will discuss another popular (and inexpensive) ingredient – Rice – that is just as important, if not more, in the Asian beauty spectrum.
Disclaimer
As with all food-related ingredients, people with allergies in a specific food group should use discretionary caution before using said ingredient either internally or externally. The content of this article is for information purposes only, and does not promote any suggestion of cure to any diseases.
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