Stewed Duck with Cordyceps sinensis for Tonifying the Lung

SOURCE: Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica

INCREDIENTS
Chinese caterpillar fungus, Cordyceps (Dongchongxiacao)  10g
Old drake  1
Cooking wine  15g
Fresh ginger, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens   5g
Scallion stalk, Bulbus Allii Fistulosi  10g
Pepper powder, pulvis Fructus Piperis Albi  3g
Salt, Sal Communis   3g

PROCESS: Have the drake killed and rid of its feathers; cut off its webbed feet and cut its belly open to remove its internal organs; after washing it clean, scald it in a cooking pot with boiling water for a while; take it out and wash it clean with cold water. Wash the Chinese caterpillar fungus to remove mud and sand; have the scallion stalk and fresh ginger washed clean and cut into slices for later use. Cut the drake's head open along its neck, put 8 to 10 Chinese caterpillar fungi into the drake's head, tie it up tight with cotton thread; put the remaming fungi together with fresh ginger and scallion into the drake's abdomen; put the drake in a small pot, pour some water into it, add salt, pepper powder and cooking wine to season it, cover the pot closely with damp soft paper; steamer it in a bamboo steamer for about one and a half hours. Take the drake out from the steamer, remove the paper, pick the scallion and fresh ginger out, then, and add gourmet powder to season it.

DIRECTIONS: Eat the drake and drink the soup with bread (or cooked rice).

EFFICACY: Replenishing the lung and kidney, tonifying the vital essence, nourishing marrow, arresting cough and relieving asthma.

INDICATIONS: Asthma, cough, spontaneous sweating, Impotence and Nocturnal Emission caused by deficiency of the lung-qi or deficiency of both the lung and the kidney, and weakness, listlessness, anorexia after an illness.