Chinese food therapy (Simplified Chinese: 食疗; Traditional Chinese: 食療; pinyin: Shí Liáo) is a practice of healing using natural foods instead of medications. Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiÇŽntǐzì; also Simplified Chinese: 简化字; Traditional Chinese: 簡化字; pinyin: jiÇŽnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets. ... Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell(ing) and yin means sound(s)). This article describes the most common variant called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme...

Chinese food therapy is a modality of traditional Chinese medicine, also known as Chinese Nutrition therapy. It is particularly popular among Cantonese people who enjoy slow-cooked soups. One of the most commonly known is a rice soup that goes by many names including congee and jook. This is a traditional breakfast of Asian people all over the world. Congee recipes vary infinitely, depending upon the desired health benefits as well as taste. Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ... It has been suggested that Diet (nutrition) be merged into this article or section. ... Cantonese cuisine (Chinese: 粵菜; Pinyin: yuè cài) originates from the region around Canton (Guangzhou) in southern Chinas Guangdong province. ... Rice congee is a type of Asian rice porridge known as zhōu (粥 or juk in several Chinese dialects and Korean, and pronounced kayu in Japanese). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Asian people. ...

Chinese food therapy dates back as early as 2000 BC. However, proper documentation was only found around 500 BC. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine also known as the Niejing, which was written around 300 BC, was most important in forming the basis of Chinese food therapy. It classified food by four food groups, five tastes and by their natures and characteristics.

Philosophy about Food

The ideas of yin and yang are used in the sphere of food and cooking. Yang foods are believed to increase the body's heat (eg. raise the metabolism), while Yin foods are believed to decrease the body's heat (eg. lower the metabolism). As a generalization, Yang foods tend to be dense in food energy, especially energy from fat, while Yin foods tend to have high water content. The Chinese ideal is to eat both types of food to keep the body in balance. A person eating too much Yang food might suffer from acne and bad breath while a person lacking Yang food might be lethargic or anemic. Taoists Taijitu The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; Pinyin: yīnyáng; Korean hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: ; Japanese: ; Thai: ) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ... Food energy is the amount of energy in food that is available through digestion. ...

As a separate categorization, some foods are considered to be especially restorative/healing to the body.

Cantonese classification of food

Cantonese people pay much attention to the body's reaction to food. Food items are classified accordingly, and diet is adjusted based on the body's conditions. In effect, many Cantonese people practice food therapy in day to day situations. The following is a list of common food classifications:

The yin yang type of each individual determines how susceptible the person is to these effects of food. A neutral person is generally healthy and will have strong reactions to these effects only after overconsumption of certain kind of food. A yang type person usually can eat all yin type food with no ill effect, but may easily get a nose bleed with small amount of yang type food. A yin type person is usually very unhealthy and is reactive to either yin or yang food. Boosting or nourishing type of food is needed to bring a yin person back to health. Binomial name Litchi chinensis Sonn. ... Ginseng (Panax) is a genus of about five or six species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. ... Binomial name Benincasa hispida Thunb. ... Binomial name Dimocarpus longan The longan (Simplified Chinese: 龙眼; Traditional Chinese: 龍眼; pinyin: ; Cantonese long-ngan; literally dragon eye) is an evergreen tree native to southeast Asia from southern China south to Indonesia. ... QI, standing for Quite Interesting, is a comedy panel game television show shown on BBC Two and BBC Four and hosted by Stephen Fry. ... Ginseng (Panax) is a genus of about five or six species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. ...

Some common food therapy items and recipes

Bird nest (燕窩)

Oral secretion of swiftlets, collected from the binding material of their nests. Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera of Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and the remaining species left in Collocalia. ... Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus // Description The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia. ...

• Alleged effects: promote beautiful skin for women; "strengthen the spleen and open up the stomach" (健脾開胃 meaning improve appetite.)
• vegetables and fruits are believed to nullify the effect of bird nest if taken within the same day.
• The dried material is soaked in water to rehydrate.
• The soaked bird nest is cleaned by hand to remove other nest building debris such as grass and feathers.
• The cleaned and crumbled bird nest is double steamed with rock sugar as a dessert or with a small amount of pork as a soup.

Double steaming is a Chinese cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as bird nests, shark fins etc. ...

Korean or Chinese ginseng (高麗參)

Root of a plant that has the Yang properties. Taoists Taijitu The concept of Yin Yang originates in ancient Chinese philosophy, most likely from the observations of day turning into night and night into day. ...

• Alleged effects: promote circulation, increase blood supply, revitalize and aid recovery from weakness after illness.
• The ginseng root is double steamed with chicken meat as a soup. (See samgyetang.)

This article needs to be wikified. ...

American ginseng (花旗參)

Root of a plant similar to Korean ginseng, but it has the Yin properties. Ginseng (Panax) is a genus of about five or six species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of Yin Yang originates in ancient Chinese philosophy, most likely from the observations of day turning into night and night into day. ...

• Alleged effects: cleansing of excessive Yang in the body, aphrodisiac.
• The ginseng is sliced, a few slices are soaked in hot water to make a tea.
• Most American ginseng is produced in Wisconsin, USA.

Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq. ...

A Cantonese cough remedy

Dried duck gizzards, watercress, apricot kernels (南北杏陳腎西洋菜湯): Species Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticumL. Nasturtium microphyllumBoenn ex Rchb. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. ...

Note: the following does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a physician.

• Alleged effects: relieve both Yin (resulted from cold) or Yang (resulted from dryness) type of coughing.
• Watercress (西洋菜) is for removing excessive yang in the body.
• The sweet apricot kernels (南杏仁) and bitter apricot kernels (北杏仁) target the lungs.
• The dried duck gizzards (乾鴨腎) are used to balance the Yin Yang of the recipe.
• Watercress is available in most supermarkets while the rest of the ingredients can be found in most Chinese herb stores.
• The ingredients are slow cooked for couple of hours into a soup, a small piece of pork is optional for flavor.
• Do not use Yang type meat such as beef or chicken in this recipe because they nullify the effects of the watercress.

See also

• Double steaming for more food therapy recipes.
• Chinese cuisine