Health preservation by food in Chinese medicine – The five cereals, fruits andvegetables
Health preservation by food in Chinese medicine – The five cereals, fruits and vegetables
In Chinese medicine, great stress is laid on health preservation by food. Diet should be allocated inaccordance with nature and function of food in order to achieve the goals of preserving body constitution,maintaining good health, preventing disease and prolonging life.
The natures of food
In Chinese medicine, food can be classified into “four qi” and “five flavours”. The main functions of foodare to replenish nutrients, benefit qi and supplement blood, regulate the balance between yin and yang in thehuman body as well as organ functions.
1. The four qi
The four qi refer to four natures, namely cold, coolness, warmness and hot. Foods of a milder nature areknown as “neutral”. Foods of different natures have different functions on the human body. For example, cold andcool foods such as mung bean, Chinese celery and watermelon usually possess cooling effect to have the functionof cleaning away heat while warm and hot foods such as chive, mutton and chilli can keep out the cold. Neutralfoods such as whole rice, soybean, carp and strawberry, which are of a mild nature, are suitable for people withdifferent body constitutions.
2. The five flavours
Food can be classified into five flavours, namely sourness, bitterness, sweetness, pungency and saltiness,according to their tastes or functions. Foods light in taste are those with unapparent flavour. Foods ofdifferent properties have specific functions on different organs of the human body.
Sour (including astringent flavour) food can constrain sweating, arrest cough or stop diarrhea. Forexample, smoked plum and pomegranate can quench thirst or relieve diarrhea symptoms due to deficiency andcoldness in the spleen and stomach.
Bitter food can help drying and dampness, and induce purgation. For instance, bitter cucumber, which isbitter in flavour and cold in nature, can clear away heat and eliminate dampness.
Pungent food, such as green onion and ginger, can recuperate qi and blood as well as dispensing andrelieving the exterior.
Salty food can nourish and supplement the kidney, and have softening or laxative characters. For example,kelp can soften phlegm.
Sweet food, such as red dates, can supplement qi and benefit blood.
Light taste food, such as adsuki bean, can promote diuresis and eliminate dampness.
Principles of health preservation by food
In Chinese medicine, food should be matched with one another. “The five cereals are for nutrition, the fivevegetables aid recuperation, the five poultries are used as invigorators, the five fruits are used assupplements”. This means cereals should be taken as the major dietary source, vegetables as complementary source,meat as subsidiary source and fruit as supplementing nutrients.
Also, some basic principles should be observed to achieve health preservation by food. These include takingmeals regularly, in adequate amounts and with appropriate temperature. Only a diet which blends the five flavoursand include both meat and vegetables can supplement the various nutrients necessary for the human body whilst thespleen and stomach should also be preserved. Moreover, different food should be selected in accordance withdifferent seasons, environment, age, gender and body constitution (please refer to the appendix for details).
Health preservation by food – The five cereals
The “five cereals” is a general term referring to grains, which include cereals and beans. In Chinesemedicine, most cereals and beans are sweet in taste and neutral in nature, therefore can invigorate the spleenand stomach. Yet, some food have their specific properties, for example, glutinous rice is sweet in taste andwarm in nature. It can warm the spleen and stomach, benefit qi and constrain sweating. On the other hand, mungbean is sweet in taste and cold in nature. It can clear away summer heat, promote diuresis and eliminate toxic.The following cereals and beans are recommended for daily consumption:
[Glutinous rice] is sweet in taste and warm in nature. It can invigorate the spleen and benefit qi, warmthe stomach, arrest diarrhea and constrain sweating. Glutinous rice can be used to make congee, steamed rice,make sugar through decocting or brew wine. People with deficiency and cold in the spleen and stomach can eatglutinous rice frequently, which helps to alleviate diarrhea due to deficiency in the spleen, spontaneoussweating and lacking in strength.
[Corn] is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can invigorate the spleen and stomach, eliminatedampness and promote diuresis. Corn can be steamed or used to make noodles. Congee made with corn is recuperativeafter recovery from illness, and even a health food for the middle- and old-aged. Soup made with corn can be usedfor people with weak spleen and stomach, reduction in food consumption or diarrhea, etc.
