Food Therapy

• 'Safe' grains = gluten-free grains: Gluten-free grains are least taxing on the Spleen/Stomach; moistening (sticky) grains thicken the Stomach yin for absorption; grains are moistening or warming. (Yuen)
• Algae / chlorella: Tonify Lung (exterior) qi; good for respiratory issues and lung cancer support; chlorophyll absorbs odors and detoxifies nitrogen via the bladder. (Yuen)
• Allium family: shallots, chives, leeks, garlic, onion; daikon: Shallots affect the sinews (e.g. bladder muscle); daikon is spicy, breaks down blockages. (Yuen)
• Almonds — descend the qi: Almonds reduce appetite, descend qi (cough, wheeze) and expectorate phlegm — for people dealing with stressors. (Yuen) → Xing Ren
• Anti-parasitic seeds tea: After Gu syndrome: tea of melon, grapefruit and papaya seeds, soft greens, fermented foods, and quinoa and buckwheat for neuro repair. (Yuen)
• Apple cider vinegar: A tablespoon in water to support stomach fire/iron absorption when spleen yang is weak. (Yuen)
• Apple cider vinegar: A tablespoon in water just before meals increases gastric acid and thus iron absorption in spleen-qi-deficient anemia. (Yuen)
• Apple cider vinegar / camu camu: ACV 1–2 Tbsp in water 3×/day for candida in some; camu camu powder acceptable vitamin C source. (Ross)
• Aquatic vegetables: wild rice, watercress, water spinach, water chestnut, lotus root: Heat-clearing aquatic foods for water-element/urinary patterns. (Yuen)
• Asparagus: Asparagus goes into the blood: cools blood heat, moves blood stasis, helps after stroke and with cholesterol, and clears fungal infestations. (Yuen)
• Avoid shellfish with legs/tentacles in skin conditions: Crab, shrimp, lobster, octopus, squid stimulate kidney yang → wei qi and aggravate skin/scar conditions (dermatology). (Yuen)
• Avoid sugar and gluten in jing-deficient neuro patients: Sugar glycates fatty acids, sabotaging myelin repair, and gluten creates dampness that becomes wind-phlegm; prefer less-sweet roots like Shan Yao and burdock. (Yuen)
• Avoid tropical/very sweet and sour fruits in bi: Bananas, mango, papaya are damp-producing and sour fruits astringe pathology; 'frosted' fruits (watermelon, melons, berries) help the skin exfoliate; apples and pears are fine. (Yuen)
• Bamboo shoots: Ascends spleen qi — prolapse, hernia, diarrhea, distension; also for wasting-thirsting (diabetes). (Yuen)
• Barley (Da Mai / 'Mou') — moistening: Moistening grain (as soup) that aids elimination; not the same as Job's tears (Yi Yi Ren), which is drying. (Yuen) → Yi Yi Ren
• Big red beans (pinto, kidney) vs small red beans (adzuki, red lentil): Big red beans build Heart blood; small red beans (adzuki, red lentil) disperse Heart stagnation and fluid retention via diuresis. (Yuen) → Chi Xiao Dou
• Bitter melon: Clears fire toxins and damp heat; lowers blood sugar (diabetics) and blood pressure; seeds are purgative. (Yuen)
• Black beans & black-eyed peas (menopause): Black beans support Kidney yin in menopause; black-eyed peas help qi, night sweats and clear heat via urination for menopause with stagnation. (Yuen)
• Bu Tu Pai (Earth-Supplementing School) view: The Earth-Supplementing School sees the Spleen–Stomach as root of all illness; famous for Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan and the 'three triangles' acupuncture protocol. (Yuen) → Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang 补中益气汤
• Building a dietary plan: Determine taste and temperature, then pick foods by organ: grains for spleen/stomach; seafood/shellfish/fish for kidneys/water. Weak bladder from cold: salty, sweet, warming. (Yuen)
• Cabbage: Descends rebellious qi — cough, vomiting, nausea, insatiable hunger. (Yuen)
• Celery: Celery is sweet, salty, cooling; it drains damp and brings energy down for headaches, hypertension and vertigo, calms shen and regulates menstruation. (Yuen)
