Many traditional Chinese medicine books classify medicinal diets based on their processing methods. Currently, there are 14 common types of medicinal diets:
1. Fresh Juice
Fresh, juicy, and delicious plant fruits, stems, leaves, and rhizomes are mashed and squeezed to obtain the juice. It is usually consumed as a single drink, but can also be mixed with an appropriate amount of water or alcohol. This method is flexible and the amount consumed can be adjusted based on specific conditions. Examples of traditional fresh juice medicinal diets include watermelon juice and pear juice for treating fever and thirst, lotus root juice and lotus leaf juice for treating hot blood and bleeding, and white radish juice for promoting digestion and resolving phlegm.
2. Tea Beverage
Medicinal diets made from tea or tea-free ingredients that are processed into coarse products through grinding. Tea beverages are typically made without boiling and can be prepared by steeping in boiling water or warm water. They are one of the oldest forms of medicinal diets in China. Examples include ginger tea for treating acute gastroenteritis, ginger and sugar drink for treating colds, and ginger, sugar, and mint leaf drink for treating coughs and colds. Tea beverages are popular among modern people due to their convenience.
3. Soup
Medicinal diets made by boiling or steeping medicinal ingredients or food to extract the liquid. This is the earliest and most widely used type of medicinal diet in China. When making medicinal soups, the edibility of the ingredients should be considered, so most medicinal soups are made by boiling once. Some precious medicinal and food ingredients can also be cooked through simmering or stewing. Examples include onion and jujube soup for treating neurasthenia and post-illness weakness, and double lotus soup for treating gastrointestinal bleeding.
4. Instant Beverage
Dried medicinal and food ingredients are boiled and the residue is removed to obtain the juice, which is then concentrated and mixed with dry powder or suitable binders to form granules. It can be consumed by adding boiling water. Common instant beverages include mandarin peel instant beverage for treating sore throat and tonsillitis, and large and small thistle instant beverages for treating various bleeding disorders.
5. Medicinal Wine
Food or medicinal ingredients are soaked in white wine or yellow wine and then strained to obtain a clear liquid. Sticky rice and other foods or medicinal ingredients can also be cooked with wine yeast to make rice wine. Medicinal wines can be classified into different types based on their ingredients, including wine-soaked herbs, fruits, and roots. Examples include papaya wine, goji berry wine, and yangmei soup for preventing stroke.
6. Dew
Dew is a water-soluble solution containing volatile oils obtained from fragrant medicinal herbs or food through steam distillation. Since the Yuan Dynasty, a large number of beverages have been produced. Examples include rose dew and jasmine dew recorded in Zhao Xuemin's "Compendium of Materia Medica Supplementary Notes" during the Qing Dynasty. Common dew beverages include cough-relieving pei ba dew, asthma-relieving almond dew, and heat-clearing honeysuckle dew.
7. Honey Paste
Honey paste, also known as nourishing paste, is a semi-fluid thick paste made by boiling and concentrating nourishing medicinal herbs and food in water, removing the residue, and then adding sugar or honey. It has nourishing and moisturizing effects and is suitable for long-term use by people with chronic illnesses or in need of long-term recuperation. Examples include pear honey paste for treating cough with lung heat, and black sesame honey paste for treating premature graying or hair loss.
8. Porridge
Porridge is a semi-liquid food made by cooking rice, barley, wheat, or other starchy grains with medicinal decoctions. It is recommended for the elderly, weak individuals, and those recovering from illness or childbirth. Porridge has a wide range of applications and is suitable for various medical specialties. Examples include mung bean porridge or lotus leaf porridge for heat-clearing and diuresis, and plantain and red bean porridge for promoting liver and kidney function.
9. Paste
Paste is a dried product made from starchy foods that have been processed through frying, roasting, steaming, or boiling and then hydrolyzed. It contains a high amount of starch and gums and can be reconstituted into a paste by adding boiling water. Common pastes include lotus root powder, water chestnut powder, and almond powder.
10. Candy
Candy is made by boiling sugar, molasses, ice essence, or natural sweeteners until thick, and then adding other liquid, paste, or coarse powder ingredients. It is stirred until well mixed and then further boiled until it can be pulled into threads without sticking to the hands. After cooling, it is cut into blocks. Cooked foods can also be mixed with the boiled candy mixture. Medicinal candies can be chewed or dissolved. Examples include ginger candy for treating cold stomach and vomiting, pear cough syrup candy for heat-clearing and moistening the lungs, and mint candy and mushroom candy for heat-clearing and throat-soothing.
11. Preserved Fruits
Preserved fruits are made from plant fruits or peels that are boiled with medicinal decoctions and then mixed with an appropriate amount of honey or sugar. Medicinal preserved fruits are made by selecting ingredients with certain effects, boiling them with medicinal decoctions, sugar, and honey, and then pickling them. The combination of different ingredients produces different effects, but they generally have nourishing, stomach-harmonizing, moisturizing, and salivating effects. Common preserved fruits include preserved fruit of mountain plant, preserved peach, candied tangerine peel, and candied green plums.
12. Rice and Flour Products
Rice and flour products are made from basic ingredients such as rice, wheat, or millet flour. They can be classified into various types based on their forms, such as rice, cakes, pastries, and rolls; and based on their preparation methods, such as steaming, boiling, frying, baking, and chilling. Medicinal rice and flour products contain more medicinal ingredients with tonifying and harmonizing properties. Examples include Guoquan cake, Eight Treasures cake, mung bean roll, and ginseng jujube rice.
13. Vegetable Dishes
Vegetable dishes include raw and cooked vegetables, meat, eggs, seafood, and milk that are processed through cooking techniques. Medicinal vegetable dishes must include ingredients with medicinal properties or add Chinese herbs or medicinal decoctions to create visually appealing, aromatic, tasty, and effective dishes. Due to the wide range of ingredients and varied cooking methods used in vegetable dishes, they are highly favored by people. Examples include pine nut fish rice, caterpillar fungus eel soup, and other dishes.
14. Thick Soup
Thick soup is a thick liquid made mainly from meat, eggs, milk, seafood, etc., combined with medicinal juices or powders. Some examples include blood-tonifying gui ginseng eel soup, pig trotter lactation soup for treating insufficient breast milk after childbirth, and yam and milk soup for tonifying weak bodies.
