Guest guest Posted February 1, 2004 Report Share Posted February 1, 2004 could you redirect to actua;l website? this is v interesting. Dr. Holmes Keikobad MB BS DPH Ret. DIP AC NCCAOM LIC AC CO & AZ www.acu-free.com - home based recertification for acupuncturists and health professionals - <SacredQi888 <Chinese Medicine > Sunday, February 01, 2004 9:14 AM TCM Food Someone asked for this earlier sorry so long to post TCM FOOD THERAPY The TCM remedial diet includes looking at lifestyle, getting enough rest, relaxation, exercise and attitude. The seven emotions and lack of rest can injure the body just as much as improper foods, The seven emotions are joy, anger, grief, worry, melancholy, fright and fear. " In Chinese the digestive system is called the xiao hua xi tong. Xi tong means system, xiao to disperse, and hua to transform. In Chinese medicine, digestion equals the dispersion of pure substances to be retained and impure substances to be excreted after these have undergone transformation. Therefore the digestive tract is called the xiao hua dao or pathway of dispersion and transformation. The stomach is the pot of the middle burner and the spleen is both the fire under the pot and the distillation mechanism to which this pot is attached. As the foods ripen and rot, the pure and impure parts become separated. The spleen sends the purest parts of the foods up to the lung and the purest parts of the liquids up to the heart. The pure part of the foods or the five flavors become the basis for the creation of qi. Or vital energy in the lungs. The pure part of the liquids becomes the basis for the creation of the blood within the heart. The sending up of the pure part of foods and liquids by the spleen is called ascension of the clear.. The stomach then sends down the impure parts of the food to be further transformed by the large intestine and the impure parts of the liquids to be transformed by the small intestine. In Chinese medicine whatever helps the stomach create a 100 degree soup is beneficial and anything that does not impedes or impairs digestion " 1. Spleen provides heat for the transformation and transportation. It doesn't like dampness. The stomach needs dampness to do its job. If the stomach is dry it will scorch the soup. The five flavors or characteristics of food are: Salt - attracts water, water follows salt to the tissues where an imbalance can harden or dehydrate them. Overeating will injure the Kidney. Sour - vinegar, lemon stimulates contraction and absorption moves stagnation. Overeating injures the Liver. Sweet goes with other flavors, harmonizes guides and moves qi and can reduce toxicity. Overeating creates dampness in the Spleen. Bitter- draining and drying, moves qi outward. A little is good for the Heart and Stomach, however no one really ever overeats bitter foods. Pungent - goes up, dispersing upward and outward with perspiration. It is more yang. Most spices are pungent or acrid and warm or hot and strengthens and aids digestion in small amounts. 2 The energy and temperature of foods have a great internal effect on the organ system. Foods can be classified as: hot, warm, neutral, cool, and cold. On the scale of temperature: Hot = Shellfish, Warm = Fish, Neutral = Chicken / Turkey, Cool = Beef and Cold = Pork. Deficiency should be treated via nourishing and tonifying foods before excess conditions are treated with cleansing and eliminating foods. Cycling with the seasons. Fall and Winter is the time to store energy. Eat more root vegetables and tonifying grains and meats. It is a time to build up the body. The energy moves in and downward especially in cold climates. It is more Yin. Milder climates may not need to tonify as much. Spring and Summer is a time for cleansing and detoxing. Like the buds and flowers of plants the energy moves up and out. It is more Yang. This is a time for taking tonics. Spicy foods move outward. Surface relieving herbs like ginger and cayenne pepper are hot and can cool the body with diaphoresis. Seeds and nuts move inwards. Green foods and green shoots move upward. Warmer foods speed us up. Cooler foods slow us down. Cooked foods are easier to digest because the breakdown process has already begun. Smelling and chewing food starts the enzymes and digestive juices flowing. In TCM it is better to eat 100 degree or room temperature foods. Raw foods require more spleen energy to digest. The temperature of food can also be influenced by cooking or preparation methods. The effects of the various methods are as follows: Raw - cooling, steamed - cooling/ neutral, boiled - neutral, stewed - warming, stir-fried - warming, baked - more warming, deep fried - heating, roasted - more heating, grilled - more heating, barbecued - most heating. Longer and slower methods will also produce more warming effects than quicker methods. 3 White rice is more diuretic, it helps to release the water. Brown rice holds more water and is more acidic. Foods that have been overcooked or spoiled, several days old in the refrigerator are called wrecked. In TCM it is recommended to eat foods within 24 hours of being cooked. Tonic food to help nourish and strengthen spleen. Avoid raw, sweet, rich foods and over consumption of fluids. beef cinnamon ham pineapple caraway seeds corn mullet pistachio nuts carrots dill seeds perch red & black dates chestnuts garlic pheasant polished rice yams string beans white fish fish royal jelly Foods can fall into more than one category: NOURISH QI walnut vinegar strawberry winter squash shitake mushrooms Fig chicken liver beef liver aduki beans spearmint ginger BUILD BLOOD sweet potato artichoke mustard greens sweet rice oats coconut milk butter eel fresh ham sorghum lamb chestnuts brown sugar malt syrup WARMING FOODS sweet rice chicken liver chicken butter fresh ginger black pepper clove fennel green pepper mutton nutmeg KIDNEY YANG TONIC beef kidney chestnut cinnamon chive seeds dill seeds fennel seeds fenugreek seeds lobster oxtail pistachios raspberries shrimp star anise strawberries add neutral don't add drying foods that's why no chicken or turkey In setting up the TCM diet we should get a sense of the person and what they will comply with and set up a diet from there. Don't tell a vegetarian they have to eat kidney unless its kidney beans. Avoid raw foods, eat them lightly steamed. Avoid greasy foods, cold foods and iced drinks. 1. Arisal of the Clear, pgs 9-11 2. Helping Ourselves, Leggett 3. Arisal of the Clear pg 15-16. Sunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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