[Job’s tears] is sweet, light in taste and slightly cold in nature. Congee made with Job’s tears cansupplement the spleen, regulate the stomach, promote diuresis to eliminate dampness, prevent and cure diarrheawith loose stool, anxiety, thirst, dampness and oedema, etc. Fried Job’s tears can be used for diarrhea due todeficiency in the spleen with dampness. Raw Job’s tears, when made with boiling water, can clear away heat anddampness as well as oedema.
[Soybean] is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Soybean, served as food or ground to make soybean milkas beverage, can invigorate the spleen, benefit qi, replenish blood, soothe the heart and strengthen the bodyconstitution. Food tonics effects can be achieved on health problems such as being thin and weak, tiredness andinsufficiency of breast milk secretion.
[Black bean] is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Black bean is rich in nutrients and when boiled, itcan nourish yin, supplement the kidney, nourish blood, nourish the liver, improve eyesight and keep the hairblack. Frequent consumption of black bean can strengthen the body constitution and slow down ageing. Cooked blackbean can also clear away stomach heat, regulate the spleen and stomach as well as promoting purgation.
[Adsuki bean] is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. When used to make congee, it can invigorate thespleen, eliminate dampness, activate blood circulation and eliminate toxin.
[Mung bean] is sweet in taste and cold in nature. Mung bean can be used to make congee and rice, which havethe functions of clearing away heat and removing vexation, dispersing summer heat, promoting the production ofthe body fluids, resolving oedema, invigorating the spleen, benefiting qi and eliminating toxin.
Health preservation by food – Vegetables
In Chinese medicine, vegetables can promote digestion and replenish nutrients. Some vegetables are pungentin taste and warm in nature. For example, garlic, ginger can warm the stomach and expel wind and cold. Somevegetables are sweet in flavour and cold in nature. For example, Chinese celery and lotus root can eliminatetoxic materials of the intestine and stomach.
[White cabbage] is small Chinese cabbage cultivated in the south, which is sweet in taste and slightly coldin nature. It can relieve the heat of the lung and stomach, as well as promote digestion and purgation.
[Mustard] is pungent in taste and warm in nature. It can invigorate the spleen and warm the stomach,promote digestion, dissolve phlegm, activate qi, dissipate cold and relieve exterior syndrome.
[Spinach] is sweet in taste and cool in nature. It can clear the intestine and stomach, promote theproduction of the body fluids, quench thirst, nourish the liver and improve eyesight.
[Radish] White radish is sweet in taste and cool in nature. It can clear away heat and promote theproduction of the body fluids, dissolve phlegm, relieve cough and promote digestion. Carrot is sweet in taste andneutral in nature. It can moisturise the lung, promote the production of the body fluids, nourish the liver andimprove eyesight.
[Chive] is pungent in taste and warm in nature. It can supplement the kidney and assist yang, warm andstimulate the stomach, activate qi and remove blood stasis.
[Wax gourd] is sweet, light in taste and slightly cold in nature. It can clear away heat and eliminatetoxin, quench thirst, relieve fidgety and promote diuresis. Thus it is a desirable vegetable in summer. Besidesits flesh can be used as chowder, its peel can be boiled and consumed as tea, which can relieve summer heat andpromote diuresis, rendering it suitable for problems such as summer heat, vexation and thirst.
[Silky gourd] is sweet in taste and cool in nature. It can clear away heat and dissolve phlegm, making itespecially suitable for people with heat, restlessness, thirst, lung heat and cough.
[Bitter cucumber] is bitter and sweet in taste but cold in nature, can clear away heat, relieve summerheat, clear the liver and improve eyesight. It is most suitable for people with damp heat and excess ofLiver-fire.
[Mushroom] is commonly known as dried mushroom, is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can invigoratethe spleen, regulate the stomach, supplement qi and benefit the kidney. Mushroom is most suitable for people withdeficiency in the spleen and stomach as well as poor appetite. The body constitution can be strengthened afterpersistent consumption.
