Hello Readers,
Therapeutical food is an important subject to discuss with our pacient and it’s one of the possible treatment methods with Tradicional Chinese Medicine.
So, this article was made to show you how to use the tables to guide your patient through foods that will help to improve health and rebalance energy.
Basic instructions for use:
1) Choose the Element you want to treat
2) Choose from the list of each element what you want:
a) to heat and / or remove humidity from the element use warm and / or hot foods
b) to cool the element, use fresh and / or cold food
c) to harmonize / strengthen the element use neutral foods
Examples:
- To remove humidity from the Spleen, use any food from the Warm or Hot column of the Earth element: cinnamon, anise, licorice, oregano, etc …
- To remove dryness of the Lung, use any food from the cold or fresh column of the Metal Element: banana, yogurt, mint, marjoram, etc.
- To Strengthen / Harmonize the Liver, use any food from the neutral column of the Wood element: yam, apricot, pineapple, date, etc …
and so on …
Note: there are foods that are present in more than one table.
You can use more than one food of different elements in the same treatment.
** All the tables in this article are a free translation of the book: “Dietoterapia energética según los cinco elementos en la Medicina Tradicional China”, Guerin, P., 2000.
1.Wood Element
Acidic foods or with affinity for the Liver and Gallbladder.
| Cold | Fresh | Neutral | Warm | Hot |
| Yogurt Lime Toranja Grapefruit Rhubarb White sugar Banana Crab Nori seaweed |
Wheat Apple Tomato Tangerine Orange Sour Pear Peach Blackberry Strawberry Wheat beer Fresh cheese Bunny Radish Kelp seaweed Mussel Rye Dandelion |
Yam Apricot Pineapple Grape Plum Snail Mango Date fruit Azuki Cheese Raspberry duck Royal jelly Olive oil Carrot Saffron Sunflower seed White fish Eggs |
Lychee Vinegar Gooseberry Wine Cherry Coconut Leek Star anise Valerian Honeydew Onion Leek |
Trout Fennel Shrimp Garlic Black pepper |
2.Fire Element
Bitter food or with affinity for the Heart and Small Intestine.
| Cold | Fresh | Neutral | Warm | Hot |
| Melon Watermelon |
Spinach Chard Pear Celery Lettuce Asparagus Wheat Rye Black tea Green tea Mint Wheat beer Dandelion Gentian Chicory |
Papaya Apricot Beet Alfalfa Saffron Azuki Egg yolk Cow milk Chamomile Chrysanthemum |
Cherry Fresh ginger Cinnamon Rama Rosemary Wine Valerian Chestnuts Coffee Ginseng Tangerine Bark Basil |
Garlic Dried ginger Red pepper Nutmeg |
3.Earth Element
Foods with a sweet taste or with an affinity for the Spleen and Stomach.
| Cold | Fresh | Neutral | Warm | Hot |
| WheatBanana Lime |
Corn Rye Celery Asparagus Chard Lettuce Cress Spinach Kale Zucchini Artichoke Turnip Green Soy Sesame oil Raw egg Pear Orange Blackberry Strawberry Black tea Dandelion Mint Chamomile Lotus root Wheat Eggplant Cucumber Tomato Soy sprouts Tofu Mango Tangerine Apple Green tea |
Rice Barley Turnip Pumpkin Green bean Yam Potato Carrot Brussels sprouts Peas Cauliflower Broccoli Sweet potato Shitake Chickpeas Soy Lentils Azuki Sesame Sunflower seed Peanut Almonds Olive oil Beef Liver Pig Oysters Salmon White fish Sardines Cheese Cow milk Egg Fig Mango Papaya Plum Grape Saffron Corn Hair Licorice Royal jelly Honey |
Oats Onion Leek Coconut Nuts Chestnuts Soy oil Chicken Shrimp Anchovies Goat milk butter Peach Lychee Cherry Pineapple Date fruit Cinnamon (stick) Rosemary Star anise Oregano Parsley Wine Ginseng Pistachio Fresh ginger Tangerine peal |
Anise Licorice Barley malt Fennel |
4.Metal Element
Spicy foods or with affinity for the Lung and Large Intestine.
| Cold | Fresh | Neutral | Warm | Hot |
| Wheat germ Yogurt Banana Nori algae |
Mint Marjoram Radish Celery Cucumber Cress Turnip Asparagus Spinach Egg white Tangerine Orange Pear Apple Strawberry Green tea |
Saffron Rice Carrot Cauliflower Olive Cow milk Cheese Apricot Fig Grape Papaya Honey White fish Peanut Almonds Duck |
Basil Capers Cumin Fresh ginger Cinnamon Onion Fennel Leek Valerian Star anise Sage Thyme Oregano Rosemary Angelica sinensis Wine Onion Goat milk Date fruit Pineapple Cilantro Chinese Ginseng Coffee Shrimp Nuts Chestnuts |
Carnation Peppers Dried ginger Cinnamon Garlic Korean Ginseng |
5. Water Element
Salty food or with affinity for Kidney and Bladder.
| Cold | Fresh | Neutral | Warm | Hot |
| Crab Octopus Nori seaweed Salt Lime Watermelon |
Barley Seaweed Wheat Wheat germ Celery Asparagus Green Soy Blackberry Quince Tangerine Orange |
Oysters Squid Sepia White fish Sardine Salmon Kombu seaweed Egg yolk Umeboshi Pig Corn Shitake Carrot Pumpkin Keal Black Soy Lentils Azuki Grape Plum Raspberry Black sesame Sunflower seed Duck Corn Silk |
Shrimp Mussel Ham Parma ham Miso Oats Leek Onion Ginseng Cumin Star anise Parsley Basil Rosemary Coffee Cherry Lychee Chestnuts Pistachio Nuts Goat milk Kidney Rabbit and sheep Chicken |
Garlic Buckwheat Fennel Cinnamon Carnation Black pepper |
** Tables in free translation of the book: “Dietoterapia energética según los cinco elementos en la Medicina Tradicional China”, Guerin, P., 2000.