JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
THE ENERGETICS
OF FOOD
by Daverick Leggett
Food is one of the eight strands of traditional medicine in
the east alongside disciplines such as herbal medicine,
acupuncture and bodywork. A knowledge of food energetics
can deeply supplement a practitioner’s ability to help their
clients and this article sets out to provide guidelines for
giving dietary advice and working successfully with food.
“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”
said Hippocrates. This idea is rarely encountered
in the western doctor’s surgery but it would
sit well in China where it is traditionally
held that the most skilled doctor “should
first understand the pathogenesis of the
disease, and then treat it with diet, using
medicines only when food fails”1. This
article looks at the role played by food in
our well-being from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.
The Spleen
As infants we learn to adapt to whatever
environment we are born into. As we adapt
to our environment and get our needs met, we
are developing the power of our Spleen. Provided that the sources of nourishment are adequate and available we can develop our Spleen
successfully.
Initially we are dependent on our mother’s milk
and parental protection and support. Gradually we develop the ability to digest more complex food and to look
after ourselves. It is not until we are about seven years old
that we can expect the Spleen to reach its full maturity so
these early years are critical for the Spleen’s development.
The Spleen’s development may be seen as our growth from
dependence towards independence, from being supported
to supporting ourselves. The functions of the Spleen are
adaptation, nourishment and support. As we shall see,
these functions are expressed at a physiological, anatomical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.
At the physiological level the Spleen is expressed as the
digestive system, the means by which we meet our nutritional needs. Digestion is the process of converting food
into usable substances within our bodies and sending them
to where they are needed. The Spleen adapts food to nourish and support our system. This process is called ‘transformation and transportation’. The stronger our Spleen function is, the better we are able to extract nourishment from
any food to support our body’s needs.
When we eat, the question is often not so much whether
a particular food is good for us but rather how
strong and skilled our Spleen is at extracting
the nourishment from it. The first step towards eating well may not involve changing our diet at all but rather strengthening
and maintaining our Spleen. We shall see
how to do this later.
The Spleen’s physical manifestation as
the digestive process is expressed at the
mental level as the thinking process. The
Spleen governs our ability to study and concentrate, to process information. Although it
may not seem so at first glance, the thinking
and digestive processes are very similar.
When we read an article (this one for example) we have to adapt words (food) into sense
(nutritional substances) and then store them
or put them to use. We recognise this connection when we say “This book is hard to digest”
or “I need time to chew this over” or “There’s
food for thought”. The Spleen’s function is to adapt both
food and information into something we can use.
There are other ways we can observe the connection
between eating and thinking. Overeating, for example, may
make the mind sluggish; too much studying often produces
cravings for sweet foods; too much worrying (a knotted
form of thinking) can easily knot the digestive system. Our
powers of concentration and digestion are related and each
will influence the other.
At the emotional level the Spleen is expressed as our
ability to meet our needs, to obtain and give emotional
nourishment and support. When our needs are met we feel
nourished and supported, comfortable and secure in our
lives. Often we confuse emotional and nutritional needs,
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JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
nourish the Spleen and ground us in our bodies.
eating when in fact we need comfort or perhaps using foods
Mentally it is helpful to train the mind just as it is to stretch
to suppress feelings such as frustration or desire. From the
and exercise our bodies. On the other hand, overuse of our
moment we first suck on our mother’s breast the link
mental powers (i.e. in prolonged periods of study, or in
between food and comfort is established. So our ability to
tasks that involve hours of sitting and processing informafind and receive emotional nourishment is intimately linked
tion, or even habitual brooding on our problems) can weaken
with our digestive system. As we wean ourselves from
our Spleen. It is important to balance mental work with
mother and, later, from our parental home, we develop an
physical exercise and fresh air.
internal mother and an internal home which we carry
A structured life may also be seen as a Spleen-supportive
round inside ourselves as a constant source of nourishment
life. Structure and routine can provide us with a sense of
and support. The internal mother and home is a good
solid ground in the otherwise chadescription of the role of the
Spleen. It is easy to see how the
A structured life may also be seen as a Spleen- otic nature of daily life. Through
quality of our early nurturing,
supportive life. Structure and routine can routine we give ourselves a constant, safe and dependable place
both physical and emotional,
provide us with a sense of solid ground in the
in our lives, an external support
deeply influences our ability to
otherwise chaotic nature of daily life. Through
for our Spleen.
develop this internal sense of selfroutine we give ourselves a constant, safe and
Emotionally we can explore and
support. Our belief that we comdependable place in our lives, an external support
honour our needs. For some this
pletely deserve nourishment and
for our Spleen.
may simply mean being kinder to
our trust that there will always be
ourselves, treating ourselves well;
enough nourishment available are
for some it may mean joining a supportive group; for some
thus key elements in developing a strong Spleen.
