Chinese Medicine Food

Medicinal food, loosely defined, is food that can be used for dietetic therapy. It may be mildly toxic in a raw state, but is de-toxified via cooking (many common edible mushrooms are mildly toxic in a raw state). With respect to the medicinal foods of China, there lies a large body of traditional medical knowledge and cooking experience behind their use - the medicine of medicinal foods draws on the attraction of food (most people enjoy eating!) while the food of medicinal foods supports the power of medicine and turns "good medicine with a bitter taste" into "good medicine with a pleasant taste". Apart from its nutritional value, medicinal foods can also reduce the likelihood of - sometimes even cure - certain diseases, protect health, foster the maintenance of a good physique, etc., and thus prolong life while enhancing the quality of life.

The use of medicinal foods in China is based on the theory of Chinese traditional medicine. This theory places much emphasis on identifying the signs and symptoms of the malady in order to prescribe the proper medicinal foodstuff - one chooses the foodstuff according to the characteristics of the disease/ malady. The choice of medicinal food thus gives prominence to the theory of materia medica (pharmacology).

To take two extremes: in the case of febrile (associated with fever) diseases, Chinese traditional medicine calls for medicinal foods with a "cold" nature (when ingested/ during digestion) such as wax gourd, balsam pear and/or mung bean (mung is the green "bean", or seed of Vigna radiata, native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh); while in the case of "cold" diseases or maladies (eg., pain associated with a feeling of coldness in the abdomen), Chinese traditional medicine calls for foods with a "warm/ hot" nature such as cassia bark and fennel.

In the more neutral case of general tiredness/ enervation, Chinese traditional medicine calls for medicinal foods that reinforce the qi (qi literally means air, or breath, but it is more akin to the breath that God "breathed" into Adam than the air one draws in and exhales, i.e., a life-giving force, or "energy"). Examples of meats that strengthen qi are chicken and lamb (especially lamb kidneys). Examples of vegetables that strengthen qi are leeks and onions, while a good example of a fruit that strengthens qi is the peach.

Famous Chinese Traditional Medicine Dishes/ Rinses and How to Prepare Them

TOPLongan, Tiandong, Maidong and Abolone Soup Rinse

Soak the abalone (abalone is an edible saltwater creature with an attached hard shell that is lined with mother-of-pearl) in boiling hot water for three hours (it will gradually cool), remove, rinse and slice it. Then put all the ingredients (tiandong (Radix aspergi) is the dried root (tuber) of a type of asparagus plant native to Asia, longan is the pulp of a dried fruit native to Asia, maidong is the dried root (tuber) of an Asian grass, aka lilyturf) in the stewing pot, add an appropriate amount of boiling water, cover and stew over low heat for 3 hours. Let cool. The "stew" can be eaten as-is, or the broth can be drained off and consumed separately from the meat. Both should be consumed. This internal "rinse" replenishes the kidneys, keeps the lungs lubricated, and prevents dry cough and excessive thirst.

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Lean Meat Soup with Dried Turnip Rinse

Cut some lean meat into bite-sized pieces, rinse the dried turnip and dice it, add some job's tear plant (Coix lacryma-jobi) and a bit of hawthorn plant (Crataegus) - both are grass-like plants. Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan, add an appropriate amount of water, then cover and stew for 2-3 hours (make enough for a bowl a day for 5 days running). Add salt and pepper to taste (and other spices if desired). Consume a bowl each day for 5 days. This internal "rinse" has the effect of degreasing and whitening the skin, rendering it smooth and soft.

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Turtle Meat, Lotus Seed, Gorgon Fruit, Medlar and Lily Soup Rinse

Clean the turtle (remove the intestines and cut the meat from the shell) or have the butcher do it. Dice the turtle meat into small pieces and place it in a medium-sized pot. Add all of the other ingredients (gorgon fruit is from a type of lily (Eurales ferox), said to act as a natural substitute for - yes! - Viagra®; medlar is the apple-like fruit of an ancient Eurasian tree type which is only edible once the fruit begins to decay; and the lily is the aforementioned Eurales ferox), then add an appropriate amount of water to eventually boil everything to a mush. Add some rice wine and refined salt. Cover, bring to a boil and stew for 3 hours or until everything has become mush. Add monosodium glutamate and coriander, let cool, then eat.

This internal "rinse" has the effect of replenishing the spleen and rejuvenating the kidneys. It is used for to cure/ relieve syndromes such as deficiency of the spleen, diarrhea, rectal problems in connection with prolonged dysentery, and premature ejaculation in males. It can also relieve arthritic pain and reduce the incidence of involuntry urination.

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Longevity Soup of Pig's Liver Rinse

Rinse the pig's liver well and slice it. Place it in a medium-sized pot, add some dried mushrooms and some medlar (see definition above), then add an appropriate amount of water for the dry ingredients. Cover, bring to a boil and stew over low heat until the liver is tender. Add a small amount of monosodium glutamate and some soy sauce to flavor the soup. Consume as-is one bowl a day, or consume one smaller bowl a day of the broth, eating the meat mixture on the side in equivalently small portions.

This internal "rinse" has the effect of replenishing the liver and rejuvenating the kidneys. It is also used to cure/ relieve syndromes such as fatigue due to prolonged illness, a weakened liver and/or kidneys, as well as general bodily weakness/ tendency to fatigue as the result of old age.

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Ginseng, Antler and Chicken Soup Rinse

Rinse the chicken, remove and discard the skin and dice the meat. Saw the antler into "coins" (powdered antler may be substituted). Put the diced chicken in a medium-sized pot together with the antler "coins" and some ginseng, add an appropriate amount of boiling water (in order to prevent any possible interaction of the bacteria in the meat with the other ingredients), cover and stew for 3 hours over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, allow to cool, then eat as a soup.

This internal "rinse" has the effect of revitalizing the kidneys. It is used to cure/ relieve syndromes such as extreme fatigue, reduced functioning of the kidneys, the sensation of coldness in the limbs, impotence, premature ejaculation, sterility due to uterine infections, lower back pain and involuntary urination.

Traditional Chinese medicinal foods have for ages been used to cure/ alleviate the symptoms of a number of maladies and to strengthen the immune system (related to qi). They have proven effective in also helping hospital patients to recuperate more quickly. The interaction between the nutritional (food) and the medicinal properties of traditional Chinese medicinal foods is believed to have a beneficial effect in both alternative-medicine and standard-medicine treatments. The traditional art of preparing/ cooking medicinal foodstuffs via steaming, boiling, stewing or immersing, as the case may be, are very important in order to ensure their effectiveness.