Chinese Food Therapy: Herbal Trail Mix
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Ever thought that your morning muffin or stir-fry lunch contained not just sustenance, but healing properties? Ancient Chinese medical theory has ascribed certain energetics and functions to many common foods, that still remain true today. Such properties are very different from nutritional values (vitamins, calories, fats, fiber, etc), which came later in the evolution of the nature of food. Let’s take watermelon (Xi Gua) as an example of this idea: our analytical mind knows that this delicious fruit is sweet, refreshing and nutritious with its high water content and fiber. The energetics of this food according to Chinese theory are cooling and damp draining, and therefore can prevent heat stroke on a hot summer day and promote healthy water metabolism by ridding edema. A more relevant example for the winter season would be lamb (Yang Rou), which is warming to the system and promotes optimum functioning.
Food therapy is considered to be the number one treatment in preventative care and healing therapy. In modern China, there are special restaurants where one can go to receive tailored medicinal meals. After a visit with the Chinese medicine doctor, a pattern diagnosis is ascribed which can then be brought to the chef at such a restaurant. Food will then be prepared in accordance with individual needs – to nourish, eliminate or course any given imbalance. This notion contradicts the idea that one particular diet is best for everyone, but rather tailors nutritional choices based on individual need. What may help one person lose weight and feel energetic, may not be the right fit for someone else. I had the fortune of experiencing this model for myself at the medicinal food restaurant across from the hospital during my one-year clinical rotation in Hangzhou, China.
Chinese herbal medicine utilizes the combination of roots, barks, leaves, stems and berries to promote health and vitality. It only makes sense that Chinese Herbal Medicine and Food Therapy often overlap, with many herbal ingredients ending up on typical supermarket shelves. The following is a delicious trailmix you can make at home, as your own “herbal formula prescription.” In addition to curbing hunger between meals, or giving an energy boost before a work-out, this mix is high in antioxidents, essential fatty acids and protein. From the Chinese perspective, it is nourishing to the kidneys; promotes mental clarity, memory function; improves libido, energy and digestion. Enjoy!
Herbal Trail Mix – Common Names with Chinese Names and Functions
Goji Berries/Wolfberries
Gou Qi Zi -Nourishes the kidney energy, enhances fertility, memory, and sexual function
Walnut Halves
Hu Tao Ren -Promotes brain function, mental clarity
Black Sesame Seeds
Huo Ma Ren -Nourishes blood, improves vision and sluggish digestion. Black sesame has the additional benefit of promoting lactation in breast-feeding women.
*I like Mrs. May’s Black Sesame Crunch Squares, they are slightly sweetened with honey that provides a great flavor and also aids digestion.
This post is a proud participant in the Kathleen Show’s Prevention Not Prescriptions Blog - a great place for other resources to stay healthy.
It is official, winter has begun in New York City. With a snowstorm leaving several inches of white powder on the city streets this morning, it reminds me of the wonder of this sometimes chilling season. Growing up in Minnesota, snow and cold temperature are no news to me. But still, the first snowfall of the year leaves me feeling full of awe and wonder…it is a magical experience.
In Chinese medicine, winter applies to the Water Element in 5-element theory. Although it comes in the form of snow and ice, water is truly an abundant part of the winter landscape. When transcribed to the human body, the kidneys and urinary bladder are responsible for water metabolism (both energetically and physically) and are a pivotal part of the Water element. Yin and Yang are interdependent forces prevalent in all aspects of life, but winter is rooted in a strong sense of yin. In this regard, yin can be understood through the cool and still nature of the season. A teacher of mine once explained the water element as the bottom bedrock on the ocean floor – the deep, dark, solid root of something so powerful and majestic. I like to translate this metaphor to the body, with representation to the powerful root to within each of us – our individual potential.
During winter, the land is frozen and there is no growth or harvest. That which is leftover from the fall becomes nourishment for the winter. Canned vegetables, sauced apples, gourds, squashes and meats for hearty stews are important for building the root aspect in ourselves. There are plenty of herbs and teas for nourishing the kidneys during this time, and depending on individual constitution will depend on the formula focus. Even if you are feeling healthy, the beginning of winter can be a great to time for visiting your acupuncturist to help guide your body into the energetics of the season and promote tonification.
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