Today, with the emphasis on health preservation, many hotels have started promoting "medicated cuisine" and "nourishing hot pot" to attract customers. However, experts remind the public that not everyone can consume medicated cuisine. Improper consumption can not only fail to nourish and strengthen the body, but also harm one's health.
Many hotels claim that the Chinese herbs used in medicated cuisine can assist in treating certain diseases or have health benefits. They advertise that consuming medicated cuisine can treat illnesses and promote overall well-being, which has attracted many customers. However, recently, a consumer named Mr. Zhang complained to the local commerce department that he felt discomfort in his abdomen after consuming a mushroom hot pot recommended by a server at a restaurant, which was claimed to have cosmetic and digestive benefits.
According to some hotel operators, the majority of their staff members have little knowledge of the pharmacology of Chinese herbs. They simply add herbs such as ginseng, angelica, and wolfberry to their dishes to create so-called medicated cuisine, following the current trend. Due to the lack of strict standards for production processes and ingredient quality, as well as the absence of expert evaluation, the effectiveness of these nourishing dishes is uncertain.
Some restaurants randomly mix ingredients in their medicated cuisine recipes, and some even deviate from the pharmacological characteristics, posing hidden dangers to consumers' health. For example, ginseng is a good tonic, but its properties tend to be damp and hot, suitable for replenishing qi and can be used for spleen deficiency. However, it is not suitable for people with yang heat constitution or certain chronic illnesses. Therefore, consumers are advised not to blindly consume various so-called medicated cuisines, but to carefully choose based on the effects of the dishes and their own physical condition, in order to avoid worsening their health.
Chinese herbs require precise dosages, as the dosage directly affects their efficacy. Blind and excessive use can lead to serious consequences. For example, a person who consumed 20 grams of ginseng in a soup ended up having a cerebral hemorrhage. Such incidents are not uncommon.
Each person's physical constitution is different, so the use of Chinese herbs in dishes should vary from person to person. One should not assume that as long as it is medicated cuisine, anyone can benefit from it. For example, overweight individuals tend to have excessive yin and weak yang, so they should not consume yin-nourishing foods such as tremella, bird's nest, jade bamboo, cordyceps, or turtle shell. Thin individuals, on the other hand, often have yin deficiency and excessive yang, so they should avoid consuming warm and hot foods such as eucommia bark, seahorse, mutton, or dog meat, as it could be detrimental to their health.
It is said that beauty is achieved through cultivation. One of the main aspects of cultivation is "eating." Eating delicious food is a priority, and eating healthily is essential. Without a doctor's prescription, how should medicated cuisine be consumed? The concept of "food and medicine having the same origin" has long been recognized in China. Although medicated cuisine is not a novelty, consuming it correctly is the key to its effectiveness.
【Right and Wrong in Consuming Medicated Cuisine】
(×) Medicated cuisine is good for the body, so consume more of it.
People know that Western medicine has strict dosage requirements. However, some believe that Chinese medicine has little or no toxicity, so they do not pay attention to dosage. They simply stir-fry fennel or cook wolfberries without considering the proper amounts. This is incorrect and dangerous.
(√) If medicated cuisine is not prepared according to the properties of the herbs, it will not treat diseases and may even worsen the condition.
Chinese herbs have four natures: cold, hot, warm, and cool. The preparation of medicated cuisine must be based on the properties of the herbs. Randomly mixing herbs will reduce their effectiveness or have the opposite effect. For example, Astragalus Chicken Soup is made with warm-tonifying astragalus and warm-tonifying chicken, which is beneficial for those with weak qi and constitution. However, if someone with a cold and feverish cold consumes it, it will worsen the symptoms and even cause nosebleeds.
(×) Medicinal vegetables can be consumed regardless of the season.
Different seasons have different climates: spring is mild, summer is hot, autumn is dry, and winter is cold. Just as nature varies throughout the year, the use of Chinese herbs in cuisine should also vary with the seasons. If Chinese herbs are used without considering the season, it can be inappropriate and harmful. For example, Angelica Lamb Soup, which uses warm-tonifying angelica and warm-tonifying lamb, is suitable for winter nourishment. However, in hot summer weather, it is not suitable. Consuming it in hot weather will only add fuel to the fire and may cause heatstroke.
(√) Medicated cuisine is different from regular dishes; there are rules for herbal compatibility.
Due to the various natures and flavors of Chinese herbs, the cooking methods for herbal concoctions are highly regulated. The order in which herbs are cooked is strictly defined. The same applies to medicated cuisine. Some people cook meat with peppermint, which is incorrect because peppermint is warm and aromatic. Prolonged cooking will cause the aroma to dissipate, reducing the medicinal effects. The correct method is to cook the meat first and then add the peppermint for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
【Enjoying Fragrant Medicated Cuisine Throughout the Seasons】
According to traditional Chinese medicine, medicated cuisine can be consumed all year round, but the choice of herbs should be based on individual constitution and the season's climate. Here are some commonly used herbs for medicated cuisine recommended according to seasonal characteristics, to help you maintain good health throughout the year.
Spring: As the weather warms up and everything begins to flourish, it is suitable to use mild-tonifying herbs such as raw and sun-dried ginseng, American ginseng, prince ginseng, codonopsis, wolfberry, and astragalus in medicated cuisine to invigorate the body, such as ginseng stewed chicken.
Summer: With hot weather, it is suitable to use cooling and nourishing herbs such as patchouli, perilla, lotus seed, peppermint, and mung bean in medicated cuisine to generate body fluids and cool down, such as porridge with Poria cocos and mung beans.
Autumn: With dry weather, it is suitable to use moisturizing herbs such as honeysuckle, dwarf lilyturf, cordyceps, lily, tremella, honey, and autumn pear in medicated cuisine to moisturize and relieve dryness, such as rock sugar and tremella soup, honey-roasted lily.
Winter: With cold weather, it is suitable to use warm-tonifying herbs such as Isatis indigotica, Chinese yam, angelica, jujube, longan, walnut, chestnut, and eucommia in medicated cuisine to warm and invigorate the body, such as lamb and angelica hot pot, stir-fried pork with eucommia bark.
TIPS: Comprehensive Approach to Nourishment
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of nourishment through diet, exercise, and mental well-being to improve vitality and disease resistance, enabling individuals to combat illness and aging.
In addition to choosing the appropriate types of medicated cuisine, it is also important to regularly change the varieties of medicated cuisine consumed. It is not recommended to consume only one type of medicated cuisine for a prolonged period, as it can disrupt the yin-yang balance of the body and potentially lead to health issues. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "food nourishment is better than medicinal nourishment, exercise nourishment is better than food nourishment, and mental nourishment is better than exercise nourishment."
