Chinese dietary therapy is a popular sub-category in traditional Chinese medicine, and as Mayway has published many recipes over the years, we thought that it would be useful and fun to provide information for those who would like to better understand and perhaps make food choices in alignment with their constitution, support their herbal treatments, or improve their health generally.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diseases are distinguished by their cold, hot, deficient, and excess characteristics, and by their Yin and Yang, and internal and external aspects. Herbal treatment is used to correct or rebalance these aspects, and foods can aid in these endeavors as well. Some food-herbs (as the name implies) are classified as suitable for both medicine and food ingredients according to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and the concept of yàoshítóng yuán药食同源 “Medicine and food share the same origin” is an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Ancient people discovered that many foods not only satisfy the appetite but also have preventative and therapeutic effects. According to the Huangdi Neijing or the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, "Medicine is used to expel disease, and food follows," illustrating the complementary relationship between medicine and food and reflecting the TCM preventative medicine philosophy of "treating disease before it occurs". In China, many restaurants design dishes around this concept, and it is commonplace for home cooks to consider the season and health conditions of family members to make dishes and soups aimed at providing dietary support.
Meats, grains, fruits and vegetables can also be categorized according to the same TCM concepts as medicinal herbs: by taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent), temperature (hot, warm, cool, cold, and neutral), and meridian tropism—guiding therapeutic actions to Organ systems such as the Liver, Kidney, Heart, and Lung. Like medicinal herbs, dietary restrictions and recommendations should ideally be made according to the same treatment principles--according to the individual constitution and based on the nature/temperature, taste, and meridian tropism of the food. Being in harmony with the season and environmental factors is also important in food (and drink) choices.
Although there is not a 100% consensus on the TCM energetic properties of foods, the tables below are primarily based on information issued by the Peking Union Medical College Hospital’s Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is widely accepted as an authoritative source. Broadly speaking, Yang (hot, warm) foods can replenish Yang energy and dispel Cold; Yin (cold, cool) foods can clear Heat and nourish Yin; and neutral foods are generally suitable for all constitutions.
However, as in the case of herbs, how foods are prepared or cooked may change their nature and result in different properties and effects. High-temperature cooking methods such as stir-frying, deep-frying, and roasting will change the properties of neutral or even cooling ingredients to warm/hot. Although the original ingredient may have been healthy, the eating of fried vegetables like French fries and tempura can easily lead to internal Heat. Fire-based cooking methods where food is directly in contact with high temperatures, such as deep-fried, charred or barbecued meats stimulate their warming and drying properties.
Water-based cooking methods, like boiling, stewing, and making soup tend to preserve or enhance the yin-nourishing and moisturizing properties of ingredients. For those with a Cold or weak constitution, stewing is recommended as this method makes the ingredients warmer in nature and easy to digest, replenishing energy.
As such, generally speaking, for dishes intended to reduce internal Heat choose steaming, boiling, or blanching methods. To warm and nourish the body, choose stir-frying, stewing, or braising methods. Also, another general rule of thumb: individuals with a weak and Cold constitution should eat and drink less cold and raw foods, while those with excessive internal Heat should eat less fried and roasted foods.
You can find many recipes on our site and others to feed your creativity and perhaps challenge your palate. Enjoy food, have fun, and support better health throughout the year!
Yang Foods
Yang (Hot/Warm Foods)
Chicken Turkey Lamb Mutton Venison Pig liver Pig stomach Trout Carp Ham Goose egg Shrimp Anchovy Clams Eel Sea Urchin Sea cucumber |
Chili pepper Chives Green onion Ginger Garlic Cinnamon Fennel Sesame seeds Mustard seed Walnuts Almonds Chestnut Sorghum Glutinous rice |
Longan Cherries Peaches Rambutan Mango Papaya Pomegranate Dark plums Jujube |
Coffee Wine Sheep’s milk Miso Cheese Brown sugar |
Yin (Cold/Cool Foods)
Duck Octopus Squid Mussels Snails Duck eggs Chitterlings/Pork Intestines Razor clam |
Broccoli Tomato Spinach Cucumber Asparagus Cabbages Eggplant Celery Amaranth Tofu Fermented Soybean Seaweed Kelp Bean sprout Bitter melon White radish Winter melon Shiitake mushroom Enoki mushroom Purslane Dandelion Lotus root Bamboo shoot Barley Wheat Millet Buckwheat Mung bean |
Pear Banana Citrus fruits Strawberries Kiwi Cantaloupe Passion fruit Loquats Persimmons |
Beer Iced drinks Soy milk Vinegar Soy sauce Salt |
Neutral Foods
Chicken egg Salmon Goose Quail Quail egg Pigeon egg Carp Catfish Jellyfish Yellow croaker Loach Pomfret Abalone Pig lung, heart, kidney |
Potatoes Shepherd's purse Napa cabbage Carrot Peas Onion Yams Sweet Potatoes Olives Kohlrabi Taro Lotus root Brown Rice White Rice Soybeans Red beans Peanuts Broad bean Fava bean Adzuki bean Ginkgo nut Hazelnut |
Grapes Figs Guava Java/wax apples |
Water (warm/room temp) Honey Royal jelly White sugar |
Categorized by Taste
Sour Foods: Tomatoes, papaya, purslane, vinegar, adzuki beans, royal jelly, tangerines, olives, lemons, apricots, pears, loquats, oranges, peaches, hawthorn, coconut pulp, pomegranates, dark plums, lychees, mandarins, pomelos, mangoes, plums, grapes, trout, cat meat, citron, Buddha's hand.
