Diet Therapy and Health Preservation

In Taoist circles, many famous Taoists were also proficient in medicine, such as Ge Hong, Tao Hongjing, and Sun Simiao. They were both medical experts and representatives of Taoism. Some used medicinal substances as food, some used food as medicine, some treated diseases with diet, and some maintained health through diet, each creating unique approaches and establishing various methods. Their ideas were either recorded at the end of disease treatment discussions or elaborated in specialized works, covering rich and colorful contents. They believed that combining "diet therapy" with "medication therapy" was the supreme medical skill, advocating the introduction of dietary health preservation into the field of disease treatment and health maintenance, and placing dietary treatment in an important position in curing diseases.

For example, Sun Simiao specially set up a "Diet Therapy Chapter" in his Qian Jin Yao Fang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold), putting forward that "the foundation of maintaining the body must rely on food... Those who do not know the appropriate foods are not sufficient to survive". He advocated that "as a doctor, one must first thoroughly understand the source of the disease, know what has caused it, and treat it with diet. If diet therapy fails, then prescribe medicine". Taoist physicians believed that humans are closely connected with nature, and changes in geography and climate in the external environment will inevitably affect the changes of yin and yang in the human body. To maintain the coordination of yin and yang in the human body, one must adapt to the changes of nature. There are changes in the four seasons in nature, and human physiological activities also change accordingly. The selection of food should also formulate some basic principles according to seasonal changes, differences in physical constitution, and the nature of diseases. In spring and summer, when yang qi is vigorous, attention should be paid to "nourishing yang in spring and summer"; in autumn and winter, when yin qi is prosperous, attention should be paid to "nourishing yin in autumn and winter". Through long-term practice of traditional Chinese medicine, Tao Hongjing summarized that "in spring, it is suitable to eat pungent foods; in summer, sour foods; in autumn, bitter foods; in winter, salty foods. These all help the five internal organs, benefit qi and blood, and avoid various diseases".

Different constitutions have different requirements for food conditioning. For example, people with a fat physique should stay away from greasy foods and eat more light ones; people with a thin physique should avoid dry and fragrant foods and eat more foods that nourish yin and promote body fluids. Those with excessive yang and excessive heat should have a diet that clears heat and purges fire; those with yang deficiency and cold should have warm foods. The methods of dietary conditioning should also vary according to the region where people live. For example, people in mountainous areas lack iodine and are prone to goiter, so they should appropriately eat more iodine-rich seafood; people living in the dry northwestern plains should eat more moistening foods; people living in the humid southeastern mountainous areas should eat more pungent foods. Only by preparing meals according to the time, place, and individual can we dispel diseases and prolong life. In terms of dietary regulation, Ge Hong believed that "those who are good at health preservation should not eat too much and drink too much". Huangdi Neijing · Suwen (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon · Plain Questions) also states that "grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables should be used for food nourishment, but not in excess". The Book of History emphasizes that "eating should be timely". Ren Yuan's Yang Sheng Mi Jue (Secrets of Health Preservation) says that "eating in the evening is not as good as eating in the morning". Sun Simiao's Zhen Shang Ji (Notes on the Pillow) mentions that "a plate of porridge in the morning, and not too much dinner". Qian Jin Yi Fang (Supplements to the Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) points out that "it is better to eat frequently but in small amounts than to eat a lot at one meal", "do not eat when extremely hungry, and do not overeat; do not drink when extremely thirsty, and do not drink too much". Xiu Zhen Mi Yao (Secret Essentials of Cultivation) advocates that "one should eat less and not eat a lot at one time, always feeling full when slightly hungry and slightly hungry when full". These theories still guide people's health preservation practices today.

In addition, Sun Simiao elaborated incisively on the effects of diet and medicine on the human body, saying that "the foundation of maintaining the body must rely on food, and the speed of curing diseases must rely on medicine. Those who do not know the appropriate foods are not sufficient to survive, and those who do not know the taboos of medicines cannot cure diseases". Most of the properties and functions of medicines and foods are the same. Many medicines are delicious foods that people often eat, and many foods are good medicines for doctors to cure diseases. Medicines are designed to treat people's diseases, and foods are designed to nourish people's bodies. The diseases one gets must be treated with appropriate medicines, accompanied by matching foods. For example, when taking hot medicines, they should be paired with hot foods, and cold foods should be avoided to help yang qi reach the lesion; when taking cold medicines, they should be paired with cold foods, and pungent and dry foods should be avoided to achieve the effect of nourishing yin and clearing heat. Those with heart diseases should avoid salty foods; those with spleen diseases should avoid sweet and sour foods; those with sores should fast from meat and fish; diabetics should avoid sugar. Food borrows the power of medicine, and medicine helps the nature of food. Such a combination greatly enhances the efficacy of medicines and foods. While medicines and foods work together to cure diseases and keep fit, attention should also be paid to the taboos between medicines and foods. For example, after taking ginseng, one should not eat radish, because ginseng tonifies qi, while radish consumes and dissipates qi. The two, one tonifying and one consuming, offset the tonic effect of ginseng. When taking rehmannia, polygonum multiflorum, etc., avoid drinking strong tea, because rehmannia and polygonum multiflorum contain iron, which can chemically react with tannic acid in tea to form ferrous tannate that is not easily absorbed. It should also be noted that warm medicines should not be used with cold foods, and cold medicines should not be used with warm foods, so as to avoid their opposite effects weakening the effect of taking them.

There have been many famous medicinal diets with combinations of medicines and foods passed down through the ages, which have been proven effective after repeated consumption. Such as the pungent and warm tonic angelica mutton soup, the anti-aging and anti-aging notoginseng stewed chicken, wolfberry sheep kidney porridge, lotus seed drink, etc. For thousands of years, the combination of medicine and food has made great contributions to the reproduction and health of the Chinese nation.