The colors of life are vibrant, and even our daily diets are a "riot of color." Did you know that ancient Chinese medicine has the concept of "medicine and food sharing the same origin"? It believes that foods of different colors respectively nourish different organs of the body. The five colors of ingredients—green, red, yellow, white, and black—correspond to the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys in the human body, influencing the function of the five vital organs.
As modern people, wouldn't it be wonderful to let the wisdom of the ancients help us discover the joys in life? Green nourishes the liver
The "green" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a color between blue and green. TCM believes that "green" corresponds to the liver in the human body. In the Five Elements theory, the liver belongs to the Wood element, so green also corresponds to "Wood" in the Five Elements. Green (or blue-green) benefits the circulation and metabolism of liver Qi, helps eliminate fatigue, relieves liver depression, prevents liver diseases, improves vision, protects the optic nerve, and enhances immune function.
The liver has the function of storing blood. When the body's blood is insufficient, the liver blood is also insufficient, failing to provide the nutrients the liver needs, which can damage liver function. At this time, the eyes may feel sore, tired, or blurred, and a woman's menstrual cycle may become irregular. Therefore, according to the TCM theory of the Five Organs and Five Colors, eating green vegetables daily can be considered a blood-nourishing diet. Green foods include mung beans, cucumbers (large and small), broccoli, edamame, celery, spinach, bamboo shoots, guava, and seaweed, all of which benefit the liver, gallbladder, and eyes.
Celery
Celery has a unique aroma and the effects of pacifying the liver and clearing heat, inducing sweat to reduce fever, lowering blood pressure, and promoting blood circulation. "Ben Tui Chen" (a classic herbal text) records celery: "It treats symptoms like dizziness due to liver yang, a flushed face and red eyes, a heavy head and light feet, and an unsteady gait." It can improve liver problems. Besides being rich in vitamins C, D, B1, B2, and folic acid, celery also contains minerals like sodium and potassium. Each stalk of celery contains 35mg of sodium. Western medicine points out that such high sodium content could potentially raise blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Therefore, celery is best used for health maintenance rather than for controlling blood pressure.
Oysters
Oysters are a food with a sweet and salty flavor and a cold nature. They mainly enter the liver and kidney meridians, with the functions of nourishing yin and blood, and relieving vexation, heat, and insomnia. However, one must be careful when eating oyster meat; it is best to add seasonings like an appropriate amount of ginger and vinegar to kill bacteria. Oysters are rich in ω-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, which are polyunsaturated fatty acids. They can lower excessive cholesterol in the blood and prevent fatty liver and cardiovascular diseases.
Spinach
Spinach is known as the "king of vegetables." It can soothe the liver and nourish blood. It has a cool nature and a sweet flavor, benefiting the five organs, activating blood circulation, relieving vexation and thirst, and aiding digestion. It has effects such as nourishing yin and moistening dryness, soothing the liver and nourishing blood, and is often effective as an auxiliary treatment for liver Qi stagnation complicated by stomach problems. Red nourishes the heart
Red belongs to the "Fire" element in the Five Elements, giving a sensory stimulation like flames, and corresponds to the summer season. In the correspondence with the five organs, it enters the heart, enhancing heart Qi and increasing the activity of cells in the body's tissues. Eating more red-colored foods can prevent colds and has the effects of nourishing blood, generating blood, and supplementing yang. Therefore, it is more suitable for "deficiency syndromes" and "excess syndromes," such as a thin physique, dull complexion, anemia, palpitations, cold limbs, and weakness in the hands and feet. The red food health preservation method generally includes red or reddish foods, or herbs with a warm nature, such as safflower, hawthorn, mulberry, red dates, roselle, and goji berries; carrots, tomatoes, apples, beef, mutton, cherries, lychees, and longan flesh. However, red beans, watermelon, and purslane are cooling in nature and are almost all rich in iron, which can supplement iron and blood, benefiting health.
