By Dr. Bruce Eichelberger, OMD |
If you’ve been reading the articles in this series, you’re starting to understand that Oriental Medicine treats disease and health in fundamentally different ways than we’re used to thinking in the West. This is not only true from the standpoint of herbs, acupuncture, etc., but also for something as basic as the foods we eat.
Today you’ll learn how Oriental Medicine addresses food as medicine.
Food = Medicine
According to the grandfather of all Oriental Medical books, The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, which says, “Medicine and food are the same.” In fact, the very same system of categorizing herbs applies when categorizing foods. For a refresher on these ideas, see last month’s article on Oriental Herbal Medicine.
Like herbs, foods have specific tastes and temperatures, as well as organs they affect. And, for healing they are used in a similar way. If someone experiences symptoms of excessive heat imbalance, most of the time foods that are cooling help. If someone has symptoms of dryness, moistening foods are useful.
The bottom line is that to understand which foods will be helpful for specific illnesses, you need to understand the underlying state of balance and imbalance causing it.
Here is a sampling of some of the foods used for specific types of imbalances:
Stagnant Blood: typical symptoms include fixed or sharp pain.
Eggplant – cool and sweet – relieves pain reduces swelling, and invigorates blood flow.
Peanuts – neutral and sweet – regulate blood flow, improve appetite, strengthen digestion, and moisten the lungs.
Heat Conditions: typical symptoms include red eyes, restlessness, and rapid pulse.
Asparagus – cool, sweet and bitter – clears heat, detoxifies the body, promotes blood circulation, and clears the lungs.
Carrot – cool, sweet and pungent – clears heat, strengthens all internal organs, lubricates the intestines and promotes digestion.
Dampness: this might include symptoms such as stagnant fluids, swelling and lung or nasal congestion – divided into cold and hot categories.
Winter Melon – cool, sweet, bland – clears heat, detoxifies, and dispels dampness.
Beef – warm and sweet – benefits tendons and bones, strengthens vitality and blood, improves digestion, and dispels dampness.
Stagnant Digestion: symptoms such as bloating after eating and nausea
Bamboo Shoots – cool and sweet – strengthen the stomach, relieve food retention, resolves mucous, and promotes diuresis.
Bell Pepper – slightly warm, pungent and sweet – promotes blood circulation, removes stagnant food, and reduces swelling.
Nourish Blood: someone with weak blood may experience fatigue, pallor, and listlessness.
Beets – cool and sweet – nourish blood, calm the spirit, and lubricate the intestines.
Chicken – warm and sweet – nourish blood, strengthen vitality, supports the kidneys, and benefits digestion.
Weak Digestion: often accompanies stagnant food, symptoms can include digestive gas and tiredness, particularly after eating.
Ginger Root – warm and pungent – promotes sweating and combats toxins.
Cinnamon – hot, pungent and sweet – strengthens the stomach, warms cold and stops pain.
There are, of course, hundreds of foods categorized in Oriental Medicine. This list is primarily to give you an idea of how they are used.
Balance is the Key
As with all of Oriental Medicine, when it comes to foods, the intention is creating balance. Moderation, balance of foods, eating slowly and with intention are all important as well.
With practice it is possible to identify subtle responses your body makes to the foods you eat. These responses, whether positive (uplifted energy and mood, lack of cravings for other foods) or negative (tired or jittery, craving sweets or other foods after a meal, depression or agitation) will, over time, help you to refine your diet to suit your own unique situation.
And since everyone is different, you will want to consider setting aside your preconceptions about what foods may be good for you. The ideal diet for someone with Eskimo ancestors is very likely to be radically different for someone who’s ancestors all lived in the Mediterranean.
References:
1. Chinese Healing Foods, Sonberg, Lynn, Pocket Press, 1998
2. The Healing Cuisine of China: 300 Recipes for Vibrant Health and Longevity, Zhao, Zhuo & Ellis, George, Healing Arts Press, 1998
3. Chinese Nutrition Therapy, Kastner, Joerg, Thieme Medical Publishers, 2004
For more info, call Dr. Eichelberger at 775-827-6901.
