Pork Can Also Be Beautifying
Pork Can Also Be Beautifying
Chinese culinary culture is vast and profound. Some seemingly ordinary plants and animals, when properly combined and consumed, can serve preventive and therapeutic purposes. Traditional medicine refers to these foods as "medicinal cuisine." Consuming such dishes not only harnesses the medicinal properties but also avoids side effects associated with drugs. Some foods, when eaten, can both treat and prevent diseases and even offer beautifying effects.
Similarly, the same medicinal dish may have different effects on different individuals. Therefore, to effectively use medicinal cuisine, one must understand their own constitution and use it appropriately to achieve health preservation, disease prevention, and beauty enhancement.
Consuming medicinal cuisine is one of the unique beauty methods in traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Zhongjing, from the Han Dynasty, was particularly skilled in using animal and plant-based remedies for beauty treatments. In his work *Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Chamber*, he recorded many formulas that both treat diseases and enhance beauty, such as Gancao Xiaomai Dazao Tang, Danggui Shengjiang Yangrou Tang, and Zhu Fu Tang. These formulas reflect Zhang Zhongjing's expertise in the concept of "food and medicine sharing the same origin."
Zhu Fu Tang is a significant formula in Zhang Zhongjing’s *Treatise on Cold Damage*. It was used clinically to treat symptoms such as diarrhea, sore throat, irritability, and chest fullness. By boiling pork skin, white honey, and rice flour together, it achieves effects of clearing deficient heat, strengthening the spleen and stomach, stopping diarrhea, relieving irritability, and clearing heat. This formula is one of the 112 important prescriptions in *Treatise on Cold Damage*.
Pigs are truly a treasure trove. Using pig organs and herbs in combination for treating illnesses and enhancing beauty is a common practice among many Chinese physicians. Experts note that pigskin and pig trotters are rich in protein, primarily collagen and elastin. Consuming pigskin and pig trotters for beauty is an excellent choice for women seeking beauty, as it is economical, easy to prepare, and produces noticeable results—making it very popular.
In the context of beauty, traditional Chinese medicine often uses "living essence" substances—not just roots and bark—but animal skins and fats to achieve beauty. Examples include donkey-hide gelatin (Ajiao), pig trotters, and pigskin, all of which have beautifying effects. Their mechanism lies in nourishing yin and blood, moisturizing the skin, improving skin condition, and thus achieving beauty. These formulas are preserved in ancient imperial court secrets and remain widely used in traditional Chinese medicine today.
Using pigskin and pig trotters for beauty has a history of over a thousand years in China. Zhang Zhongjing documented in *Treatise on Cold Damage* that pigskin and pig trotters possess functions such as harmonizing qi and blood, moisturizing skin, and enhancing beauty. Some beauty experts recommend that women interested in beauty consume more pigskin and pig trotters. Thus, pork is indeed a superb beauty ingredient. 【Fan Zhenglun, researcher at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine】