112 Functional Foods of the East

5.6.6.2 Cooked Dishes

There are hundreds of medicated diets (including varieties of meat and vegetable
dishes) that are curative and can be used for health care. They are prepared by cook-
ing chicken, duck, fish, or vegetables along with herbs and condiments. They can be
stewed, braised, simmered, steamed, boiled, cooked in water, stir-fried, roasted, fric-
asseed, or deep-fried. For example, “Baby Pigeon Stewed with Ginseng, Astragalus
Root and Cordyceps” can be used to treat bronchial asthma at the remission stage
and “Turtle Stewed with Chinese Angelica Root and Wolfberry Fruit” can be used
to treat early cirrhosis. “Baby Pigeon Stewed with Gouqi (Medlar) and Huangqi
(Membranous Milk Vetch),” “Pork Simmered with Lotus Seed and Lily,” and “Pig’s
Kidney Stewed with Eucommia Bark” are typical medicine cuisines used to treat the
most common chronic diseases.

5.6.6.3 Honey Extract

Honey extract, also known as soft extract or decoction extract, is a thick half-liquid
prepared by first decocting edible medicine herbs in water and, after enriching the
liquid, mixing in honey or sucrose. For example, the beverage “Flavored Extract of
Fritillary Bulb and Pear” is applicable to patients with bronchial asthma.

5.7 SOME CHINESE MEDICATED DIETS WITH

A SPECIFIC PURPOSE
5.7.1 PREVENTION OF AGING
According to traditional Chinese medicine, prevention of the aging process involves
nourishing yin, to facilitating blood circulation, and eliminating excessive yang
(Figure 5.1). Chinese medicated diets that have functionality in prevention of the
aging process are usually selected food materials and medicinal herbs from the
following natural sources.

5.7.1.1 Food Materials

These include Chinese yam, lotus seed, lotus root, tremella, pork skin, donkey-hide
gelatin, beef, deer tail, wood ear, quail meat, quail egg, hawthorn, lily bulb, green
tea, konjac, celery, pear, coriander, black sesame, honey, and mulberry fruits.

5.7.1.2 Medicinal Herbal Materials

These include American ginseng, Korean ginseng, cordyceps, poria, pilose antler, ant-
ler glue, gastrodia tuber, chrysanthemum, orange peel, acanthopanax bark, Solomon
seal rhizome, roxburgh rose, fleece flower root, and barbary wolfberry fruits.

5.7.1.3 Some Classic Menus

These include the following:

1. Korean red ginseng (20 g), whole chicken (1000 g), dried abalone (60 g),
sea cucumber (200 g), fish stomach (45 g), lean Chinese ham (150 g), dried
scallops (45 g), and some salt and water, cooked into a dish.
Traditional Chinese Medicated Diets 113

FIGURE 5.1 Cordyceps (Chinese caterpillar fungus), a famous fungus in medicated diets
for preventing aging.

2. Ginseng (2 g), ginger (6 g), walnut (6 g), Chinese onion (20 g), and rice
(300 g) are put into a pig’s stomach, and some salt and water, and then
cooked into a meal.
3. Turtle (1000 g), ginseng (5 g), Chinese onion (10 g), ginger (15 g), rice wine
(20 mL), salt, water, and pepper cooked into a dish.
4. Stewed pig’s feet (500 g), chestnuts (200 g), and some salt and water, cooked
into a dish.
The meal pictures shown in Figure 5.2 (whole chicken and ginseng cooked for a
meal), Figure 5.3 (shrimps and cordyceps (Chinese caterpillar fungus), and Chinese
dates cooked for a meal), and Figure 5.4 (chicken meal, fresh ginseng, barbary wolf-
berry fruits, and Chinese dates cooked for a meal) are all for the prevention of aging.

5.7.2 IMMUNE REGULATIONS

According to traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese medicated diets that have
functionality in improving immune regulation processes are usually selected food
materials and medicinal herbs from the following natural sources.

5.7.2.1 Food Materials

These include walnut, Chinese date, royal jelly, and mulberry fruits.

5.7.2.2 Medicinal Herbal Materials

These include American ginseng, Korean ginseng, acanthopanax, barbary wolfberry
fruits, astragalus, Chinese caterpillar fungus, gingko leaf, Chinese angelia, and
Ganoderma.
114 Functional Foods of the East

FIGURE 5.2 Whole chicken and ginseng cooked for a meal.

5.7.2.3 Some Classic Menus

These include the following:

1. Chinese yam (50 g), logan (15 g), lychee (20 g), magnolia vine fruit (5 g),
rice (50 g), crystal sugar (10 g), and some water, cooked into a soup.
2. Turtle (1000 g), Chinese caterpillar fungus (10 g), Chinese date (30 g), ginger
(5 g), Chinese onion (5 g), rice wine (50 mL), and some water, cooked into a
meal.
3. Duck meat (200 g), sea cucumber (50 g), and some salt and water, cooked
into a dish.

A picture of a meal with whole chicken, Chinese dates, barbary wolfberry fruits,
and onion cooked for improving immune regulations is shown in Figure 5.5.

FIGURE 5.3 Shrimps and cordyceps (Chinese caterpillar fungus), and Chinese dates
cooked for a meal.
Traditional Chinese Medicated Diets 115

FIGURE 5.4 Chicken meal, fresh ginseng, barbary wolfberry fruits, and Chinese dates
cooked for a meal.

FIGURE 5.5 Whole chicken, Chinese dates, barbary wolfberry fruits, and onion cooked for
a meal.
116 Functional Foods of the East

5.7.3 REDUCTION OF CHOLESTEROL

According to traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese medicated diets that have func-
tionality in reduction of cholesterol are usually selections of foods and medicinal
herbs from the following natural sources.

5.7.3.1 Food Materials

These include soybean, hawthorn fruits, peach seed, fish oil, corn oil, buckwheat,
pumpkin, pig pancreas, and mulberry fruits.

5.7.3.2 Medicinal Herbal Materials

These include chrysanthemum flower, spine date seed, flax seed, safflower seed,
licorice root, dried tangerine peel, barbary wolfberry fruit, five-leaf gynosttemma,
Chinese yam, Cocosporia, spirulina, and germinated barley.

5.7.3.3 Some Classic Menus

These include the following:

1. Barbary wolfberry fruits (5 g), white wood ear (10 g), Chinese date (10 g),
rice (100 g), and water, cooked into a congee.
2. Mung bean (50 g), mature pumpkin (50 g), salt (2 g), and some water,
cooked into a soup.
3. Hawthorn (15 g), Rhizoma polygonati (30 g), rice (100 g), and water, cooked
into a congee.
4. Fresh reed rhizome (30 g), brown rice (50 g), and water, cooked into a
congee.

5.7.4 COSMETOLOGICAL PURPOSES

According to traditional Chinese medicine, to maintain and improve the appearance
of people is to improve the luster of their face skin, to limit and reduce the skin’s
wrinkling process, to remove dark pigments in the face skin, to promote blood cir-
culation, and to increase moisture on the facial surface, which is to eliminate extra
yang. Chinese medicated diets that have functionality for cosmetological purposes
are usually selected with food and medicinal herbal materials from the following
natural sources.

5.7.4.1 Food Materials

These include Chinese yam, sesame seed, honey, sea cucumber, turtle, mutton, milk,
cherry, lychee, pine nut, coix seed, bean sprouts, Chinese toon, lotus flower, and
barbary wolfberry fruit.

5.7.4.2 Medicinal Herbal Materials

These include astragalus, Solomon seal rhizome, fingered citron, Artemisia apiacea,
and stewed sea cucumber.
Traditional Chinese Medicated Diets 117

5.7.4.3 Some Classic Menus

These include the following:

1. Green cabbage (200 g), shrimp (100 g), barbary wolfberry fruits (10 g), and
some salt, plus water, cooked into a dish.
2. Lotus seed (15 g), white wood ear (25 g), crystal sugar (50 g), and water, all
cooked into a soup.
3. Lily bulb (50 g), platycladi seed (10 g), honey (10 g), and water, cooked into
a soup.
4. Lotus seed (15 g), lily bulb (15 g), rice (100 g), crystal sugar (10 g), and
water, cooked into a soup.
5. Turtle (300 g), Artemisia apiacea (20 g), and some salt and water, cooked
into a dish.
6. Bean sprouts (100 g), portulaca (20 g), and some salt and water, cooked into
a dish.

5.7.5 CONTROLLING BODY WEIGHT

According to traditional Chinese medicine, controlling the body weight process is to
strengthen the yang function and to remove excessive body fat. Chinese medicated
diets that have functionality in controlling body weight processes are usually selected
food materials and medicinal herbs from the following natural sources.

