Have you ever eaten medicinal soup?

When you hear the word "medicinal fooe (Japanese: yakuzen)", you may have an image that it has a unique aroma and sounds a little bitter, but we would like to introduce a very tasty and healthy medicinal soup that will change your thought.

A 3-minute walk west from Motoyama Station on the Higashiyama and Meijo Subway Lines. Located on the second floor of a building "Noah's Ark" is like a hideout. The cafe, which used to be located in the same Motoyama area, was reopened in July 2019 as a medicinal soup restaurant. It is a restaurant with Chinese herbal soup filled with medicinal herbs and seasonal ingredients.

The experience that the pain was relieved by medicinal food

Ms. Kumiko Ono, the owner and medicinal concierge, has a very friendly impression. We asked about her encounter with medicinal foods and the story of the restaurant leading up to this point.

– Please tell us about your first encounter with medicinal foods.

Ono-san: "I've been running a restaurant in Nishiki since I was in my twenties. I've always been fascinated by things that are a little bit unusual. One day, I was interested in Chinese medicine, and when I was looking into it, I came across medicinal herbs, and I thought, 'This is it!' And I started studying."

Ono-san:"Unlike Chinese herbs, which are taken according to symptoms, basic medicinal herbs are to be incorporated into daily life. I started with medicinal tea. The pain of my chronic disease was relieved and I felt so much better. My sister, who also has a chronic illness, also experienced relief from her pain! I was hooked. That's how I opened medicinal cafe in May 2018."

– So medicinal food became your lifework?

Ono-san: "Yes. At the medicinal cafe that I used to run, I told customers about medicinal meals with various menus such as medicinal lunches, shaved ice, sweets and drinks.It was well received, and I worked hard from morning to night. But one day, I broke down. I was told that I was close to doctor's orders, and I considered quitting."

Ono-san: "However, I was confident that this medicinal hot pot is really good and thankfully it was doing very well. I wanted to keep it, and after much thought and worry, I decided to reopen in July 2019 at our current location with a carefully selected menu."

"Noah's Ark" is a story about following what you believe in, building a boat that will not sink in the Flood, and connecting life. When Ono-san was in her 20s, she gave this name, thinking "I'll do my best not to close the shop no matter what happens!" I feel Ono-san's belief in the importance of her restaurant, even while changing its form.

The most familiar medicinal dish is to eat seasonal foods

– What is medicinal food?

Ono-san:"People tend to think of 'medicine' from the words, but it's a meal. Eating seasonal foods is the most familiar medicinal dish. In spring, ingredients such as wild vegetables, bamboo shoots, and cabbage promote the excretion of unnecessary things that have accumulated in winter. In summer, diuretic cucurbits and other ingredients are recommended, as they help to cool down the heat and eliminate unwanted fluids." Ono-san: "It may seem difficult because it incorporates the five elements and the concept of yin and yang, but it is not at all special, and eating seasonal foods is part of it."

*Gogyo Yin-Yang is a concept of the natural world that has been cherished in China since ancient times. It is also used in feng shui, medicine, and fortune telling. The idea is to know the nature of all things and try to balance them.

– Please tell us about the concept of Noah's Ark.

Ono-san: "It's about getting people to take in what's good for their bodies. I tell them that medicinal herbs have an image of being like medicine, so I tell them that it is actually not that hard to learn. Also, I want people to try our soup, which you can't find anywhere else."

Enjoy something good for your body

– Please tell us about your preferences.

Ono-san:  "It's about providing delicious food. Since we use Chinese medicine in our soup, we don't think it should be bitter or difficult to eat. I personally feel that yakuzen is a good thing, and I've studied it. I really want to tell people that it's really good.

However, if it doesn't taste good, even if it's good for the body, it's hard to accept it. I don't think I should be self-satisfied that I'm the only one who makes it and it's good for my body. “Good for the body” is important, but “deliciousness” is just as important. ”

– Was it difficult to make the medicinal pot delicious?

Ono-san:  "It was difficult. I had many people try it, and there were some who didn't like it. I accepted it with gratitude, and made improvements through trial and error.

There are many repeat customers who are addicted to it, and some people come by word of mouth.

– What is the effect of Yakuzen?

Ono-san:  “Medicines have a way of thinking about using ingredients that warm the body according to the season and ingredients that cool the body, eat a well-balanced meal, and prevent illness and upsets. It can also be expected to improve colds, colds, fatigue, constipation, etc.

Although there are individual differences, Noah's Ark 's medicinal soup, Shimotsu-tou  (四物湯), have the expected effects, which are great for women, such as alleviating menstrual pain, improving menopausal symptoms, sensitivity to cold, and anemia, and reducing the amount of water that accumulates in the body. The toxins that are present in the body are excreted. It depends on the person, but some people find that their bowel movements become much better, while others find that they sweat profusely while eating.

Our Juzen-taiho-tou (十全大補湯) are expected to boost immunity. I would recommend it to those with low stamina during and after illness, as well as for preventing colds such as hay fever and new coronas."