The medicinal substances and foods used in medicinal diet therapy each have their own biases in terms of Qi (energy) and flavor. Different flavors have different effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine utilizes the flavors of food and medicinal substances to treat diseases of the Zang-fu organs. The "Basic Questions·Chapter on the Five Qi Manifestations" states: "The five flavors enter the body: sour enters the liver, pungent enters the lung, bitter enters the heart, salty enters the kidney, and sweet enters the spleen; this is called the five entries." The five flavors have specific effects on the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney. Due to the different flavors of medicinal dishes and the different order in which the organs absorb them, as recorded in the "Basic Questions·Great Treatise on the Ultimate Truth": "When the five flavors enter the body, each goes to its preferred organ. Therefore, sour enters the liver first, bitter enters the heart first, sweet enters the spleen first, pungent enters the lung first, and salty enters the kidney first. Over time, they enhance the Qi of their respective organs, which is a constant transformation of things." This theory is the principle that guides our use of medicinal dishes.
Sour, pungent, bitter, salty, and sweet flavors are widely found in foods. When medicinal dishes are prepared well, they can increase appetite, prevent and treat diseases, strengthen the body for health preservation, and extend one's lifespan.
Sour flavor: It is produced by organic acids, such as acetic acid, and is widely found in foods. Examples include: unripe plums, apples, cuttlefish, apricots, peanuts, kumquats, purslane, oranges, hawthorn, pork, wild duck, etc. Sour flavor has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stimulating the appetite, but excessive consumption can cause digestive disorders.
Pungent flavor: Pungent foods include: Malan head (a type of green), taro, rabbit meat, ginger, chives, garlic, amaranth, coriander, chili, pepper, cassia bark, white liquor, rapeseed, mule meat, carrots, etc. Moderate consumption can stimulate gastrointestinal motility, increase the secretion of digestive fluids, promote blood circulation, and dispel wind and cold. However, excessive consumption can also lead to excessive internal heat, causing mouth sores and affecting gastric mucosal function. It should be avoided by those suffering from constipation, skin diseases, hemorrhoids, etc.
Bitter flavor: Bitter foods include: alfalfa, toon sprouts, turnip greens, plums, pork liver, lamb, soft-shelled turtle, fermented black beans, asparagus, lettuce, arrowhead, bitter herbs, goji berries, bitter melon, lamb liver, etc. It has the effects of clearing heat, drying dampness, and promoting bowel movements, but excessive consumption can cause indigestion.
Salty flavor: Salty foods include: mountain sparrows, pigeon meat, pork blood, chicken blood, silkworm pupae, jellyfish, chestnuts, meat, pork kidneys, duck blood, crab, oysters, clams, seaweed, salt, etc. Salty flavor helps regulate the osmotic balance between cells and blood and maintains normal water and salt metabolism. However, patients with heart disease should not consume salty dishes excessively.
Sweet flavor: Sweet foods include: japonica rice, corn, sorghum, black rice, black beans, Chinese yam, lily, lotus seeds, wood ear mushroom, beef, silkie chicken, black carp, carp, soft-shelled turtle, milk rock sugar, etc. Sweet foods have the effect of nourishing Qi and blood. However, excessive consumption can raise blood sugar and trigger heart disease.
Based on the different flavored foods mentioned above, various medicinal dishes can be prepared for everyone to consume for health preservation and longevity.