Medicinal Cooking

Chinese Medicine uses acupuncture, herbs, and medicinal cooking to prevent and treat illness. Medicinal cooking consists of understanding a very simple treatment protocol in which all food(s) are broken down into three major elemental natures along with more specific diagnostics such as which organ(s) are targeted and the directional nature of the food.

For these purposes we will focus on the elementals : (temperature) hot, warm, cold, and cool; (flavor) spicy, bland, aromatic, sweet, salty, sour, and bitter; (color) green, yellow, red, black, and white. At the root of Chinese Medicine is Five Element Theory - Wu Xing, which is beautifully depicted in a chart with all the major organ systems in our body and which flavor and color they correlate to. These simple discernments will enable you to make food choices that can treat your individual constitution and will manifest differently for each person.

Some of us may run hot, while others run cold. Some people are adverse to certain flavors such as spicy, while others will crave sour and salty. Medicinal cooking and eating is also strongly linked to seasonal eating, following nature's guidelines will help you to stay healthy and in balance. In the midst of winter, a watermelon does not naturally grow, and therefore it is not used to treat common winter ailments as it is a cooling fruit that is there to nourish dryness when there is too much heat in the summer. A healthy digestion, which is the root of your body's health, is the pivot upon which all this spins. Learning what your individual constitution is and how it evolves can take time, everyone is different and the process of healing with food is a gradual but very essential aspect to our health. When you begin to connect to these principles you also begin to connect more deeply with the world around you, and with nature. As Spring arrives with all it's budding fresh green colors, you will understand how you too will be evolving with not only how you feel but with what you eat.