Sun & Ssukgat: The Korean Art of Self-Care, Wellness & Longevity

A life-changing guide to living a longer, happier, healthier life, rooted in centuries-old Korean wisdom.

Ssukgat, or Chrysanthemum greens, are treasured in Korean culture for their healing abilities. You can coax its withered stalks to grow new roots, with sun, water, soil, and care. It's a fitting metaphor for eco-entrepreneur and CEO Michelle Jungmin Bang, who found herself in excruciating pain due to the constant sacrificing of her health and wellness for work--a trade many of us make daily.

Thus started her journey to overhaul her health and reconnect with her heritage in South Korea. She encountered Buddhist nuns who share royal cuisine and the keys to microbiome health, haenyeo (female free divers who forage for seafood) and their practice of healing with breath, centenarians with easily adoptable daily habits, and Korean bathhouse culture, learning about time-honored Korean wellness and healing traditions, as well as their philosophy of preventative care.

Informed by her travels and research for her East-West nutrition and well-being certifications, Michelle shares these treasured lessons in Sun & Ssukgat: how to eat for healing, live sustainably, reconnect with nature, the Korean concept of Jeong (the warm, invisible connection between loved ones and places), and more. Also included are delicious, healing recipes that can be used for recovery, like a mushroom broth the Buddhist nuns turn to for colds; her Samgyetang (chicken and ginseng soup) for combatting fatigue, filled with anti-inflammatory ingredients including astragalus; as well as teas for detoxification, building the foundation for better eating.

Stunningly written and accompanied by Michelle's hand-drawn illustrations and infographics, this handbook on the Korean art of self-care reveals cultural and wellness wisdom, traditions, and practices for living a long, healthy life that are simple, effective, environmentally conscious, and achievable in modern life.