A lot of people all over the world like to eat Chinese food, but Chinese medicinal cuisine is a special type — an ancient healing art you can explore. It is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese: 食疗 shíliáo /shrr-lyaoww/ ‘food therapy’ If you are interested in exploring traditional Chinese medicinal food for better health, here is the background, general principals, and some recipes. A Brief History of Medicinal Cuisine Authentic Chinese medicinal food dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes and techniques, based on ancient ideas about how the human body operates. They described the effect of each kind of meat, grain, herb, or vegetable on the human body, how the body operates, and gave suggestions about what to prepare to stay healthy or cure disease. The earliest work on these various topics dates from the early Han Dynasty era (206 BC-220 AD) and is called the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine). It contains the basic ideas of Chinese food therapy. The text gave recommendations on what to eat for different health conditions and different environmental conditions. Ancient Chinese medical books list hundreds of plant, animal, and chemical ingredients and tell their specific effects on the human body. These books give ideas about the physical principals involved in human health, and they describe how herbs or special foods help, along with TCM techniques such as moxibustion and acupuncture. Since that time, the basic ideas about food and health have changed little. See more on The History of Chinese Medicine. General Principals of Chinese Medicinal Cuisine 1. Balance GeqiGoji berries is a widely used ingredient in Chinese medicine cuisine The basic idea is to balance the qi and the body fluids — the fundamentals of Chinese traditional medicine. It is thought that a healthy body or organ has a proper balance of these things. When they are out of balance, there is disease or sickness. The environment or physical injury disrupts the balance. For example, cold weather causes a lack of qi or high yin in the body. So high yang foods are eaten. In hot weather when there is naturally too much yang, high yin foods are eaten. Recipes for each season are described below. 2. Adding Medicinal Herbs Healing herbs or animal parts can be added to the diet to heal disease. Many of the same herbs are used by Western herbalists and herbalists in other parts of the world for the same conditions, so this strongly suggests that the herbs have real medicinal effects. 3. Using Heats and Flavors All foods are categorized by qi temperature, ranging from high yang to high yin, and one of the five food flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, hot and salty). A food item’s qi temperature and specific flavor influences the body in its own way. It is thought that people should generally include all the flavors in every meal and balance the “heat”. Most Chinese people think that if too much of one type of food is consumed, it can cause an imbalance in the body. 4. Mealtime TCM Principles eating healthilyThe way you eat also matters. Eating slowly is believed to benefit your health. The ancient texts described not only what to prepare for meals, but also how to eat meals. You might be surprised at these Chinese customs about eating meals that have been part of the culture for hundreds of years. Try to avoid overly processed food. Eat naturally. Eat seasonal vegetables and fruits. Always make sure the vegetables are cooked. Sit down to eat at a quiet place. Chew the food well. Eat slowly. (慢吃 mànchī /man-chrr/ ‘eat slowly’ means “bon appetite!” in China) Pay attention to your eating, and get away from distractions. In TCM your mind plays a part in how well you digest food, so pay attention to the tastes of the food. Do not skip meals. After lunch, take a nap or rest for a while. More at http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/medicinal-cuisine.htm
