🌿 Folk Prescriptions

After the beginning of autumn each year, many people with weak constitutions habitually prepare medicinal foods at home. Numerous merchants also advertise autumn medicinal food supplementation. However, many people suffer illness due to improper use of medicinal foods.
Miss Wu’s mother retired and heard that medicinal foods benefit health. She bought ginseng, astragalus, red dates, and made a chicken soup. Everyone enjoyed the soup at dinner, but Miss Wu couldn’t sleep all night, feeling dry mouth and thirst, constantly drinking water and rushing to the bathroom. Later, the doctor explained that although ginseng, astragalus, and red dates chicken soup greatly replenish vital energy, for a healthy person like Miss Wu, it was superfluous—easily causing internal heat.
In contrast, Mr. Li was less fortunate. While dining with friends at a small restaurant, the owner recommended a new specialty dish: "Fuzi Lamb Stew," claiming it could warm yang, supplement the kidneys, and strengthen the body. Believing himself deficient in kidney qi, Mr. Li ordered it. After eating, he suddenly felt palpitations and chest tightness. Friends rushed him to the emergency room, stabilizing his condition. The cause was simple: unaware of drug interactions, the chef casually stewed astragalus, fuzi (aconite), and lamb together. Lamb is a warming, yang-enhancing food; fuzi also warms yang. Moreover, fuzi contains aconitine, which can adversely affect heart rhythm. Thus, it triggered arrhythmia in Mr. Li, whose heart was already weak.
Traditional Chinese medicinal food is not simply a mixture of food and herbs. Instead, it is a special food crafted under the guidance of TCM diagnostic and dietary theory, blending herbs, food, and seasonings into a product with both medicinal effects and culinary flavor, used for disease prevention, treatment, and health promotion. Without medical knowledge, blindly preparing or consuming medicinal food supplementation risks going off track.
One of the main ingredients in medicinal food is herbs. Among the over 4,000 commonly used herbs, about 500 can serve as medicinal food ingredients. Of these, approximately 60 are relatively safe and palatable: tianma (Gastrodia elata), ginseng, duzhong (Eucommia ulmoides), fu ling (Poria cocos), dang gui (Angelica sinensis), sha shen (Adenophora stricta), chen pi (Citrus reticulata peel), zhenzhu fen (pearl powder), dong chong xia cao (Cordyceps sinensis), jue ming zi (Cassia seed), tian dong (Asparagus cochinchinensis), ding xiang (Clove), huang qi (Astragalus membranaceus), bai shao (Paeonia lactiflora), dang shen (Codonopsis pilosula), gou qi zi (Lycium barbarum), gan cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), mai dong (Ophiopogon japonicus), lu rong (Deer antler velvet), shan yao (Dioscorea opposita), shu di (Rehmannia glutinosa), ling zhi (Ganoderma lucidum), shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), etc.—mostly plant-based herbs.
These "medicinal and edible" herbs must be paired and used according to TCM theory, so their actions complement and coordinate. Otherwise, errors may occur or effectiveness compromised. TCM has strict prohibitions regarding herb compatibility, food-herb pairing, food pairing, and dietary restrictions for specific conditions.
According to TCM theory, constitutions vary due to genetics, environment, diet, and lifestyle. Different constitutions manifest differently in physiology, pathology, and psychology. The most crucial aspect of preparing and consuming medicinal food is "diagnosing constitution and tailoring diet." Healthy adults can be categorized into different constitutions. Choose suitable foods based on individual constitution characteristics to adjust constitution, promote health, and prevent disease proactively.
Medicinal food differs from ordinary meals. When used, one must consider the nature and taste of herbal ingredients, dietary suitability and taboos, ingredient selection and processing, cooking techniques, and adhere to basic principles of application:
1. Holistic Approach, Diagnose and Tailor Diet
When using medicinal food, first consider one’s constitution, health status, seasonal changes, and geographical environment. Determine the basic syndrome type, then establish corresponding dietary therapy principles.
In medicinal food therapy, not only the nature and taste of non-food herbs matter, but also those of food herbs. Generally, warm and hot food herbs—such as ginger, scallions, red dates, walnuts, lamb, fennel—have warming, dispersing, yang-enhancing effects, suitable for treating cold syndromes and yin conditions. Cool and cold food herbs—such as mung beans, lotus root, watermelon, pear, bamboo shoots, purslane, chrysanthemum—have cooling, heat-clearing, blood-cooling, detoxifying effects, suitable for treating heat syndromes and yang conditions.
Regarding the five tastes: sour food herbs—like plum, pomegranate—can collect and solidify; bitter herbs—like bitter melon, apricot kernels—clear heat, descend qi, extinguish fire, dry dampness; sweet herbs—like red dates, honey, maltose—nourish, harmonize, relieve urgency and pain; pungent herbs—like ginger, scallions—disperse and move qi; salty herbs—like kelp, seaweed—soften hardness and dissolve nodules; bland herbs—like poria, coix seed—promote urination. For example, poria and coix seed facilitate diuresis.
2. Palatable Medicine, Convenient to Consume
Medicinal food typically uses herbs and foods with dual medicinal and culinary properties, possessing color, aroma, and taste. Even with added herbs, careful selection of herb nature and taste ensures delicious, appetizing medicinal food.
Cooking medicinal food mainly involves "stewing, boiling, braising, steaming," ultimately becoming soup. This allows herbs and food to release active components maximally through prolonged heating, enhancing efficacy. The cooking style emphasizes original flavors of herbs and food—achieving both nourishing effects and delicious taste—to stimulate appetite and deliver tangible benefits.
3. Select Premium Herbs, Scientific Preparation
Herb selection also follows the principle of "diagnose and treat." Based on individual constitution, food pairing, and herb nature, choose fresh, high-quality herbs. Never use spoiled or moldy herbs. Before use, herbs and food must be cleaned thoroughly—free of impurities, dust, mold, or decay. Ensure proper color, pure taste, and attractive appearance with high quality.
To guarantee efficacy, herbs and food require necessary processing. Some need slicing, shredding, dicing, or segmenting; some must be ground into fine powder; others must undergo traditional preparation methods to reduce toxicity or side effects.
Excellent medicinal food demands skilled cooking techniques. Generally, edible herbs and those without unpleasant odors can be cooked directly with food. If many herbs or strong odors are present, wrap them in gauze before cooking, allowing their essence to infuse into food or soup. Remove herb residue when consuming. Alternatively, first boil herbs, filter the juice, remove residue, then add the juice during food preparation to minimize nutrient and active ingredient destruction.
4. Moderate and Consistent, Targeted Application
"Eating with moderation" is a vital TCM health preservation principle. Medicinal food therapy should also be moderate and restrained. Avoid excessive intake over short periods or seeking quick results. Based on personal condition, consume small amounts regularly and consistently—long-term persistence yields results.
For healthy individuals, certain health-promoting diets may be consumed moderately. For those with weak constitutions or illness, medicinal treatment should accompany medicinal food therapy. During recovery or for chronic conditions, medicinal food therapy may be more suitable. Notably, although medicinal food offers many benefits, its specificity and therapeutic effect fall short of pharmaceuticals. Only when combined with medicines, complementing each other, can better outcomes be achieved.