• Chestnut — 'king of nuts': Chestnut, 'king of nuts', provides copper for blood formation and brain oxygen, regulates insulin and nourishes essence; with porridge for intermittent fevers. (Yuen)
• Coriander/cilantro to vent Stomach fire: When a weak Spleen comes from Stomach fire, avoid hot spices; mild venting spices like cilantro move the fire and help Spleen yang recover. (Yuen)
• Dandelion greens: Dandelion greens release the exterior (wind-heat), are antimicrobial, expel fluid and phlegm, and serve as a poultice for swollen eyes, skin lesions and breast lumps. (Yuen)
• Dandelion greens / leafy greens: Help the liver metabolize excess hormones; keep bowels regular to clear excess estrogens and heat toxins. (Lewis)
• Detox foods: alliums, ginger, okra, lotus root, celery, watercress, floral teas: Detox: sulfur foods (alliums) for phase II, dry ginger for damp-cold phlegm, okra and lotus root bind fat-soluble toxins, celery, watercress and floral teas for water-soluble ones. (Yuen)
• Diuretic fruits: grapefruit, watermelon, winter melon: Grapefruit strong diuretic (drug interactions); watermelon promotes diuresis; Chinese winter melon drains dampness. (Yuen)
• Eggplant / tomato (nightshades): Invigorate blood — blood stasis, hemorrhoids; cook them (raw tomato irritates stomach), often with something sweet like melon. (Yuen)
• Fats for the brain / omega-3 eggs: The brain is 75% fat; omega-3 eggs from seed-fed chickens rebuild cell membranes and myelin (MS, ALS); LDL isn't bad unless oxidized. (Yuen)
• Fennel seed: Warms the lower region and low back (yang deficiency) — add to cooking; essential oil promotes lactation. (Yuen)
• Five-element food combinations: Fruits + nuts + seeds follow the creation cycle and are harmonious; grains + seeds are antagonistic (Earth controls Water). (Yuen)
• Flavors from combined elements: Sweet (associated with spleen) is actually water and earth elements combined — elements fuse to make flavors. (Johnson)
• Food as the most important daily healing modality (Tang dynasty): Food is the most important daily healing modality; herbs taken daily without change can cause intolerance or toxicity — moderation is key. (Yuen)
• Food formularies: principal, associate, assistant, envoy: Foods are composed like formulas (principal, associate, assistant, envoy); e.g., Kidney yin deficiency with floating yang: seeds/seafood principal, green asparagus associate. (Yuen)
• Food groups by level: grains (Ying), seeds (Yuan), legumes (between): Grains act at the Ying level, seeds at the Yuan level (curious organs, brain), legumes between Yuan and Ying, and nuts between Ying and Wei. (Yuen)
• Food-group/organ chart: Grains = Earth, legumes = Wood (also Fire), seeds = Water, nuts = Metal (chronic conditions); fruits for acute conditions; vegetables are envoys; seafood reaches the Kidneys. (Yuen)
• Fruit enzymes: papaya (papain), pineapple (bromelain), figs (ficin): Proteolytic fruit enzymes (papain, bromelain, ficin) digest protein; soak beans in fruit juice to predigest them (Metal controls Wood). (Yuen)
• Fruit-seed teas as antiparasitics (papaya, citrus, cucumber seeds): Wash, dry, pulverize 3–10 seeds and infuse (not decoct) — seeds are antiparasitic; cucumber seed (Gua Zi) for worms. (Yuen)
• Hazelnuts: Moisten intestines (constipation, fiber/prebiotic); important for vision. (Yuen)
• Healthy fats / seed oils for the brain: Brain is mostly fat; seed oils and healthy fats help repair nerve 'insulation' (acquired essence/ye). (Shea)
• Hemp seed (Ma) & 'Ma' herbs (Ma Huang, Tian Ma): Ma Huang brings earth energy up to the head (contraindicated with high blood pressure/palpitations); Tian Ma brings blood to the brain. (Yuen) → Ma Huang, Tian Ma
• Hot spice seeds: mustard, radish seed, wasabi: Dissolve/break down fat; wasabi digests fish protein and fat and disinfects raw fish. (Yuen)
• Jerusalem artichoke: Absorbs heat (sun-drawing) — for cold extremities and low back pain; best in soup in the autumn/yin months. (Yuen)
