Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Dietetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Complementary Medicine

275 Pages·2004·5.44 MB·English

by  Joerg Kastner

V
Contents
About this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI
1 Theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Introduction to the Basic Cold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Principles of Traditional Chinese Dampness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Medicine and Chinese Dietetics . . . 3 Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Dryness (Zao). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
YinandYang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Internal Factors, “The Five Minds (Emotions)”
(Wu Shi). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Therapeutic Principles of TCM. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
YinAndYangare Opposites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Traditional Chinese Nutrition Theory. . . . . . 17
YinAndYangare Divisible but Inseparable TheQiEnergy Concept of TCM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
(Yin Yang Ke Fen Er Bu Ke Li). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Congenital Constitution Essence (Jing). . . . 17
Gu Qi(DrumQi, or FoodQi). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
YinAndYangare Rooted in Each Other
Ancestral (Air)Qi(Zong Qi). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
(Yin Yang Hu Gen). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
YinAndYangCounterbalance Each Other Function of the Triple Burner (San Jiao). . . . 20
(Yin Yang Zhi Yue). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
YinAndYangMutually Transform Each
B Methodology of Nutritional
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Five Phases (Wu Xing). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Energetics of Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Five Basic Substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Energetic Thermal Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Life Force—Qi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Hot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Warm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Congenital Essence—Jing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Neutral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Cool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Blood—Xue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 “YangFoods” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 QiVacuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 YangVacuity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Spirit—Shen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 “YinFoods”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 YinVacuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 YangRepletion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Body Fluids—Jin Ye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Five Flavors (Wu Wei). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Dysfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sweet Flavor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Acrid Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Causes of Diseases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Salty Flavor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
External Bioclimatic Factors or
Sour Flavor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Impediments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Wind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Bitter Flavor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
VI Contents
Flavor Association with Organ Networks. . 29 Frying and Roasting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Example: Carrot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Steaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
QiMovement Caused by Food: Grilling/Broiling/Barbecue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Food Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Boiling/Simmering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Upbearing Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Cooking with Alcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Floating Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Boiling with Plentiful Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Downbearing Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Falling Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Cooking with Cooling Ingredients
(e.g., Fruit, Sprouts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Influencing the Thermal Nature of Foods. . 31 Slow, Gentle Frying (Braising) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cooling Cooking Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Salting (Pickling in Brine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Warming Cooking Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Smoking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Seasoning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Cooking Methods in Detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Baking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Meal Preparation in Tune with the Five
Blanching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) . 35
2 Chinese Dietetics in Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Basic Recommendations of Nutrition and Seasonal Rhythms . . . . . . . . . 45
Chinese Dietetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Spring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Path to Healthy Eating Habits. . . . . . . . . . . 39 Summer (Hot Season). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Inner Attitude and Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Autumn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Eating with Enjoyment and in a Relaxed
Winter (Cold Season). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
General Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Nutrition and Pathogenic Factors. . . . . . . . . 47
Cooking Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Food Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Food Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Flavor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Dampness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Energetic Thermal Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Dryness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
External Wind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Special Significance of the Earth Phase. . . . 42 Wind–Cold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
“Strengthening the Inner Center”. . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Wind–Heat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Internal Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Nutrition and Daily Rhythms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Breakfast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Nutrition and the Human Life Cycle. . . . . . . 49
Lunch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Children and Young People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Evening Meal/Dinner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Midlife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Older People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Contents VII