Bitter Foods: Bitter melon, bitter greens, broccoli, kohlrabi, Chinese toon, fermented soybeans, dandelion, locust flowers, citron, Buddha's hand, scallions, arrowhead, wine, vinegar, lotus leaves, tea leaves, almonds, lilies, ginkgo nuts, peach kernels, plum kernels, seaweed, pig liver.
Pungent Foods: Ginger, scallions, mustard greens, cilantro, white radish, onions, mustard seeds, rapeseed, fragrant herbs, rapeseed oil, radish seeds, garlic, wormwood, kohlrabi, taro, celery, chives, cinnamon, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, chives, scallions, citron, dried tangerine peel, Buddha's hand, wine.
Sweet Foods: Salmon, spinach, lotus root, eggplant, water spinach, tomato, water bamboo, fern, white radish, winter melon seeds, loofah, onion, bamboo shoots, coriander, radish seeds, lotus root nodes, potato, spinach, shepherd's purse, daylily, wormwood, kohlrabi, pumpkin, cabbage, taro, broad beans, peas, carrot, Chinese cabbage, celery, bottle gourd, winter melon, winter melon peel, cucumber, cowpea, cinnamon, tofu, black soybeans, mung beans, adzuki beans, soybeans, Job's tears, fava beans, sword beans, buckwheat, sorghum, japonica rice, glutinous rice, corn, millet, aged rice, barley, wheat, wood ear mushrooms, mushrooms, sweet potato, honey, royal jelly, white fungus, milk, goat's milk, sugarcane, persimmon, olive, mandarin orange, apple, water chestnut, apricot, lily, pear, peanut, white sugar, ginkgo nut, dried tangerine peel, peach kernel, watermelon, watermelon rind, cantaloupe, water caltrop, hawthorn, plum kernel, banana, peach, coconut pulp, Luo Han Guo, cherry, mulberry, lychee, black sesame, hazelnut, orange, pomelo, mango, chestnut, jujube, fig, sour jujube seed, lotus seed, plum, grape, walnut, longan pulp, lily, yellow croaker, loach, pomfret, grass carp, bighead carp, silver carp, eel, abalone, turtle meat, catfish, carp, crucian carp, snail, eel, shrimp, wine, pig lung, pig intestine, pork, pig marrow, pig skin, pig trotters, pig liver, pig stomach, lamb, venison, chicken, goose meat, razor clam meat, beef, white duck meat, pigeon egg, pig heart, quail, quail egg, ham, duck egg, bird's nest, goji berry, torreya nut, pumpkin seeds, shiitake mushroom, turkey.
Salty Foods: amaranth, soybean paste, salt, millet, barley, laver, jellyfish, seaweed, kelp, crab, sea cucumber, snails, pork, pork marrow, pork kidney, pig's trotters, pig's blood, pig's heart, abalone, mussels, ham, razor clam meat, turtle meat, white duck meat, pigeon eggs.
Classified by TCM Meridian Tropism
Foods that benefit the Heart meridian: Mustard greens, lotus root, lotus root nodes, chili peppers, mung beans, adzuki beans, aged rice, bottle gourd, wheat, wine, lotus leaf, persimmon, lily, peach kernel, watermelon, cantaloupe, longan pulp, jujube seed, lotus seed, pig skin, sea cucumber.
Foods that benefit the Liver meridian: Purslane, tomato, loofah, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, shepherd's purse, toon, papaya, chive seeds, chives, wine, vinegar, loquat, peach kernel, hawthorn, almond, cherry, dark plum, mulberry, lychee, black sesame, mango, fig, plum, jujube seed, jellyfish, grass carp, eel, swamp eel, shrimp, mussel, razor clam, clam, turtle meat, crab, cat meat, dandelion, citron, Buddha's hand, lotus leaf, goji berry.
