November 1996: (II)S11S16

The Eastern Perspective on Functional Foods Based on

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Weijian Weng, M.D., and Junshi Chen, M.D.

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The Concept of Functional Foods inTraditional A.D.), in which hundreds of functional foods and corre-
Chinese Medicine sponding recipes were documented. For example, the use
of congee, made from rice husk or brown rice, to treat and
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), functional foods or
prevent beriberi and pork liver to treat nyctalopia (night
health foods are foods that have the following effects on
blindness) was documented in medical works about 1400
human physiology and health: to maintain and improve
years ago in the Tang Dynasty. The use of marine algae
health status; to prevent disease and help in treating dis-
(kelp) to prevent and treat goiter and pork pancreas to treat
ease; and to facilitate rehabilitation.‘ In TCM, food and
diabetes was described in Ge Hong’s Handbook of Pre-
medicine are of equal importance in preventing and treat-
scriptionsfor Emergencies (340 A.D., Jin Dynasty).
ing disease. TCM practitioners consider that food and
The influenceof Eastern medicine, includingTCM, on
medicine come from the same source, are based on the
functional foods can also be found in some Western food
same basic theories, and have the same uses. Therefore,
products, such as menthol candy and rhubarb wine, which
along with the development of TCM, many unique tradi-
are popularly used in Europe to improve digestion.
tional Chinese functional foods were developed by com-
bining food with food and food with herbal medicines.
BasicTheoriesof Functional Foods in
Examples include the use of stewed duck egg with green
TraditionalChinese Medicine
tea for diabetes, stewed chicken with ginseng for improv-
ing Qi (vital energy), and fish head soup with gastrodia for The basic nutrition theories of TCM arose from the major
hypertension. theories of TCM, including Yin-Yang, visceral manifesta-
tions (manifestations represent pathological changes in
The History of Using Functional Foods in internal organs), main and collateral channels (a network
TraditionalChinese Medicine of passages through which vital energy circulates and
along which the acupuncture points are distributed), pa-
The documented use of functional foods in the history of
thology, diagnostic methods, principles of treatment, and
TCM’ began as early as 1000 B.C. in the West Zhou Dy-
methods of treatment? According to TCM, the human body
nasty. The term medicinal food (foods used for medical
is an integrated whole, and any treatment is based on the
purposes) was frequently used in the literature of the East
concept of an integral human body and is decided through
Han Dynasty (about 100 B.C.), and another quite similar
differentiation of symptomsand signs. In application,TCM
term, Fa Shun (special foods), was used in medical works
nutrition comprises four parts: food as diet, food as tonic,
in the Song Dynasty (about 1000 A.D.).
food as medicine, and food abstention.
The TCM theories and applied knowledge of food
The principle of food abstention is to avoid certain
and nutrition were described extensively in most classical
foods in certain health conditions. For example, avoid eat-
TCM publications,such as Yellow Emperor S Internal CIm-
ing pepper, old ginger, mutton, or liquor, which produce
sics (745-221 B.C.), Treatise on Febrile Diseases (210
“fire” (heat) in the body, during acute inflammation,acute
A.D.), Synopsis of Prescriptions Worth Thousand Gold
conjunctivitis, or high fever, and avoid eating crabs or
(650 A.D.), and Compendium of Materia Medica (1578
watermelon (cool or cold foods) during stomach pain, diar-
rhea, asthma, and so on. In TCM, the same foods should
Dr. Weng is Professor of Traditional Chinese be used differently according to the geographic location,
Medicine Nutrition, College of Traditional Chinese climate, season, and physique and disease status of the
Medicine, Beijing, China. Dr. Chen is Deputy Director, individual. For example, it would be beneficial for people
Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Chinese who live in cold and wet conditions to eat spicy, warm, or
Academy of Preventive Medicine, Beijing 100050, hot foods (e.g., hot pepper, mutton); individuals who are
China. weak in both Qi (vital energy) and blood (general weak-

Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 54, No. 1 1 Sll

ness) should eat sweet or plain foods, such as lotus seed, in treating diseases with a cold nature. For example, onion
walnut, and Chinese yam. and ginger are used to treat the common cold, and old
According to TCM, like medicines, each item of food ginger is used to treat “spleen weakness” (e.g., vomiting,
has its own taste (sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, salty) and prop- diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite). The plain foods
erty (cool, cold, warm, hot, and plain). When used prop- (Table 3), such as milk, apple, and rice, are used in treating
erly, food could regulate Yin, Yang, Qi, and blood (a com- both hot and cold diseases and also as general tonics. The
prehensive material in the body that represents all internal most commonly used medicinal foods organized by their
organs). Certain disease conditions could be classified as properties are listed in Table 4. Traditionally, these are medi-
“blood weak” (e.g., anemia), “blood hot” (e.g., nosebleeds, cines but also are foods commonly used in TCM.
gastric bleeding), or “blood stasis” (e.g., heart attack, pain). According to TCM theories, the functions of various
To make the TCM principles simpler and more under- foods depend to a certain extent on their taste.’f’ Pungent
standable, in this paper we will divide the above-mentioned - or spicy foods have the function of disseminating heat

