Medicinal Gourmet
By admin on 2015-01-29

In China, it is commonly believed that medicine and food share the same roots. If one chooses the right food and medicinal herbs and carefully arranges them according to Chinese medical theory, one's diet can be surprisingly beneficial to their health.

The history of Chinese medical food can be traced back to the Warring States Period two thousands years ago, where an ancient medical text lists a recipe for "stewed mutton with angelica."

Ever since, doctors of all the past dynasties have devoted themselves to studying the intersection between cuisine and medicine. Medicinal cuisine gradually developed to become an influential branch of the Chinese medical system and continues to influence people today.

Medicinal cuisine is specially formulated to address the distinctive nutritional needs of a disease that cannot be met by more traditional food. Such foods are a careful combination of Chinese medical knowledge and traditional cuisine.

Medicinal food is not only different from general food, but also from medicine. In medicinal cuisine, traditional staples continue to remain the dominant ingredient, which goes against the ancient saying that "good medicine tastes bitter." Emphasis is put on an effective but, more importantly, delicious combination of both food and medicine.

People are accustomed to taking tonics in winter, however, according to Chinese medical theory, people also need to pay particular attention to their health during the summer. As the weather heats up and days grow longer, the hot weather and fierce sun take a toll on our bodies and deplete important nutrients. Consequently, it is important to eat "cooling" vegetables and fruits such as Lotus seed, chrysanthemum and Chinese wax gourd.

Like any fine food, medicinal cuisine is an art that takes time and practice to perfect. Below we list four medicinal cuisines that are well-suited for summer and encourage you to have a try!