3 Practical Application of Chinese Dietetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
A General Applications of Chinese (cid:1)StomachQiVacuity (Wei Qi Xu). . . . . . . . . . . 73
Dietetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 (cid:1)StomachYinVacuity (Wei Yin Xu). . . . . . . . . 74
(cid:1)StomachQiVacuity with Cold
Practical Guidelines for Giving Nutritional (Wei Qi Xu Han). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 (cid:1)Food Stagnating in the Stomach
The Role of Chinese Nutrition in Traditional (Shi Zhi Wei Wan). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Chinese Medicine (TCM). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 (cid:1)Stomach Fire (Wei Re). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
General Indications for Chinese Dietetics . . . . 53 Organ Network:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Don’t Worry about Dogmatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Bowel (ZangOrgan): Lung (Fei), LU. . . . . . . . . . 78
Tips for Giving Nutritional Advice . . . . . . . . 54
Viscera (FuOrgan): Large Intestine
General Nutritional Recommendations
(Da Chang) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
(for sharing with patients). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Organ Network Lung–Large Intestine. . . . . . . . 78
Application Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Nutrition and Organ Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
(cid:1)GeneralQiVacuity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
(cid:1)GeneralYangVacuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Lung Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . . . . . 79
(cid:1)GeneralYinVacuity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 (cid:1)LungQiVacuity (Fei Qi Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
(cid:1)YinRepletion (Excess) and Dampness . . . . . 59 (cid:1)Phlegm–Damp Obstructing the Lung
(cid:1)YangRepletion (Excess) Conditions . . . . . . . 59 (Tan Shi Zu Fei) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
(cid:1)Blood Vacuity (Xue Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 (cid:1)LungYinVacuity (Fei Yin Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
(cid:1)Strengthening DefenseQi(Wei Qi) . . . . . . . . 62
(cid:1)Supplementing LungQi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Organ Network:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
(cid:1)Dampness and Phlegm Conditions. . . . . . . . 64 Bowel (ZangOrgan): Kidney (Shen), KI. . . . . . . 83
Viscera (FuOrgan): Bladder (Pang Guang). . . . 83
Organ Network Kidney–Bladder. . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
B Application of Chinese Dietetics
Kidney Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . . . 84
for Specific Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 (cid:1)KidneyQiVacuity (Shen Qi Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . 85
(cid:1)KidneyYangVacuity (Shen Yang Xu). . . . . . . 85
Network:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
(cid:1)KidneyYinVacuity (Shen Yin Xu). . . . . . . . . . 86
Bowel (ZangOrgan): Spleen/Pancreas (Pi),
KidneyYinVacuity (Shen Yin Xu), HeartYin
SP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Vacuity (Xin Yin Xu), Noninteraction of the
Viscera (FuOrgan): Stomach (Wei) ST. . . . . . . . 67 Heart and Kidney (Xin Shen Bu Jiao) . . . . . . . . . 88
Tasks and Functions of Spleen/Pancreas and
Organ Network:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Stomach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Governance of Body Fluids and Liquids . . . 68 Bowel (ZangOrgan): Liver (Gan), LR. . . . . . . . . 90
Production and Retention of Blood . . . . . . . 68 Viscera (FuOrgan): Gallbladder (Dan), GB. . . . 90
Governance of Connective Tissue. . . . . . . . . 69
Organ Network Liver–Gallbladder. . . . . . . . . . . 90
Special Diet for Spleen/
Nutrition and Organ Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Pancreas–Stomach Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Liver Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . . . . . 91
Spleen Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . . . 69
(cid:1)Binding Depression of LiverQi
(cid:1)SpleenQiVacuity (Pi Qi Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
(Gan Qi Yu Jie). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
(cid:1)SpleenYangVacuity (Pi Yang Xu). . . . . . . . . . 69
(cid:1)Ascendant LiverYang
Organ Network Spleen/ (Gan Yang Shang Kang). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Pancreas–Stomach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 (cid:1)Liver Fire Flaming Upward
General Causes of Stomach Dysfunction. . . 72 (Gan Huo Shang Yan). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Stomach Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . 73 (cid:1)LiverYinVacuity (Gan Yin Xu). . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
VIII Contents
(cid:1)Liver Blood Vacuity Nutrition and Organ Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
(Gan Xue Xu) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Heart Syndromes and Chinese Nutrition. . . . . 98
(cid:1)HeartYangVacuity (Xin Yang Xu) . . . . . . . . . 98
Organ Network:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
(cid:1)Heart Blood Vacuity (Xin Xue Xu). . . . . . . . . . 99
Bowel (ZangOrgan): Heart (Xin), HT. . . . . . . . . 97 (cid:1)HeartYinVacuity (Xin Yin Xu) . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Viscera (FuOrgan): Small Intestine (cid:1)Heart Fire Flaming Upward
(Xiao Chang). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 (Xin Huo Shang Yan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Organ Network Heart–Small Intestine. . . . . . . 97
4 Food Classification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Coriander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Bamboo Sprouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Ginger, Fresh or Dried. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Cabbage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Garlic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Chinese Cabbage(Napa Cabbage) . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Cucumber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Pepper (Seasoning) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Eggplant (Aubergine). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Salt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Green Onions(Spring Onions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Seaweed (General). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Leek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Soy Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Lettuce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Sweeteners:Brown or Whole Cane Sugar. . . . 126
Lotus Root. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Sweeteners: Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Onion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Sweeteners: Malt Sugar–Maltose–Malt