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five properties of foods into three-cold and cool, hot and from the body (e.g., causing perspiration). For example,
warm, and plain.- The cold and cool foods (Table 1) are ginger and onion are commonly used in treating the com-
used in treating diseases with a hot nature. For example, mon cold. Sweet foods are commbnly used as general ton-
watermelon is used to treat fever, thirst, mild mania, and ics (e.g., milk and honey for treating general weakness).
similarailments.The hot and warm foods (Table 2) are used Sour foods have the function of astringency (e.g., haw-

Table 1. Foods with Cool and Cold Properties

Barley Millet Buckwheat Mung bean
Coix seed Celery Spinach Lettuce
Turnip (white) Lotus root Lily bulb Green cabbage stem
Bamboo shoot Eggplant Tomato Watermelon
Winter melon Cucumber Bitter melon Sponge gourd
Apple Pear Orange Banana
Rabbit meat Frog meat Duck meat Duck egg
Crab Snail Oyster Kelp
Laver (seaweed) Green tea Soy sauce Salt
Crystal sugar
Pseudostellaria root Glehnia root Ophiopogon root
Fragrant solomon seal rhizome Dendrobium Dried rehmannia root
Glossy privet fruit Eclipta White peony root Cassia seed
Chrysanthemum flower

Table 2. Foods with Warm and Hot Properties

Sorghum Pumpkin Hot pepper Ginger
Onion Garlic Glutinous rice Chives
Fennel green Coriander Mustard green Walnut
Chinese date P h Red bayberry Longan
Pomegranate Peach Cherry Apricot
Chestnut Pineapple Wine Viegar
Black tea Pepper coffee Chicken
Turkey Mutton Deer meat Dog meat
Silver carp Trout Brown sugar Grass carp
Ginseng Pilose Schisandra fruit Angelica
Dogwood fruit Curculigorhizome Epimedium
Astragalus membranaceus Prepared rhizome of rehmannia

Table 3. Foods with Plain Properties

Rice Wheat Corn Soybean
Pea Red bean Cabbage Cauliflower
carrot Mushroom Chinese yam Peanut
Daylily Potato Lemon Gtape
Olive Cherry apple Lotus seed Pork
Beef Goose meat Spring chicken Pigeon meat
Quail meat Quail egg carp Eel
Turtle Yellow croaker Jellyfish Abalone
Honey Sugar (white) Jasmine tea Oolong tea
Dangshan Rhizome Licorice root Poria
Plastmm testudinis Donkey-hide gelatin Freshwater turtle shell Wild juba seed

S12 Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 54,No. 11

Table 4. Medicinal Foods in Traditional Chinese Medicine by Properties
Cool and Cold Plain Warm and Hot
Pseudostellaria root Dangshan Astragalus membranaceus
Glehnia root Rhizome Pilose
Ophiopogon root Licorice root Ginseng
Fragrant solomon seal rhizome Plastrum testudinis Curculigo rhizome
Dendrobium Poria Epimedium
Dried rehmannia root Wild juba seed Dogwood h i t
Glossy privet fruit Freshwater turtle shell Angelica
White peony root Donkey-hide gelatin Prepared rhizome of rehmannia
Cassia seed Schisandra h i t
Chrysanthemum flower
Eclipta

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Table 5. Foods in Traditional Chinese Medicine, by Taste
Bitter Sour sweet Pungent Saltv
Bitter melon Tomato Potato Ginger Barley
Almond Orange Lotus seed Onion Millet
Lily bulb Plum Lotus root Garlic Kelp
Orange peel Lemon Wheat Hot pepper Laver (seaweed)
Tea Grape Rice Pepper Jellyfish
Coffee Papaya Peas Chives Pork
Bitter green Cherry apple Milk Wine Beef
Arrowhead Hawthorn Pork Leek Crab
Pork liver Pomegranate Chestnut Salt
Viegar Honey
Chinese date