Roselle
Roselle is grown in the tropics and is a refreshing summer drink. In TCM, roselle is used to clear heat, relieve thirst, stop coughs, and lower blood pressure. It can treat heatstroke, coughs, drunkenness, and high blood pressure. Research indicates that roselle has strong antioxidant, anti-tumor, cardiovascular-protecting, liver-protecting, and blood pressure-lowering functions. Studies have shown that after consuming roselle tea for 21 consecutive days, blood pressure decreases by 5% to 11%, which is indeed helpful for blood pressure control. However, most roselle on the market is made into candied fruit, which is high in salt and sweetness, posing a burden on the cardiovascular system and kidneys. To protect the heart and promote health, it is best to choose unprocessed roselle.
Red Dates
Red dates, also known as jujubes, tonify the spleen and stomach, and nourish the heart to calm the mind. Modern pharmacology has found that red dates are rich in nutrients such as vitamins C and A, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. They have the effects of protecting the liver and enhancing physical strength, and are helpful for all deficiency syndromes, such as a weak stomach with poor appetite, poor spleen function, and arrhythmia.
Safflower
Safflower has a pungent and warm nature, entering the liver and heart meridians, and is a plant of the Asteraceae family. Its main effects are invigorating blood to dispel stasis, with functions such as promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, breaking up stagnation to generate new tissue, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and inducing sweat to reduce fever. It is beneficial for menstrual abdominal pain in women, as well as symptoms from falls, injuries, and blood stasis pain.
White nourishes the lungs
The "Jin Kui Zhen Lun Pian" chapter of the "Huangdi Neijing · Suwen" (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - Basic Questions) states: "The west is white, which enters the lungs and opens into the nose; its flavor is pungent, and its disease lies in the skin and hair..." This means that eating more white foods has the effect of nourishing the lungs. People with a fragile digestive system but who are prone to weight gain, or those with a poor complexion, should eat more white foods, such as white radish, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, white fungus, and sugarcane. Chinese medicinal herbs in this category include almonds, Chinese yam, Poria, white sesame seeds, lily bulb, and white peony root. However, this does not apply to those with allergic constitutions.
Almonds
Almonds have a bitter flavor and a warm nature, entering the lung and large intestine meridians. They have effects such as calming wheezing, stopping coughs, eliminating phlegm, and moistening the intestines. Consuming them in moderation can prevent sore throat, cough and wheezing, dryness in the intestines, and constipation.
Lily Bulb
The lily bulb has a neutral nature and a sweet flavor, entering the heart and lung meridians. It has functions such as clearing heat, moistening the lungs, stopping coughs, calming the heart, and tranquilizing the mind. It is most suitable for people with insomnia, excessive dreaming, neurasthenia, and a confused mental state. Moreover, the lily bulb contains special components such as colchicine and colchicine amide, which can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, making it a natural food supplement for cancer prevention and treatment.
Radish
Radish has a cool nature and a pungent flavor, entering the lung and stomach meridians. It has effects such as promoting urination, eliminating indigestion, and resolving phlegm-heat. In addition, radish is rich in vitamins A and C, which can promote the synthesis of heme and increase the concentration of blood. Modern medical research has confirmed that radish contains a special lignin that can activate macrophages in the body and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, making it a very good anti-cancer food.
Pears
Pears have been revered since ancient times as the "leader of a hundred fruits." They have functions such as moistening the lungs, stopping coughs, resolving phlegm, and reducing fire. In autumn, if the climate is excessively dry, leading to symptoms like thirst, constipation, or a dry cough; or if internal heat causes vexation, thirst, wheezing, and yellow phlegm, one can eat more pears. Before using pears for health, one should consider whether they are suitable for their constitution. People with a deficient and cold constitution or a cold-type cough should not eat raw pears; they must be steamed, made into a soup, or stewed with medicinal herbs. Those with long-term diarrhea should not eat too many pears, as they are cold in nature and can worsen diarrhea if consumed excessively.