• Legumes belong to the Liver; color & size: Choose legumes by color for organ relationship and by size: big beans tonify but stagnate, small beans move and are easier to digest. (Yuen)
• Lettuce: Generates fluids, drains damp, relieves thirst; red oak leaf mildly clears blood. (Yuen)
• Lotus root (Ou) & lotus stamen: Mucilaginous lotus root binds phlegm and breaks up cysts and polyps; bitter, warming lotus stamen strengthens sexual vitality and the lower back. (Yuen)
• Luffa (Si Gua) vs hairy melon (Mao Gua): Luffa clears lung phlegm, sinuses, sinus polyps; hairy melon (hair = signature to sweep the colon) for IBS, IBD, intestinal polyps. (Yuen)
• Macronutrients and the three qi: Carbohydrates ≈ wei qi, proteins ≈ ying qi; per Sun Simiao food is the first line of defense, and the healthy diet is one compatible with constitution. (Lewis)
• Meat and skin conditions: Avoid chicken (feathers) and lamb (wool) by doctrine of signatures; pork (or beef, which can be too heating) preferred for skin healing. (Yuen)
• Millet for Stomach yin deficiency with empty heat: Nourishes Stomach yin when it has become deficient with empty heat. (Yuen)
• Mucilaginous foods expel phlegm / desensitize allergies: Mucilaginous foods expel phlegm and desensitize allergies: Asian pears, loquats, apples, okra, luffa, oats, mung beans, chia/watermelon seeds, cashews. (Yuen)
• Mung beans / eggs (sulfur): Sulfur-rich foods support detox via urination. (Yuen)
• Mushrooms and fungi: Gilled mushrooms (e.g. shiitake) tonify spleen/kidney qi and yang; gill-less ones nourish kidney yin; black fungus clears phlegm and stones, white fungus (Tremella) for lungs. (Yuen)
• No sugar or dairy for allergies: Cutting sugar and dairy for a year resolved his seasonal allergies; they never returned.
• Nut safety: skins, rancid roasted oils, heat: Remove nut skins (Wei qi layer, where toxins concentrate); roasted unsaturated oils go rancid; with heat signs prefer stable fats (olive, coconut, palm); with Metal imbalance avoid nuts and fruits. (Yuen)
• Nuts & fruits relate to Wei qi: Fruits and nuts relate to Wei qi: fruits draw from the Spleen (sugar), nuts from the Kidneys (fat); nuts help spasms/nerve issues but can provoke allergies. (Yuen)
• Oats (Yan Mai — 'sparrow grain'): Moistening, sweet, ascends: moistens throat, skin and Lungs, calms the Shen, treats diarrhea and constipation, binds cholesterol and phlegm along the Stomach channel; best as porridge. (Yuen) → ST-30 Qichong
• Palm oil / healthy fats: Healthy fat for neurological problems: the brain is 75% fat and jing (fat) declines with age; gluten and sugar are the culprits. (Yuen)
• Pearl barley (Yi Yi Ren) — Spleen to Lungs and Kidneys: Dries dampness starting in the Spleen as it travels down to the Kidneys — leg swelling, heavy low back, urinary frequency/difficulty. (Yuen) → Yi Yi Ren
• Pecans (milk form) for coordination/balance: Help clumsiness, incoordination and disorientation; in chronic cases eat slightly more long-term or drink pecan milk. (Yuen)
• Pine nuts vs almonds (by constitution): For metal/water/earth yin types overburdened with responsibilities, pine nuts help them relax rather than almonds. (Yuen)
• Pistachio (vinegar-processed) & nuts for ADHD by pattern: Translate ADHD into a Chinese diagnosis first; if Metal must control Wood use almonds or pine nuts; vinegar-processed pistachio affects the Heart. (Yuen)
• Pork vs beef vs chicken: Pork supports Yuan qi (Water, constitutional); beef is more postnatal and affects the Liver; chicken affects Spleen/Stomach and promotes Ying qi. (Yuen)
• Potato — the 'clay' of vegetables: Tubers draw things out: potato poultices draw out skin conditions and latent issues; raw juice reduces gastric acid and, with cabbage juice, treats ulcers; discard green potatoes. (Yuen)
• Radicchio / chicory: Bitter digestive; clears fire toxins; cooling; spleen/stomach and heart — cools and moves blood (cardiovascular). (Yuen)