Table 6. Foods inTraditiona1Chinese Medicine. bv Oraan-SDecificChannelTroDism

Heart Liver Spleen Lung Kidney
Wheat Tomato Rice Ginger Duck meat
Lotus seed Sponge gourd Wheat Onion Mutton
Red bean Papaya Millet Pear Dog meat
Longan Hawthorn Watermelon Turnip (white) Walnut
Pork skin Eel Lentil Lily bulb shrimp
Pork liver Pork Almond Black sesame
Water chestnut

thorn h i t and black plum for treating diarrhea).Bitter foods black sesame seed is good for kidney).
can remove internal heat from the body (e.g., bitter melon Another part of this channel tropism theory is the
and bitter greens for treating illness with high fever). Salty relationship between food taste and body organ [organ-
foods have the function of softening hard masses (e.g., specific channel tropism), based on the basic theory of
kelp and laver [seaweed] for treating goiter and tuberculo- five elements (Wu-Xing). In this theory, bitter, sour, sweet,
sis of the lymphatic nodes). Table 5 lists food items by pungent, and salty tastes could affect heart, liver, spleen,
their tastes. lung, and kidney, respectively. For example, tea (bitter) is
“Channel tropism” (Gui-Jin) links the h c t i o n s of vari- good for the heart, hawthorn h i t (sour) is good for the
ous foods to the corresponding internal organs, channels, liver, lotus root (sweet) is good for the spleen, garlic (pun-
and various parts of the body for the purpose of interpret- gent) is good for the lung, and seaweed (salty) is good for
ing the functional mechanisms of various foods.’J Ex- the kidney (Table 5).
amples of foods with organ-specific channel tropism are The last point worth mentioning in the context of or-
listed in Table 6. It should be noted that the spleen in TCM gan-specific channel tropism is the treatment of human
refers to the entire digestive system, which is different disease that involves specific organs with the correspond-
from the concept of spleen in modem medicine. In general, ing animal organs, a treatment method that is also being
the foods listed in Table 6 could improve the functions of applied in Western medical practices. For example, sheep
their corresponding organs (e.g., lotus seed is good for liver is used in treating liver diseases, pork thyroid in hy-
heart, tomato is good for liver, pear is good for lung, and perthyroidism, pork pancreas in diabetes, and so on.

Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 54, No. 1 1 S13

Types of Functional Foods inTraditionalChinese Dishes. Prepared with various combinations of food
Medicine ingredients
- and cooking methods, such as boiled
chicken with milk vetch (Astragalusmembranaceus)
In the current Chinese market, most functional foods are in
roots, boiled duck with cordyceps, and steamed fish
liquid and powder form and are manufactured by modem
with green tea.
technology to fit the busy modem lifestyle. However, tra-
ditionally, functional foods are processed in many differ-
Applications of Functional Foods
ent ways, which results in various forms or types9
Fresh juice. Juices from fresh h i t s , such as water- Functional foods in TCM have a wide range of functions
melons, tomatoes, and oranges, and applications.lOJ'Some major uses are described in this
Beverages. Prepared by hot-water extract of foods, section.
such as green tea, black tea, and ginger and sugar.

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Soups. Water-boiled food ingredients, such as lotus, Prevent Aging
tremella, and walnut with wine. The TCM approaches to slowing down the aging process
Thick soups. Water-boiled food ingredients with less are to tonify the kidneys and spleen, to nourish Yin (essen-
water than soup, such as Chinese yam with milk and tial materials of the body), and to remove Shi (disease-
mutton, Chinese angelica with mutton, wood ear (Au- causing factors), which includes facilitating blood circula-
ricularia auricula-judae)and silver ear (tremella) with tion, removing blood stasis and phlegm, and eliminating
sugar. excessive heat and "wind" (one of the six pathogenic fac-
Dew (Lu).Distilled liquid with volatile substancesfiom tors, often combined with other pathogenic factors such
herbs, such as jasmine flower, rose flower, and honey- as cold, wet, or hot, that result in certain manifestations
suckle. such as dizziness, tremor, convulsion, or opisthotonos).
Wine or liquor. Wine or liquor fermented with herbs The commonly used food ingredients and products for
or alcohol extracts of herbs, such as chrysanthemum these purposes are listed in Table 7.
flower wine, wolfberry liquor, and Chinese magnolia
vine (Schisandra chinensis) seed wine. Maintain and Improve Appearance
Sweet wines (Li).Fermented wines with sugar, such The TCM approachesto improving the luster of facial skin,
as grape wine, hawthorn h i t wine, and longan wine. reducing facial wrinkles, removing facial pigments, and
Wine with some residual ingredients (Liao). Fer- improving facial skin edema are to nourish Yin, enrich blood,
mented glutinous rice wine with residual glutinous and increase moisture; to strengthen the functions of the
rice, fermentedcoix seed (Coixlacryma-jobi)wine with spleen and lung; to eliminate excessive heat and "wet"
residual coix seed, fermented oats wine with residual (one of the pathogenic factors which results in joints pain,
oats, etc. eczema, and so on); and to remove maculae. The com-
Vinegar.Herbs and plants soaked in rice vinegar, such monly used food ingredients and products for these pur-
as garlic vinegar, ginger vinegar, and Chinese magno- poses are listed in Table 7.
lia vine vinegar, or vinegar made from specific foods,
such as apples or coix seed. Control Body Weight
Honey extract- Water extracts Of plant Or in- The TCM approaches to removing excessive body fat and
gredients with high honey content in the form Of a reducing body weight are to tonify the Yang of the kidney
thick as plum honey
honey extract, and black bone chicken honey extract.
pear -
and strengthen sDleen functions; to remove dampness and
facilitate diuresis; and to strengthen Yang to eliminate ex-
Congee. Prepared from grain and other ingredients cessive fat. The commonly used food ingredientsand prod-
by extended cooking with water, such as mung bean ucts for these purposes are listed in Table 7.
with rice, pear with rice, and pork liver with rice.
Sugar- or honey-preserved fruits. Hawthorn fruit, Treat Hypertension
cherry apple, dried dates with peanuts, tangerine peel, The TCM approaches to treating hypertension (referred to
etc. as disease of dizziness) are to reduce the Yang of the liver,
Candies. Black plum candy, ginger candy, etc. eliminate excessive heat in the liver, and nourish the Yin of
Salted foods. Salted Chinese toon (Toona sinensis) the liver. The commonly used food ingredients and prod-
leaves, salted brake (Pteridium aquilinum), salted ucts for these purposes are listed in Table 7.
mustard root, etc.
Grainproducts. Products with rice and wheat as the Treat Diabetes
main ingredients, with the addition of other ingredi- The TCM approaches to treating diabetes are to eliminate
ents, such as poria (Poris cocos) wheat pancake or excessive heat, nourish Yin, and moisturize the internal
bun, and ginseng glutinous rice dumplings. organs. The commonly used food ingredients and prod-

