Coffee and Jing (and other things)

[Guest guest]

Some of what's been said here recently seems to refer to the effects of

caffeine, while other comments refer more to coffee as a complex substance,

containing, among other substances, caffeine.

 

The tone of some comments is that coffee is inherently risky, if not

harmful. That may be the result of popular over- or misuse of coffee, and a

resultant sub-cultural ( " health-conscious " ) prejudice.

 

Like alcohol, with similar overtones of a puritanical nature. I noticed

recently while perusing the WuShiErBingFang ( " 52 formulas for disease " , in

the MaWangDui manuscripts, 168. BCE) (1), that a high proportion of the

recipes in there - informal impression, at least 1/3, maybe more of them -

involved taking herbs or other substances with liquor (probably rice wine

or some harder form). On the other side of world history, many (maybe even

most or all) European liquors originated as medicinals, for instance

formulated in monasteries.

 

Historically, when coffee was initially adopted in Europe it was surrounded

by controversy and scandal. (2)

 

Today in European (and originally in various indigenous American) cultures,

coffee plays a role in everyday rituals.

 

a) Afternoon " tea time " in the UK, afternoon coffee break on the continent.

Mid to late afternoon (UB-Ki time frame - pardon if I mix in CM

perspectives here), post-natal Qi is on the wane after the day's activity.

Time for a break, change of pace, a rest, with a beverage like coffee or

tea, maybe with a small snack, and informal conversation with friends or

family. A pick-me-up, mild stimulation of the Kidney (and Heart via the

conversation), which then stimulates the Liver (via mother-child) in its

rejuvenation/bounce-back function. (There's a little CM gimmick I picked up

somewhere -in the " 10 question " phase of a new patient intake the question:

" Does your energy bounce-back well after a short rest during the day? "

measures resilience of the Liver (probably via its Yin, and probably as

commonly shared with the Kidney).)

 

I interpret this as basically a health practice. I have heard that the

DimSum / DianShen tradition is similar - not a full meal affair, as often

practiced in restaurants here, but a break at a tea house with friends,

having tea and Asian " crumpets " .

 

b) Also the tradition of coffee after a large meal, as a digestive aid -

moves the Qi to avoid food stagnation. Add some milk/cream ( " good " phlegm

to protect the stomach), and sugar (harmonize, just like GanCao/licorice)

and you've got a little herbal formula. For many people, whereas a cup of

coffee on an empty stomach late in the day will lead to trouble getting to

sleep at bedtime, the cup of coffee on top of big meal. even fairly late in

the evening, will not have this effect.

 

Does anyone have handy one of the those CM books on diet/food which

categorizes foods in the same terms as a ben-cao categorizes herbs (like

Prince Wen's Cookbook, or the one by the Ni family, or Pitchford's), and

which has an entry for coffee? (Mine are all at the clinic.) Some might

have tea, especially green tea, which is also clearly an herb (as in the

formula " Cnidium and Tea " ).

 

Let's make one up. (All the ones in the BenCao books were originally

made-up, and different books, especially in the Song-Jin-Yuen era, often

contradict each other, i.e. there are differing interpretations) (3):

 

C o f f e e

nature: warming

taste: spicy, bitter (actually depends on the method of

extraction/decoction (4))

channels: San Jiao, Kidney, Liver

functions: warms Yang; moves Qi;

promotes digestion (peristalsis);

supports communication between the Heart (mental alertness) and the Kidney;

helps overcome toxic effects of sedative drug poisoning (5);

diuretic.

cautions: in excess or sensitive conditions may stir internal Wind (the

jitters), scatter YangQi and deplete YuanQi (reserves)

combinations: -- with dairy and sweetener as a digestive aid;

-- concentrated and thick (espresso, Greek/Arabic) as a restorative;

-- as a flavoring in ice-cream, because is tastes good;

-- diluted as an enema.

notes: There are numerous regional varieties and methods of processing and

decocting, ranging from American coffee ( " dirty water " ) to Near Eastern

coffee (mud).

 

 

 

1) c.f. the recent discussion thread " Re: " Early Chinese Medical

Literature " by Donald John Harper "

 

2) c.f. the libretto of the " Coffee Cantata " by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Similar historical phenomena accompanied the introduction of tobacco and

the Viennese waltz into European popular culture.

 

3) Unschuld points this out somewhere, probably in " Medicine in China: a

History of Pharmaceuticals " .

 

4) c.f. an article in Scientific American magazine, about end of 2000,

which presented spectrographic analysis showing that substance releases and

chemical reactions differ with the speed of the process, i.e. the rapid,

pressurized 'espresso' system results in more " good " flavor and less

bitterness. (Perhaps biased - the author was grandson of the Italian

gentleman who invented the espresso machine.)

