Foods 'n' Herbs

In the Chinese pharmacopoeia, there are more than 2,000 items of medicinal herbs listed, but only about 300 are used in general practice and less than one hundred are commonly prescribed. Many of these one hundred herbs are classified as food herbs used in everyday cooking. They are the superior or tonic herbs, which have extremely high nutritional value and can be used on a long-term basis. They can improve overall health and resistance, increase vital energy and promote longevity. They contain numerous phytonutrients, which scientists have confirmed to be anti-aging and anti-cancerous. They are also adaptogenic in nature, which help the body to adapt to the environment and stimulate self-healing functions. Another distinguishing quality of superior herbs is that they can suppress unfavorable conditions and elevate those that are lacking. This is known as the double-direction effects on the body. They are the wonder herbs, which nourish the deepest regulatory mechanism of the body.

Superior herbs can be further classified into:

• Energy tonics - to fortify qi and to increase energy.
• Blood tonics - to promote the production and circulation of blood to every part of the body for proper functioning.
• Yin tonics - to benefit the five vital organs and the production of vital fluids.
• Yang tonics - to strengthen bones, muscles, the mind and sexual functions.
• Shen tonics - to regulate the spirit and increase alertness and concentration.

There are two other families of herbs:

Inferior herbs are medicinal and are used to fight specific diseases. They are very harsh drugs and are considered to be poisonous. They can only be used when the expected symptoms are present and are to be stopped as soon as the symptoms are under control. Prolong usage may cause undesirable side effects.

General herbs are for the prevention of specific diseases and are used to provide the first course of action in case of an illness. They are considered to be slightly harsh drugs.

The herbs described here are mostly tonic food herbs for the preparation of medicinal food dishes. They are listed in alphabetical order by their common name together with their botanical name and Chinese name. Many of these herbs are tree barks, stems, roots, nuts, leaves or hard fruits that are impossible to eat in their natural form. Stewing them into herbal decoctions or medicinal soups is the only way to extract their nutritional contents for easy consumption.