What Does Adding Herbs to Dishes Actually Tonify?
With the arrival of Winter Solstice, temperatures drop. Many restaurants and hotels in Shanghai have begun launching medicinal cuisine “signature dishes.” Some add herbs for blood activation and cold dispersion into hot pots, named “tonic hot pot”; others incorporate expensive herbs into soups and stir-fries, calling them “imperial medicinal cuisine.”
Last night around 5 p.m., reporters entered a large restaurant near Tongji University. The ground floor was bustling. Customers who had reserved tables said they came specifically for the medicinal cuisine. At the cooking station, six or seven oval-shaped cauldrons simmered on gas stoves, emitting steam carrying the fragrance of herbs. The menu included dishes like Tianma Chicken Soup, Dangshen Pigeon Soup, and Shouwu Black Chicken Soup, priced at 98 yuan for large portions and 48–58 yuan for small ones.
Reporters asked the young chef on duty: “What does eating these medicinal dishes actually benefit the body?” The chef replied honestly: “We just cook; we don’t know what it tonifies.” Asked again: “How much of herbs like Tianma, Dangshen, and Shouwu are added to each dish?” The chef shook his head sheepishly.
Reporters consulted Zhao Yonghan, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Dietary Therapy Cooperation Center and Standing Director of the Shanghai Medicinal Cuisine Association. He explained that medicinal cuisine results from rational pairing of herbs and food, then cooked into dishes with specific therapeutic and health-enhancing effects. Many herbs require prior processing before being added to dishes. Choosing herbs and dosages cannot be arbitrary.
Zhao revealed that some restaurants’ medicinal dishes have gone off track. For example, “Ten Full Great Tonics Hot Pot” indiscriminately adds star anise, cinnamon bark, fennel, Angelica sinensis, and Astragalus—pungent, drying, blood-activating herbs—along with lamb and dog meat, both highly warming. Customers with yin deficiency and internal heat would only exacerbate their condition. Another classic dish, “Angelica-Astragalus Black-Boned Chicken,” requires a precise ratio: Angelica and Astragalus to black-boned chicken should be 1:100. For a 1000g chicken, 10g of each herb is ideal. Yet many chefs add herbs without weighing them.
Herbs have four natures (cold, hot, warm, cool) and five flavors (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, salty). Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, prescribing herbs based on their “nature” and “flavor” to match individual constitutions. Diners at one table have different constitutions, so no single medicinal dish suits everyone. For example, “Shashen-Yuzhu Old Duck Soup” benefits those with lung dryness, dry cough, and constipation, but may worsen symptoms in those with yang deficiency and cold phlegm. Some tonifying herbs, when overconsumed by healthy people, may cause dizziness, irritability, dry mouth, or nosebleeds. Some dishes that benefit the elderly may cause precocious puberty in children.
Chinese medicinal cuisine has a long history and enjoys global fame. However, according to our report, there is currently no formal certification system for medicinal cuisine chefs. Any restaurant can claim to serve medicinal cuisine. Consumer protection agencies argue that diners have the right to know. Restaurants and hotels should clearly indicate in their menus: which herbs are used, their quantities, and who they are suitable for.