DIETARY THERAPY IN ORIENTAL MEDICINE - Sharon Crowell, L.Ac., M.Ac. 
Herndon, VA   --(703) 623-8340

Most of us think of acupuncture when we hear the phrase “Oriental Medicine.”  However, the practice of Oriental Medicine (OM) consists of much more than acupuncture, encompassing components such as herbal therapy, bodywork (Tui Na massage), and movement (Qi Gong).  Dietary therapy is another, very important, element of OM.  Although the effects of dietary changes may be more subtle than those of an acupuncture treatment, changing how, when, and what we eat can have a significant impact upon our physical symptoms of disease and our general feeling of well-being.  This article will explain how OM views the nature and healing properties of the foods we eat, and why our food choices play such an integral part in our overall health.  It will conclude with some suggestions for further reading.

Unlike Western Medicine, which breaks down and analyzes food into its various components in a laboratory setting, OM views food more organically, looking at the effects that the whole food has on the body once it has been ingested.  OM summarizes these effects into four categories or qualities - temperature, flavor, route, and action.  While a healthy diet will include a balanced combination of various foods based upon these qualities, there may be times when an OM practitioner will make specific dietary recommendations based upon a client’s constitutional make-up and/or pathology.

Temperature.  Whether a food is considered to be cooling, neutral, warming, or heating depends upon its inherent nature and the cooking method used in its preparation.  Foods with a cool quality are those that have high water content and that are generally eaten fresh and raw, such as lettuce and cucumbers. These foods tend to move the body’s energy inward and downward.  Warmer foods have the opposite effect, sending energy outwards and upwards.  These warming foods tend to be more concentrated (dried fruits as compared to fresh ones) and take longer to grow (beets as compared to spinach).  Many spices are also warming.  Think about how eating watermelon on a summer day can cool you off, while eating an oriental dish spiced with ginger and garlic can cause sweating and a flushed face.  The method used to cook the food (but not the temperature at which the food is served) can also affect this quality.  Steaming foods leaves them relatively cool, baking or stewing provides them with some degree of warmth, while grilling and barbequing add a great deal of heat.  A healthy diet will include a balance of cool, warming, and hot foods.  People who are constitutionally cold will benefit from eating warming and hot foods, while the opposite holds true for those who tend to be hot natured.  Similarly, it is a natural tendency to eat more cooling foods in the summer and warmer foods in winter to compensate for external temperatures.

Flavor.  Every food contains one or more of the flavors associated with the Five Elements.  These flavors are sour (lemon, blueberry), bitter (chicory, thyme), sweet (rice, squash), pungent (wheat germ, sage), and salty (kelp, most seafood).  Craving for one particular flavor indicates an imbalance - either a deficiency of that flavor in the diet, or  an excess of another flavor.  For example, if we have ingested too many sweet foods, we may well find ourselves craving salt.  Increasing or decreasing certain flavors in foods can help to alleviate certain physical difficulties.  For example adding more bitter food to the diet can help with digestion (hence the tradition of drinking ‘bitters” as an aperitif).

Route.   All foods resonate to one or more of the body’s organs. According to the Five Element Theory, each organ corresponds to a particular emotion, physical aspect of the body, and season of the year.  Selecting food with the knowledge of the organs with which it is affiliated can thus affect us on a mental, emotional, and physical level.  For example, eggplants have an affinity for the uterus, and can be beneficial for women who are trying to become pregnant.  Pears and walnuts help to cleanse the Lungs, and are excellent choices for those suffering with asthma or other respiratory problems, particularly in the autumn.  Cabbage can be very effective in addressing intestinal disorders.

Action.   The therapeutic action of a food refers to the influence (tonifying or dispersing) that the food has upon one or more of the body’ substances (qi, blood, jing, damp, and phlegm).  Greens, for example, are very effective in building blood (which is why Western practitioners may suggest that someone with a low iron count eat more spinach).  Mushrooms are great for moving dampness and phlegm in the body (think of what happens when you saute mushrooms in oil). 

These are the ways in which, according to the OM model, our food choices can influence our health.  To learn more about how to make dietary decisions to best support your particular needs, contact a practitioner of Oriental Medicine.  The following books also provide more detailed information on this topic.  They are available from Redwing Book Company (1-800-873-3946 or Redwingbooks.com): 

Beinfield, Harriet and Korngold, Effram.  Between Heaven and Earth – A Guide to Chinese Medicine.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 1991.
Flaws, Bob.  The Tao of Healthy Eating – Dietary Wisdom According to Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Boulder, Colorado:  Blue Poppy Press,  1998.
Leggett, Daverick.  Helping Ourselves – A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics.   London, England:  Meridian Press, 1994. 

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