Since the liberation, especially since the reform and opening-up, the study of medicinal cuisine has entered a new era of comprehensive development along with the continuous improvement of traditional Chinese medicine. With the rapid development of the Chinese economy and the gradual improvement of people's living standards, people's awareness of disease prevention has been increasing, and the unique advantages of Chinese medicinal cuisine in assisting in the treatment of diseases have become more prominent. Its preventive and therapeutic effects have been widely recognized and valued by the medical community and households both domestically and internationally.
The development of modern medicinal cuisine is based on the summary of ancient experiences and further improvement. It is guided by traditional Chinese medicine theories, and pays attention to the study and application of modern scientific theories. It has developed in a theoretical and scientific direction.
Its development characteristics are more diversified. Firstly, it summarizes and applies the experiences of previous generations without being confined to the past. It formulates medicinal cuisines based on the guidance of theories such as the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, the theory of organs and viscera, and the theory of medicinal properties and compatibility in traditional Chinese medicine. Over time, a relatively systematic theoretical system has been formed.
For example, it follows the theory of classifying medicinal properties of Chinese herbs, emphasizing that "sour enters the liver, bitter enters the heart, sweet enters the spleen, pungent enters the lungs, and salty enters the kidneys." It advocates individualized treatment based on syndrome differentiation and prescribes medicinal cuisines tailored to individuals and timing. Secondly, it emphasizes the combination of Chinese herbs and diet. Medicinal cuisine not only has distinct characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine, but also possesses the general characteristics of food. It emphasizes color, aroma, taste, and appearance, and focuses on nutritional value. Therefore, a good medicinal cuisine should not only have a positive effect on health and disease prevention, but also stimulate people's appetite and leave a lasting impression.
Thirdly, in terms of technical operations and special applications, modern medicinal cuisine has a wide range of skills and expertise. As medicinal cuisine is a special type of food, it has its own characteristics in cooking methods. In addition to general cooking methods, it also involves processing of ingredients based on the theory of Chinese herbal decoction.
For example, Chengdu Tonghuitang's lotus leaf phoenix meat, cordyceps steamed chicken, Guangchuntang's ginkgo diced chicken, Jilin's ginseng bear paw, and explosive ginseng and chicken slices all have their own characteristics and are well-known.
Looking at the publications on medicinal cuisine and dietary therapy since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there are now more than 50 types available. Influential works include "Chinese Clinical Medicinal Cuisine and Dietary Therapy" published by People's Health Publishing House in the 1980s, as well as series of books such as "Chinese Medicinal Cuisine Recipes" and "Chinese Medicinal Cuisine for Disease Prevention and Treatment" published by scientific and technological literature publishers. These publications have made significant contributions to promoting Chinese medicinal cuisine and dietary culture, and have contributed actively to the promotion of health preservation, medicinal cuisine, and medical care.
Especially in the past decade, with the call for humans to return to nature, medicinal cuisine, as a natural food that combines treatment and nourishment, has gained popularity. Medicinal cuisine restaurants have sprung up like mushrooms, various books on medicinal cuisine have been continuously published, dedicated medicinal cuisine institutions have been established, and medicinal cuisine has started to spread from China to the world. Medicinal cuisine is now moving towards industrialization and modernization.