5.7.5.1 Food Materials

These include winter melon, Chinese date, water caltrop, lotus root, lotus seed, oats,
mung bean sprouts, watermelon, cucumber, onion, turnip, hot pepper, old hen meat,
and mutton.

5.7.5.2 Medicinal Herbal Materials

These include astragalus root, poria peel, winter melon peel, corn stigma, lotus leaf,
Chinese cassia tree bark, and nutmeg.

5.7.5.3 Some Classic Menus

These include the following:

1. Astragalus (20 g) and winter melon (300 g), with some salt and water,
cooked into a soup.
2. Mutton (100 g), hot pepper (20 g), onion (50 g), and some salt and water,
cooked into a dish.
3. Bean sprouts (200 g), lotus leaf (20 g), lotus seed (20 g), lotus root (100 g),
and some salt and water, cooked into a soup.

A picture of a meal with Chinese dates, lotus roots, and pork rib cooked for con-
trolling body weight is shown in Figure 5.6.
118 Functional Foods of the East

FIGURE 5.6 Chinese dates, lotus roots, and pork rib cooked for a meal.

5.8 TREATING HYPERTENSION

According to traditional Chinese medicine, reduction of hypertension is to reduce
yang and to nourish yin. Chinese medicated diets that have functionality in treating
hypertension are usually food and herbs selected from the following natural sources.

5.8.1 FOOD MATERIALS

These include Chinese date, celery, sponge gourd, tomato, wood ear, hawthorn,
green tea, mulberry leaf, and barbary wolfberry fruit.

5.8.2 MEDICINAL HERBAL MATERIALS

These include gastrodia tuber, chrysanthemum flower, prunella spike, dogbane leaf,
Solomon seal rhizome, fingered citron, and corn stigma.

5.8.3 SOME CLASSIC MENUS

These include the following:

1. Hawthorn (200 g), cassia seed, and water, cooked into a soup
2. Hawthorn (200 g), wood ear (50 g), prunella (10 g), and water, cooked into
a soup.
3. Fish head (300 g), gastrodia tuber (100 g), and some salt and water, cooked
into a soup.
4. Tremella (15 g), Jew’s ear (15 g), crystal sugar (10 g), and water, cooked into
a soup.
Traditional Chinese Medicated Diets 119

5.9 TREATING DIABETES

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the treatment of diabetes is to eliminate
excessive yang, nourish yin, and strengthen internal organ health. Chinese medi-
cated diets that have functionality in treating diabetic conditions are usually selected
food materials and medicinal herbal materials from the following natural sources.

5.9.1 FOOD MATERIALS

These include bitter melon, pumpkin, Chinese yam, west lake greens, spinach, black
plum, mulberry fruit, green tea, gluten, wood ear, quail egg, and duck egg.

5.9.2 MEDICINAL HERBAL MATERIALS

These include coco sporia, five-leaf gynosttemma, hawthorn, rehmannia root, ophi-
opogon root, barbary wolfberry fruit, Solomon seal rhizome, and rhizome of wind
weed.

5.9.3 SOME CLASSIC MENUS

These include the following:

1. Crucian carp (200 g), green tea (20 g), and some salt and water, cooked into
a soup.
2. Silver carp (300 g), Solomon seal rhizome (50 g), and some salt and water,
cooked into a soup.
3. Duck egg (100 g), green tea (20 g), chrysanthemum (5 g), and some salt and
water, cooked into a dish.
4. Spinach (200 g), egg white (100 g), honeysuckle flower (5 g), and some salt
and water, cooked into a dish.
5. Gluten (50 g), barbary wolfberry fruit (15 g), honeysuckle flower (5 g), and
water, cooked into a soup.

5.10 NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Medicated diets have been developed in a great assortment on the basis of traditional
processes. Today, products of salutary foods and drinks produced on the basis of
achievements in scientific research and having the effect of curing diseases are a vari-
ety of sorts, and vary in characteristics. There are medicated foods suitable for patients
suffering from diabetes, obesity, and angiocardiopathy, or for prolonging the life of the
aged. There are some health-promoting foods and drinks suitable for athletes, actors,
actresses, and miners; there are also health-promoting foods or medicated diets suit-
able for the promotion of children’s health and growth. Chinese medicated diets have
expanded internationally. Some medicated cans, health-promoting drinks, and medi-
cated wine made from traditional Chinese medicine are being sold in international
markets. Medicated diet dining halls have been set up in some countries. Chinese
medicated diets will make contributions to the health of people all over the world.