Spinach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Syrup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Sweet Potato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Sweeteners: White Sugar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Tomato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Vinegar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Grains and Soy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Fruit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Barley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Apple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Buckwheat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Apricot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Corn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Banana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Millet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Cherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Grapefruit, Pomelo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Rice (White and Brown). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Grapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Rye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Kiwi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Spelt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Lemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Soybean, Black. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Orange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Soybean, Yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Peach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Pear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Pineapple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Spices, Herbs, Sweeteners, Condiments. . . 120
Plum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Chili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Watermelon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Cinnamon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Contents IX
Meat and Poultry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Dairy Products, Eggs, Oils and Fats . . . . . . . 149
Beef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Butter and Cream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Beef Liver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Cow Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Chicken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Cow Milk Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chicken Liver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Chicken Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Duck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Goat and Sheep Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Lamb, Mutton, Sheep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Goat and Sheep Milk Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Pork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Peanut Oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Rabbit/Hare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Sesame Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Venison (Deer). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Soybean Oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Yogurt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Fish/Sea Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Anchovies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Nuts and Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Carp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Almonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Crab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Black Sesame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Eel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Chestnut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Herring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Hazelnut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Mackerel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Peanut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Mussels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Pine Nuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Oysters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Sunflower Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Prawns/Crayfish/Lobster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Alcoholic Beverages, Coffee and Tea . . . . . . 159
Sardines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Alcoholic Beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Squid, Octopus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Coffee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Trout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Tea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Tuna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
5 Clinical Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Respiratory Tract Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Main Symptom: Epigastric Disorders. . . . . . . . 190
Main Symptom: Colds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Main Symptom: Nausea and Emesis
Bronchitis/Chronic Bronchitis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 (Vomiting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Main Symptom: Cough. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Main Symptom: Meteorism
(Abdominal Distension). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Main Symptom: Sore Throat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Main Symptom: Hiccough, Singult
Main Symptom: Frontal Sinusitis and
(Sighing, Sobbing). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Maxillary Sinusitis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Bronchial Asthma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Cardiovascular Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Gastrointestinal Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 General Weakness,
Lack of Energy, Low Blood Pressure. . . . . . . . . . 203
Main Symptom: Diarrhea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Main Symptom: Hypertension
Main Symptom: Constipation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
(High Blood Pressure). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
X Contents
Eye Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Main Symptom: Cystitis
(Urinary Tract Infections/Inflammation). . . . . 214
Inflammation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Incontinence, Enuresis (Bedwetting),
Skin Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Frequent Micturition (Urination). . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Neurodermatitis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Impotence, Weak Libido . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Acne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Gynecological Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Urogenital Disorders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Morning Sickness During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 218
6 Chinese Dietetics At a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Foods Classified by Phase/ Phase: Wood
Organ Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Organ Network: Liver–Gallbladder. . . . . . . . . . 233
Phase: Earth Phase: Fire
Organ Network: Spleen/Pancreas, Stomach . . 223 Organ Network: Heart–Small Intestine . . . . . . 236
Phase: Metal
Foods from A to Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Organ Network: Lung–Large Intestine . . . . . . . 228
Phase: Water
Organ Network: Kidney–Bladder. . . . . . . . . . . . 231
7 Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Further Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
XI
“Let food be your medicine
and medicine be your food.”