Yellow nourishes the spleen and stomach
Yellow food corresponds to the "Earth" element in the Five Elements and enters the spleen, enhancing spleen Qi and promoting and regulating metabolism. Therefore, yellow foods, such as sweet potatoes and soybeans, can protect the health of the spleen and stomach, maintaining the spleen's functions of governing transportation and transformation, governing the ascent of clarity, and governing blood. These functions mainly involve converting food into nutrients, transporting these nutrients throughout the body, and metabolizing bodily waste. They are the source of the body's blood, vital energy, and operational power. All the organs of the body depend on the nourishment of the spleen and stomach. This means that the body's health depends on the proper functioning of the spleen and stomach, which also validates the saying, "The spleen and stomach are the foundation of postnatal life."
Lotus Seeds
Lotus seeds are astringent and strengthening herbs that can tonify the middle jiao, calm the mind, and stop diarrhea. Li Shizhen's "Bencao Gangmu" (Compendium of Materia Medica) says: "Lotus seeds can thicken the intestines and treat leukorrhea." Lotus seeds have an astringent effect, and regular consumption can treat diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. For children with indigestion who are restless all day or whose daily food intake is decreasing, lotus seeds can be used. For the elderly with insomnia, excessive dreaming, and a confused mind, lotus seeds can be used to promote peaceful sleep and tranquility.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin has a sweet flavor, a warm and neutral nature, and is non-toxic. It enters the stomach and large intestine meridians. In TCM, it can warm the body, moisten the lungs, tonify the spleen, and increase appetite. It can treat stomach pain, relieve pain, and prevent miscarriage. People who often have cold hands and feet, are easily tired, have poor physical strength, or are anemic can eat more of it. Pumpkin is rich in nutrients. Its starch and sugars are easily broken down and absorbed by the body. Its carotene content is the highest among gourds. Carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body, which has a protective effect on the skin and mucous membranes and is quite effective for treating cold deficiency, stomach ulcers, preventing colds, and improving beauty.
Soybeans Black food corresponds to the "Water" element in the Five Elements and enters the kidneys, enhancing kidney Qi. It can help maintain health, improve beauty, resist aging, and prevent cancer, and is greatly beneficial to the reproductive and excretory systems. Black vegetables include buckwheat, black fungus, fat choy, straw mushrooms, nori, seaweed, burdock, black beans, fermented black beans, black soy milk, black rice, and black sesame seeds. Black fruits include dried longan and purple grapes. Black Sesame Seeds Black sesame seeds can be used with pastries and dishes to make all kinds of delicious foods. They can also be roasted, ground, and salted, and then added to congee for breakfast, which is also very tasty. Black sesame seeds are a famous nourishing delicacy, containing various sugars, lecithin, sesamin, sesamol, calcium, magnesium, protein, and more. "Shennong Ben Cao Jing" (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica Classic) says it can "benefit Qi, increase muscle, and moisten the skin." Black Beans Black beans invigorate blood and moisturize the skin. Black beans boiled in salt water can be eaten as a snack to effectively nourish the kidneys and nourish the hair. Modern medicine has proven that the nutritional hormones in black beans can make the skin elastic, reduce pigmentation, and long-term consumption can improve hair quality, making the hair black, dense, and shiny, and the skin fair and clear. The ancients believed that beans were the grain of the kidney, their shape resembles the kidney, and their color is the same as the kidney's color, so they have a strong effect on nourishing the kidney. Black Fungus Black fungus can resolve phlegm, replenish Qi and benefit the will, relieve dryness and nourish the body, moisturize the hair, invigorate blood and nourish the stomach. More importantly, it can also remove various toxic wastes from your body! Sea Cucumber Sea cucumber contains various vitamins and trace elements, chondroitin sulfate, protein, fat, iodine, and more. It has a dry and salty flavor and can help you beautify your appearance and blacken your hair, nourish blood and moisturize the skin, replenish Qi and blood, and nourish the kidneys and secure essence.