S14 Nutrition Reviews, W/. 54, No. 11

Table 7. Functional Foods for SDecific PurDoses
Purpose Food Ingredients Medicinal Ingredients Products
Prevention of aging Chinese yam, lotus seed, Ginseng, cordyceps, poria, Porial pancake, mashed
honey, tremella, pork skin, wolfbeny, pilose antler, yam, tremella soup, pork
beef, wood ear, quail meat, deer tail, antler glue, skinjelly, beef extractjelly,
quail egg, lotus root, gastrodia tuber, chrysan- tremella quail egg, konjac
hawthorn, lily bulb, green themum, orange peel, tou-fu, stewed pig feet with
tea, konjac, celery, pear, acanthopanax bark, chestnut
coriander donkey-hide gelatin,
solomon seal rhizome
Cosmetological purposes Chinese yam, sesame seed, astragalus, solomon seal bamboo shoots, fried green
honey, sea cucumber, turtle, rhizome, fingered citron, cabbage with dried shrimp,
mutton, milk, cherry, lichee, Artemisia apiacea bamboo shoots with

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pine nut, coix seed, bean Stewed sea cucumber with fingered citron, turtle soup
sprouts, Chinese toon with Artemisia apiacea,
Lotus flower, wolfberry, mixed tou-fu with Chinese
toon, fried bean sprouts
with portulaca
Controlling body weight
Winter melon, Chinese date, water caltrop, lotus root, poria skin, winter melon with ginseng, astragalus,
lotus seed, oats, mung skin, corn stigma, lotus leaf, and winter melon, fried
bean sprouts, watermelon, bark of Chinese cassia tree, mutton with hot pepper and
cucumber, onion, turnip, nutmeg onion, fried bean sprouts
hot pepper, old hen meat, Stewed chicken meat slices with lotus leaf, lotus seed,
mutton, liquor and lotus root
Ginseng, astragalus root, Treating hypertension
Celery, sponge gourd, tomato, wood ear, haw- chrysanthemumflower, themum flower,hawthorn,
thorn, green tea prunella spike, dogbane and cassia seed, celery and
Mulberry leaf, wolfberry, leaf, solomon seal rhizome, Chinese date soup,
fingered citron, corn hawthorn, wood ear, and
stigma, gastrodia tuber, prunella soup, fish head
selfheal soup with gastrodia tuber,
Beverage made of chrysan- fermented bitter melon with
wolfberry and tomato
Treating diabetes
Bitter melon, pumpkin, Chinese yam, west lake ophiopogon root, wolf- wolfberry, steamed crucian
greens, spinach, black berry, solomon seal carp with green tea,
plum, mulberry fruit, green rhizome, rhizome of wind steamed silver carp with
tea, gluten, wood ear, quail weed solomon seal rhizome, duck
egg, duck egg, beef Stewed gluten with egg boiled with green tea,
Dried rehmannia root, fried spinach with egg
white

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Nutrition Reviews, Vol. 54, No. 1 1 S15

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