As a kid I remember my friend’s mom always having jellos squares as a snack for us. I always loved them. Gelatin has many great health benefits especially as a blood tonic in Chinese Medicine.

According to Chinese Medicine E Jiao or gelatin is an herb used to tonify the blood and can help stop bleeding especially in cases of excessive menstrual bleeding or uterine bleeding. Gelatin is also used to regulate the menses and soothe the fetus in cases of threatened miscarriage (of course you should be working with your health care provider if there is any issues with your pregnancy and while Chinese Medicine may be helpful in some cases of threatened miscarriage it is not a substitute for medical care). Gelatin can also help with insomnia and muscle spasms. Its also a super nourishing source of protein.

If you are having issues with your period or are looking for nourishing post partum recipes this is a great snack to have on hand. I would also recommend working with an herbalist as well. I’d be happy to assist you and can offer phone consultations as well.

This recipe is super versatile. If looking specifically at nourishing the blood add fruits that bleed red, cherries are an excellent blood tonic as well.

What you need:

2 cups juice (I used cherry juice)

2 cups fresh fruit (I used cherries and strawberries)

5 Tablespoons Gelatin (I like Great Lakes unflavored Gelatin, I got mine from the health food store and you can also buy online)

What you do:

Add juice and fruit to pot and bring to a boil.

Pour fruit juice mixture into blender and blend until smooth.

Let cool for 5 minutes or so.

Add Gelatin and blend again making sure there are no clumps.

Pour into a 9×13 baking dish and cover.

Let set in fridge for 3 hours.

To take out soak dish in warm water for 1 minute. You can either cut squares or use a cookie cutter for fun shapes.

Store in air tight container in the fridge and enjoy!