Hippocrates, ca. 460–ca. 370 BC
About this Book
TheconceptsofChinesenutrition,ortheeffectsof forexample,thesimplebalancingofhotandcold:
foodonourhealth,havea3000-yeartraditionin Coldweatherisbalancedbyeatingfoodsthathave
China.Recordsdatingbackasfarasthethirdcen- awarmingeffectonthebody,suchasgingertea,
tury BC state that there was little difference garlic,fennel,oats,lamb,salmon,etc.Hotweather
betweentheapplicationoffoodsandthatofmedi- is balanced by eating cooling foods such as raw
cine.Recipesforfoodswereoftensimilartothose fruit and vegetables, salads or, barley.
for medicines. This knowledge of the healing qualities of food
Aquotebyafamousfourteenth-centuryphysician was practiced and treasured in our own culture
describestheroleofChinesenutritionwithinTra- until recently, but has gotten lost in the trend
ditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): “Doctors first toward “fast food.” Similar connections between
havetofindthecauseforanillnessanddetermine food and medicine have been made since antiq-
whichdisharmonyprevails.Tobalancethisdishar- uity.Hippocratesrecommended“Letfoodbeyour
mony,thefirstandforemostmeasureisappropri- medicineandmedicinebeyourfood.”Hildegardvon
atediet.Itisnotuntilthismeasurebearsnoresults Bingen, the eleventh-century German visionary
that one should use medicines.” naturalist and healer, used foods for healing by
Chinese nutritional therapy is closely related to devisingenergeticclassificationsthataresurpris-
acupuncture and medicinal plant medicine and inglysimilartoChinesefoodclassifications.Even
follows the same diagnostic principles. It focuses the original meaning of the word “dietetics,”
onthequalitativeeffectsoffoodsonthebody.The drawnfromtheGreek“diaita”—“lifecare”or“art
term “qi,” which has many meanings in Chinese, of living”—shows the comprehensive meaning of
includinglifeforceorlifeenergy,isofvitalsignifi- diet as supporting life.
cance in this context. Health is an expression of Westernnutritionaltherapy,arelativelyyoungsci-
balancedqi;diseaseoccurswhenqiisunbalanced. ence, applies primarily quantitative criteria to
Thebodyextractsandabsorbsqifromfood.Foods, food.Itclassifiesfoodbynutrientssuchascarbo-
therefore, are mild therapeutic agents that help hydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, trace elements,
thebodystaybalanced,orbringitbackintobal- and minerals. For diabetes, for example, it pre-
ance.Foodclassificationfollowsthesamecriteria scribes a quantitative diet that measures the
usedforChinesemedicinalherbs:thermalnature, glycemicindexoffoods.However,thereisincreas-
flavor, organ network, and direction of energy ing interest in the qualitative aspects of foods in
flow. the Western world, in part due to the rapid
Chineseculturereflectsanawarenessoftheheal- increase of food-related illnesses and the obser-
ingqualitiesoffoodasakindoffolkwisdom,even vation that people can react very differently and
today.Foodandhealtharefavoritetopicsofcon- verystronglytothesamefood.Likeacupuncture
versation. “Did you eat well today?” replaces and medicinal plant therapy, Chinese nutritional
“Hello”asapopulargreeting.Whatweregardas therapycanoffervaluableperspectivesinthiscon-
complicatedispracticedonadailybasisinChina, text.
XII About this book
Current Western scientific methods are not yet formovingforwardandmakingprogress.Chinese
abletoofferplausibleexplanationsfortheconcept nutrition is a great—and delicious—method for
ofenergeticsinChinesenutrition.Thisdifficultyin takingacloserlookatwhatweeatandforlooking
dealing with unfamiliar concepts starts with the beyond what we know and are used to. It chal-
termqi,whichisviewedwithintellectualskepti- lenges us to practical experimentation, because
cismintheWest.Qi,however,canbeexperienced onlythosewhoputtheoryintopracticebycooking
throughthepracticeofqigong(ahealingartthat will profit—in body and soul!
combines movement and meditation). Have fun and enjoy your meal!
