“Medicine and food arise from the same source” and “A good diet leads to good health” — these are the cornerstones of traditional Chinese wisdom when it comes to health cultivation.
During the ancient Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for almost a millennium (from the 10th to the 2nd century B.C.), there existed “food doctors” who used food to help people stay healthy or cure illnesses.
To shed some light on the age-old pursuit of well-being, a recent article sought wisdom from five veteran doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine – Chiang Ton-age 101, Ma Kuang-ya-age 92, Yi Chuan-heng-age 88, Tong Yen-ling- age 76, Wu Shui-sheng- age 76, — each of whom brings rich clinical experience from nearly half a century of practice in Taiwan.
Some of the food the “old traditionalists” mentioned in their article
1. Lotus Root
3. Black Sesame Seeds
4. White Fungus, Lotus Seeds
5. Water Spinach
6. White Radish
7. Sugar Cane
Chinese medicine generally defines the nature of a food as hot, warm, neutral, cool or cold, similar to body constitutions. Food that is hot by nature may be used to stimulate the body, while food that is cold by nature may sedate the organs. Many of the therapeutic uses of the foods below are evaluated based on this concept.