• Rice (Mi, Oryza sativa): Rice is called neutral though cooling; short-grain/sticky rice moistens dryness but burdens a weak Spleen; long-grain congee gives easily digested energy for convalescence. (Yuen)
• Rye & sourdough (warming): Rye is a warming grain that helps transform dampness by supporting the Spleen; sourdough useful in damp conditions/climates. (Yuen)
• Seaweeds (salty, cold): kelp/kombu, wakame, nori: Salty, cold, high iodine: kelp/kombu work Lung to Kidney, softening surface lumps; wakame goes deeper to Spleen/Stomach (ulcers, swellings); nori penetrates the blood. (Yuen)
• Seed milk ('Hu' paste) preparation: Traditional Chinese seed milk/paste made by volume; dilute for everyday drinking, concentrated for therapeutic use. (Yuen)
• Seed milks for San Jiao/Dantian heat: When the Dantian holds heat without enough yin, use seed milks (hemp, sesame); San Jiao roots in the Kidney, e.g. decoct banana-peel inner flesh in seed milk. (Yuen)
• Soaking: legumes, nuts, quinoa, chia: Soak stored seeds, legumes, nuts and grains to deactivate enzyme inhibitors; high-protein foods (quinoa, teff, nuts, barley) soak longer. (Yuen)
• Sour fruits / marinades: Stimulate gastric acid to digest protein; neutralize MSG/allergen reactions. (Yuen)
• Soy — fermented forms: Much soy is GMO; fermented soy (miso, soy sauce, tempeh, natto) is easier to digest. (Yuen)
• Spicy leaf condiments for wei qi reactions: Lemongrass, basil, mint, perilla (Zi Su — reduces shellfish/iodine reactions in sushi), thyme disperse wind (headache, itching). (Yuen)
• Sprouted grains / Ezekiel bread: Sprouting treats grain stasis; Ezekiel bread combines several sprouted grains and legumes. (Yuen)
• Sprouted grains for grain stasis: Sprouting treats grain (food) stasis — dry sprouting (sprout then dry) vs moist sprouting (sprout, mash with water into paste) have different qualities. (Yuen) → Mai Ya, Gu Ya
• Sprouts for carbohydrate/gluten intolerance: Enzyme-rich sprouts support the alkaline small intestine — an antidote when introduced to unfamiliar grains. (Yuen)
• Squashes (pumpkin, butternut, zucchini): Sweet: tonify spleen/stomach, generate fluids. (Yuen)
• Stomach fire: avoid warming/drying grains: With Stomach fire avoid wheat and rye and use moistening grains (oats, barley); with weak Spleen/excess Stomach use safe grains like rice. (Yuen)
• Sweet potato: Large Intestine affinity: boiled promotes peristalsis; sweet, strengthens Spleen/Stomach and engenders fluids for dry eyes, lips, mouth; treats night blindness. (Yuen)
• Sweet/damp foods promote latency: Sweet/damp foods (brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, tapioca, red bean soup, melons) numb allergic reactions; milk dampens reactions to stimulants. (Yuen)
• Taro — small (Lung) and large (drawing): Small taro strengthens Lung qi for wind-cold colds; large taro paste draws out toxins over goiters or swollen lymph nodes; must be cooked. (Yuen)
• Tongue cracks guide grain choice: Midline crack = emotional heat; transverse cracks = Stomach heat thinning Stomach yin, so use moistening grains (barley or short-grain rice) to repair the lining. (Yuen)
• Warming aromatic spices for yang qi (anaphylaxis risk): Cinnamon (brings back Mingmen fire), fennel, star anise, cumin — five-spice; season hard-to-digest foods like gluten. (Yuen)
• Water chestnut / water spinach: Break up acid/heat in the calf along the Bladder channel (night charley horses); too much causes leg fatigue; water chestnut is stronger for damp-heat. (Yuen)
• Watercress: Clears lower-burner heat (burning, scanty urination); rich in iron for difficult menstruation and water retention around periods or pregnancy. (Yuen)
• Wheat (modern hybrid): Classically moistens dryness and engenders fluids like sticky grains, but post-WWI hybrid wheat has a changed energy. (Yuen)
• Winter melon / watermelon frost: The white frost on winter melon and watermelon clears fire toxins and abscesses. (Yuen)