Withthisbook,Iwouldliketoawakenthecurios-
ityinmyreadersthathasalwaysbeenthespark Herrsching, Spring 2004 Joerg Kastner
Acknowledgements
A heartfelt “thank you” to my parents, who gave Ulrike, who has stood by me and supported me
methefreedomtowalkuncommonpaths,andto allthewayandwhodemonstratestomecontinu-
myteachers,whoshowedmetheway.Mygrati- ally the culinary, sensual pleasures of Chinese
tude also goes out to my patients, who time and nutrition. A big “thank you” also goes out to my
timeagainhaveproventomehowconsistentinte- editor Angelika-M. Findgott for providing such
gration of Chinese nutrition into our daily diet valuableguidanceandshowingsomucheditorial
helps overcome illness and creates health. I am patience,andtoJohannaCummings-Pertl,forher
alsogratefultoallthepeoplewhohaveattended meticulous editing of the English translation of
my seminars, for their willingness to be inspired this book, and for offering many suggestions for
bythisinitiallyratherunfamiliarbodyofthought improvements. Together, they made the U.S. edi-
andtopracticeitsprinciplesintheirownlifeand tion of this book even better than the German
with their patients. I especially thank my wife, original.
XIII
Structure and Use of this Book
Thefirstchapterofthisbook,“Introductiontothe withthetreatingphysicianandshouldbeharmo-
Basic Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine nized with Western methods of treatment. My
andChineseDietetics,”introducesChinesenutri- practice, however, has proven to me repeatedly
tion theory using practical examples. Chapters 2 thatChinesenutritionisanexcellentcomplement
and 3 introduce Chinese dietetics in practice. toWesterntreatmentsandalsooffersoutstanding
Chapter 2 covers key dietary concepts such as synergies with other naturopathic therapies.
healthyeatinghabitsandeatinginharmonywith Inthisbook,Ihaveconsciouslyavoidedtheuseof
seasonalandconstitutionalfactors.Chapter3out- Chinese medicinal plants in recipes. While com-
lines nutritional therapy for the most important monly used in China, Chinese herbal therapy
pathological processes and provides an overview requiresmanyyearsofexperienceandahighlevel
and orientation framework for symptoms and ofeducationonthepartofthepractitioner,aswell
diagnosis. asreliablequalitycontrolofthepreparationsused.
Chapter4,“FoodClassification,”isbasedonavari- Forthereaderinahurry,Chapter6providescharts
ety of source texts and applies their concepts to of the most commonly used foods grouped by
themostcommon“Western”foods.Hereyouwill organnetwork.“FoodsfromAtoZ”offersaquick
finddetailedinformationaboutthenatureanduse guidetothekeycharacteristicsofthemostcom-
offoodsandfoodgroupsinnutritionaltherapy.In mon foods.
case of contradictions between the authors The glossary in Chapter 7 provides definitions of
regarding classification, I endeavored to classify the English terms most frequently used in this
foods according to my own clinical experience. book and lists their Chinese translations. The
The clinical examples in Chapter 5, “Analogy of terminologyusedinthisbookisbasedon“APrac-
WesternDiagnoseswithSyndromesinTraditional tical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine” by Nigel
Chinese Medicine (TCM),” intend to establish a Wiseman and Feng Ye (Paradigm Publications,
bridge to Chinese syndrome diagnosis. By their 1998,2ndedition).ThiemeInternational,inchoos-
verynature,theseofferabridgedandincomplete ingthisdictionaryasitsstandard,recognizesthe
introductions to a very large field of knowledge. monumental contributions that Nigel Wiseman
TheyaredesignedtoencourageWesternpractitio- and Feng Ye have made to the standardization
ners to combine Western with Eastern thinking. of TCM terminology in the English-speaking
Layreadersareadvisedthatfordisorderssuchas world. For more information on terminology, see
hypertension, asthma, Crohn disease, etc., any Chapter 7.
therapeutic measure should always be discussed