 

5) Tierra, Michael. Planetary Herbology. Lotus Press, Santa Fe NM, 1988.

p.240

[Guest guest]

Subhuti has a recent article on coffee. Check out itmonline.org

 

-Jason

_____

 

[]

Friday, September 10, 2004 1:32 AM

Chinese Medicine

Re: Coffee and Jing (and other things)

 

 

 

Some of what's been said here recently seems to refer to the effects of

caffeine, while other comments refer more to coffee as a complex substance,

containing, among other substances, caffeine.

 

The tone of some comments is that coffee is inherently risky, if not

harmful. That may be the result of popular over- or misuse of coffee, and a

resultant sub-cultural ( " health-conscious " ) prejudice.

 

Like alcohol, with similar overtones of a puritanical nature. I noticed

recently while perusing the WuShiErBingFang ( " 52 formulas for disease " , in

the MaWangDui manuscripts, 168. BCE) (1), that a high proportion of the

recipes in there - informal impression, at least 1/3, maybe more of them -

involved taking herbs or other substances with liquor (probably rice wine

or some harder form). On the other side of world history, many (maybe even

most or all) European liquors originated as medicinals, for instance

formulated in monasteries.

 

Historically, when coffee was initially adopted in Europe it was surrounded

by controversy and scandal. (2)

 

Today in European (and originally in various indigenous American) cultures,

coffee plays a role in everyday rituals.

 

a) Afternoon " tea time " in the UK, afternoon coffee break on the continent.

Mid to late afternoon (UB-Ki time frame - pardon if I mix in CM

perspectives here), post-natal Qi is on the wane after the day's activity.

Time for a break, change of pace, a rest, with a beverage like coffee or

tea, maybe with a small snack, and informal conversation with friends or

family. A pick-me-up, mild stimulation of the Kidney (and Heart via the

conversation), which then stimulates the Liver (via mother-child) in its

rejuvenation/bounce-back function. (There's a little CM gimmick I picked up

somewhere -in the " 10 question " phase of a new patient intake the question:

" Does your energy bounce-back well after a short rest during the day? "

measures resilience of the Liver (probably via its Yin, and probably as

commonly shared with the Kidney).)

 

I interpret this as basically a health practice. I have heard that the

DimSum / DianShen tradition is similar - not a full meal affair, as often

practiced in restaurants here, but a break at a tea house with friends,

having tea and Asian " crumpets " .

 

b) Also the tradition of coffee after a large meal, as a digestive aid -

moves the Qi to avoid food stagnation. Add some milk/cream ( " good " phlegm

to protect the stomach), and sugar (harmonize, just like GanCao/licorice)

and you've got a little herbal formula. For many people, whereas a cup of

coffee on an empty stomach late in the day will lead to trouble getting to

sleep at bedtime, the cup of coffee on top of big meal. even fairly late in

the evening, will not have this effect.

 

Does anyone have handy one of the those CM books on diet/food which

categorizes foods in the same terms as a ben-cao categorizes herbs (like

Prince Wen's Cookbook, or the one by the Ni family, or Pitchford's), and

which has an entry for coffee? (Mine are all at the clinic.) Some might

have tea, especially green tea, which is also clearly an herb (as in the

formula " Cnidium and Tea " ).

 

Let's make one up. (All the ones in the BenCao books were originally

made-up, and different books, especially in the Song-Jin-Yuen era, often

contradict each other, i.e. there are differing interpretations) (3):

 

C o f f e e

nature: warming

taste: spicy, bitter (actually depends on the method of

extraction/decoction (4))

channels: San Jiao, Kidney, Liver

functions: warms Yang; moves Qi;

promotes digestion (peristalsis);

supports communication between the Heart (mental alertness) and

the Kidney;

helps overcome toxic effects of sedative drug poisoning (5);

diuretic.

cautions: in excess or sensitive conditions may stir internal Wind (the

jitters), scatter YangQi and deplete YuanQi (reserves)

combinations: -- with dairy and sweetener as a digestive aid;

-- concentrated and thick (espresso, Greek/Arabic) as a

restorative;

-- as a flavoring in ice-cream, because is tastes good;

-- diluted as an enema.

notes: There are numerous regional varieties and methods of processing and

decocting, ranging from American coffee ( " dirty water " ) to Near Eastern

coffee (mud).

 

 

 

1) c.f. the recent discussion thread " Re: " Early Chinese Medical

Literature " by Donald John Harper "

 

2) c.f. the libretto of the " Coffee Cantata " by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Similar historical phenomena accompanied the introduction of tobacco and

the Viennese waltz into European popular culture.

 

3) Unschuld points this out somewhere, probably in " Medicine in China: a

History of Pharmaceuticals " .

 

4) c.f. an article in Scientific American magazine, about end of 2000,

which presented spectrographic analysis showing that substance releases and

chemical reactions differ with the speed of the process, i.e. the rapid,

pressurized 'espresso' system results in more " good " flavor and less

bitterness. (Perhaps biased - the author was grandson of the Italian

gentleman who invented the espresso machine.)

 

5) Tierra, Michael. Planetary Herbology. Lotus Press, Santa Fe NM, 1988.

p.240