Foods that benefit the Spleen meridian: Ginger, coriander, purslane, soybean paste, bitter greens, broccoli, lotus root, lotus root nodes, eggplant, tomato, tofu, water bamboo, rapeseed, fragrant herbs, shepherd's purse, kohlrabi, pumpkin, taro, papaya, lentils, peas, carrots, winter melon peel, cowpeas, cinnamon, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, buckwheat, sweet potato, garlic, sorghum, japonica rice, glutinous rice, millet, aged rice, barley, wheat, black soybeans, coix seed, broad beans, soybeans, apples, loquats, peanuts, lotus leaves, hawthorn, monk fruit, dark plums, lychee, oranges, mangoes, chestnuts, jujubes, figs, longan fruit, grapes, lotus seeds, white sugar, honey, lotus root nodes, salmon, turkey, ham, pork, pig liver, pig stomach, beef, chicken, goose meat, lamb, pig heart, seaweed, loach, silver carp, carp, crucian carp, eel, citron, dried tangerine peel.
Foods that benefit the Lung meridian: Ginger, scallions, mustard greens, broccoli, coriander, fermented soybeans, water bamboo, white radish, winter melon seeds, onion, mustard seeds, rapeseed, fragrant herbs, radish seeds, lotus root nodes, garlic, carrots, celery, bottle gourd, winter melon, winter melon peel, Sichuan peppercorns, mushrooms, seaweed, kelp, wine, tea, coix seed, glutinous rice, honey, peanuts, sugarcane, persimmons, water chestnuts, almonds, lily bulbs, pears, loquats, ginkgo nuts, bananas, coconut pulp, monk fruit, dark plums, oranges, pomelo, grapes, walnuts, lily bulbs, pig lungs, pig skin, goose meat, duck eggs, bird's nest, white duck meat, sheep's milk, citron, dried tangerine peel, scallion bulbs, torreya nuts, silver carp.
Foods that nourish the Kidney meridian: Garlic, shepherd's purse, Chinese toon, cowpea, chives, Sichuan pepper, fennel, leeks, salt, soybean paste, broad beans, millet, wheat, jellyfish, seaweed, eel, sea cucumber, carp, loach, mussel, shrimp, yellow croaker, ham, pork, pig kidney, pig liver, pig blood, pig heart, pig marrow, pig ear, quail egg, bird's nest, white duck meat, sheep's milk, lamb, pigeon egg, razor clam meat, mussel meat, black soybean, sweet potato, cherry, pomegranate, mulberry, black sesame, coix seed, chestnut, plum, grape, goji berry, walnut kernel, cinnamon, lotus seed.
Foods that nourish the Stomach meridian: Ginger, scallion, fermented soybeans, bitter melon, bitter greens, broccoli, lotus root, eggplant, water spinach, tomato, white radish, loofah, bamboo shoots, cabbage, celery, cucumber, pepper, fennel, leeks, mushroom, cantaloupe, radish seeds, pumpkin seeds, sorghum, potato, shiitake mushroom, spinach, glutinous rice, lentils, peas, millet, aged rice, mung beans, soy sauce, salt, tofu, buckwheat, wine, vinegar, barley, dandelion, wood ear mushroom, sugarcane, lemon, apple, water chestnut, pear, Buddha's hand, watermelon, watermelon rind, hawthorn, peach, cherry, hazelnut, orange, pomelo, chestnut, jujube, milk, salmon, chicken, turkey, pork, pig trotters, pig liver, pig blood, pig stomach, pig heart, ham, beef, bird's nest, bear paw, grass carp, bighead carp, crucian carp, snail, yellow croaker.
Foods that nourish the Large Intestine meridian: Potatoes, spinach, amaranth, cabbage, winter melon, mustard greens, purslane, bitter melon, sow thistle, eggplant, water spinach, sword beans, tofu, fern, winter melon seeds, scallions, bamboo shoots, pepper, water caltrop, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, torreya nuts, buckwheat, tofu, locust flowers, wood ear mushrooms, salt, soybeans, corn, dark plums, figs, persimmons, almonds, peach kernels, water caltrop, bananas, peaches, pomegranates, honey, crucian carp, snails.
Foods that nourish the Bladder meridian: Bracken, fennel, sword bean, corn, winter melon, snail, watermelon, cinnamon.
Foods that nourish the Small Intestine meridian: Salt, adzuki beans, amaranth, bottle gourd, winter melon, cucumber, and goat's milk.
References
- Peking Union Medical College Hospital Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine：常用食物性能简介 - 北京协和医院 - 协和医院,北京协和医院,協和醫院,北京协和医院首页,北京协和医院电话,协和,協和,医院,醫院,北京協和醫院,北京协和医院妇科,北京协和医院地址,挂号
- Exploring the Biochemical Basis of the Meridian Tropism Theory for the Qi-Invigorating Traditional Chinese Medicine Herb Panax ginseng - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7917415/
- https://www.hanspub.org/journal/paperinformation?paperID=132136
- https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/6/11/n14268247.htm