Health preservation by food – Fruits
In Chinese medicine, fruits can replenish the deficiency of the major diet and provide the necessarynutrients to the body. Most fruits are sweet, sour in taste and slightly cold in nature. For example, pear,sugarcane, olive can nourish yin, promote the production of the body fluids and clear away heat. Some fruits aresweet in taste and warm in nature. For example, lychee, longan and chestnut can replenish qi, nourish blood,invigorate the spleen and supplement the kidney.
[Apple] is sweet in taste and cool in nature. It can nourish the spleen, stimulate the stomach, promotedigestion, moisturise the lung, dissolve phlegm and relieve cough. Apple peel can also stop diarrhea.
[Pear] is sweet, slightly sour in taste and cold in nature. It can clear away heat, promote the productionof the body fluids, moisturise the lung, dissolve phlegm and relieve cough. Pear stewed with crystal sugar isalso suitable for people suffering from cough due to lung dryness.
[Papaya] consumed as fruit in the south, is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can invigorate thespleen, benefit qi, moisturise the lung, relieve cough and promote the secretion of breastmilk, so it is mostsuitable for mother who breastfeed as well as people who cough due to lung deficiency.
[Persimmon] is sweet, astringent in taste and slightly cold in nature. It can moisturise the lung, relievecough, promote the production of the body fluids to quench thirst. Being dried in the sun, it becomes driedpersimmon which is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can moisturise the heart and lung and benefit theintestine and stomach. The white frost on the dried persimmon is called persimmon frost. Being sweet in taste andcool in nature, persimmon frost can clear away heat, moisturise dryness, dissolve phlegm and relieve cough. Itcan also relieve lung heat, cough due to dryness, as well as dry and sore throat.
[Tangerine] is sweet, sour in taste and cool in nature. It can moisturise the lung, promote the productionof the body fluids, regulate the circulation of qi and stimulate the stomach. Its peel, called Chenpi which ispungent in taste and warm in nature, can regulate the circulation of qi, invigorate the spleen, regulate thestomach, relieve vomiting, dry dampness and dissolve phlegm. Orange, pomelo and tangerine are similar in nature.Orange can moisturise the lung and dissolve phlegm whilst pomelo can promote digestion.
[Longan] is sweet in taste and slightly warm in nature. It can supplement and benefit the heart and spleen,promote the production of the body fluids, moisturise dryness, quiet the heart and spirit. It can also be usedfor problems like deficiency in the heart and spleen, palpitation and insomnia due to deficiency in blood and qi.
[Grape] is sour, sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can benefit qi and blood, supplement the liverand kidney, invigorate the spleen and stomach and promote diuresis. Thus, it is a desirable fruit for nourishing.
[Watermelon] is sweet in taste and cold in nature. It can clear away summer heat, promote the production ofthe body fluids to quench thirst and promote diuresis. Thus, it is a suitable fruit for consumption in summer.
Appendix: Different types of body constitution
[Yang and hot type]
Usually have slim and sturdy body shape, rather reddish facial complexion and lips, get annoyed easily,prefer coldness to high temperature etc.
[Deficiency and cold type]
Usually have pale and whitish facial complexion and lips, sometimes have poor appetite, have flat taste inthe mouth, get tired easily, prefer warmth and be afraid of coldness, stools are thin, etc.
[Yin deficiency and interior heat type]
Tend to suffer from hectic fever and night sweating, the body is thin with dry mouth and throat, have heateffusion in the heart of the palms and soles, suffer from restlessness and insomnia easily, stools are dry andhard.
[Phlegm and damp type]
Usually have fat body shape, look fatigued, being drowsy and reluctant to move, prefer greasy food andexperience sticky and slimy sensation in the mouth.
If you have doubt about your body constitution or health preservation by food, please consult a Chinesemedicine practitioner.
More Health Information of Chinese Medicine
Website of Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office, Department of Health : www.cmro.gov.hk
Health Education Hotline, Department of Health: 2833 0111
Website of Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health: www.chp.gov.hk
Website of Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong: www.cmchk.org.hk
Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office, Department of Health
