Chinese Medicine Gem

We have talked about the relation between diet food with medicinal herbs and constitutions in previous article of Chinese Medicated Diet and Constitutions. Today I would like to cover all other principles related to diet food with medicinal herbs.

Diet food with medicinal herbs is different from ordinary diet. During the preparation, extra attention should be paid to the nature and flavor of medicinal herbs, the compatibility and incompatibility of diet food with medicinal herbs, choice of materials and processing, and cooking techniques etc.

And a few basic principles of diet food with medicinal herbs should be borne in mind as follows:

Delicious and convenient diet food with medicinal herbs

Most materials diet food with medicinal herbs uses are medicinal and edible, which have the food characteristics of color, smell and flavor. Even with the addition of some medicinal herbs, delicious diet food with medicinal herbs can still be made through the different match of food as attention has been paid to the choice of medicinal herbs’ nature and flavors.

The cooking of diet food with medicinal herbs mainly refers to the techniques of stewing, boiling, baking and steaming, which eventually make them the soup. These long-time heating processes allow medicinal herbs and food to maximize the release of active ingredients and finally enhance the effectiveness.

The basic characteristic of diet food with medicinal herbs is to maintain the original flavors of the food material and medicinal herbs, which can work not only as tonification, but also delicious dishes to stimulate people’s appetite so as to achieve the exact effect.

Medicinal herbs selection and cooking techniques in diet food with medicinal herbs

The selection of medicinal herbs also follow the principle of syndrome differentiation. When we buy medicinal herbs, we have to take the constitution, food mix and their own nature into consideration. The medicinal herbs must be fresh and high quality. Any medicinal herbs with bad quality and moldy should be abandoned.

Medicinal herbs and food material used in diet food with medicinal herbs must be clean, without impurities, dust, mildew and rot. What’s more, we have to pay attention to its color, flavor, appearance and quality.

To ensure the efficacy of diet food with medicinal herbs, necessary processing should be taken in medicinal herbs and food material. Some need to slice, shred, dice or cut into sections, and some other need fine grinding, and some will need to be prepared in advance, following the requirements of traditional Chinese medicine, to reduce its toxicity or side effects.

We must pay attention to the fine cooking techniques in diet food with medicinal herbs. In general, medicinal and edible herbs and herbs without unpleasant smell can be cooked together with food material.

If medicinal herbs have unpleasant smell, we can wrap them with gauze and then cook them together with food material. The medicinal herbs pack can be removed after the active ingredient has been released.

Or we can decoct the medicinal herbs first, and then remove the herbs residue from the decoction. This way of adding leaching decoction during cooking process can reduce the destruction of nutrients and active ingredients.

Persist on moderate and targeted diet food with medicinal herbs

Moderate diet is an important principle of traditional Chinese medicine to health care. The same is true to diet food with medicinal herbs therapy. Diet food with medicinal herbs should not take too much in a short term, or haste makes waste. It is recommended that taking small dosage each day, which will be effective in a long run.

For those are free of disease, appropriate diet food with medicinal herbs could be used for the purpose of health care. For those physical weakness or ill, it is recommended to seek medical care first, while diet food with medicinal herbs works as supplement.

For those in the recovery period or with chronic diseases, it may be more appropriate to use diet food with medicinal herbs to adjust the constitution.

It is worth note that although there are many benefits for diet food with medicinal herbs, its relevance and efficacy is far from drugs. Only the combination of these two applications can complement each other and achieve better results.