it may mean finding ways to deeper fulfilment in our
We have looked at the physio-logical expression of Spleen
relationships with others and self. Issues of safety and
as the digestive process. Anatomically the Spleen is exsecurity, of trust and our beliefs around scarcity and abunpressed as the fascia and soft tissue. The fascia are a continudance are also part of the Spleen’s emotional territory.
ous network of moist membranous wrappings that connect
Finally, the Spleen belongs to the earth element, the earth
the whole body and hold everything comfortably in place.
being our provider of nourishment and support, our true
Without the fascia our bodies would have no tone and we
mother. It is through our connectedness to the earth and to
would collapse in a saggy heap. The fascia express the
the divine mother that the Spleen finds its spiritual expresSpleen’s function of support and containment. When our
sion. We can do a great deal to support our Spleen by
fascia are relaxed and without constriction, all the subtle
attending to our relationship with the earth. This may mean
and larger movements of the body are smooth and easy.
becoming more grounded, simply giving more attention to
Our limbs have a full range of supple movement and our
the ground beneath our feet both physically and metaorgans are supported in their functions. Today’s body
phorically. When done with awareness, all activity which
workers are aware how our fascia contort and tense, or relax
connects us more deeply with the earth, whether it be
and spread, in direct response to our deepest held emogardening or working with clay, simply being outdoors with
tions2. When the fascia are free we feel toned and comfortthe soil, the plants, the seasons, or learning to fall and roll
able in our bodies, supported from inside. We are ‘at home’
around on the ground; all these can help ground us in our
in our bodies, comfortable with who we are in the flesh.
bodies and in the natural environment. In these ways too we
Being at home in our bodies is an expression of strong
can support and strengthen our Spleen.
Spleen energy.
As practitioners there are two key approaches to supporting
a Spleen strengthening treatment strategy. We can a)
A Spleen-supportive lifestyle
help the client to become grounded in the body and b) help
The stronger our Spleen is, the better we are able to absorb
the client come into a nourishing relationship with themand put to use the food that we eat. So how can we strengthen
selves. These are the essential background conditions for
and maintain our Spleen? This question can be answered at
strengthening the Spleen.
several levels.
It is important to keep this wide perspective on the Spleen
Physically the Spleen likes to lead a sensual life, to touch
when considering dietary issues. We can strengthen our
and be touched, and to stretch. Stretching eases out conSpleen by working at any of the above levels, and change
strictions in the soft tissue and brings relaxed tone to our
that takes place at one level will resonate throughout the
limbs and organs. All exercise will help the Spleen provided
Spleen’s whole sphere of influence. With this wide perspecit is balanced by stretching and relaxation. Massage will
tive in mind, we can go on to look at the dietary approach
also help, releasing stagnation and obstruction from our
to supporting our Spleen.
muscles and encouraging us to soften deep inside ourselves. The Spleen likes nourishing physical contact and a
‘hug a day’ is definitely good Spleen medicine. So is bodySupporting the Spleen through food
work: whatever our ‘treatment’ the impact of touch is to
Now that we have set the Spleen in its broader context let us
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JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
look more specifically at how to assist the Spleen in its
digestive function. After many years of working with my
own and my clients’ dietary needs, I have come to the
conclusion that the following general guidelines are more
valuable even than the more detailed understanding of
specific foods and their effects.
Joy
Enjoying our food is part of opening up to being fully
nourished by what we eat. If we are happy when we eat and
in our relationship with food, then our bodies will literally
accept the food more effectively into our system. Often it is
more important for us to heal our relationship with food
than it is to change what we eat.
Positive Attitude
We often develop beliefs about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. Some
foods are ‘good for us’ even if we don’t enjoy them. Other
foods are ‘bad for us’ and we eat them guiltily or avoid them
resentfully. Although common sense tells us that there is
some truth in these labels, our attitude to the food we eat
will instruct our Spleen what to do with it. So whatever we
eat, once we have made a choice it is better to accept the food
lovingly, to welcome the food as wholeheartedly as we can.
In this way we will get the most out of all foods.
Relaxation
The Chinese believe that it is better not to mix food and
work. Our digestion works best when we are focused on
our enjoyment of the meal, not distracted or troubled by
other influences. So it is better to make mealtime a relaxed
occasion when we are not trying to read, watch television,
do business etc. It is helpful to take a little time to relax our
posture too, perhaps take a few quiet breaths before eating.
Crossing our legs, or sitting twisted or hunched will compress our digestive organs and hinder the passage of food
through our body.
Chew well
There is a saying that ‘The stomach has no teeth’. Well
chewed food lessens the work our digestive organs have to
do and increases the efficient extraction of nutrients. Chewing also warms chilled food.
Stop just before you are full
In a culture of plenty this can sometimes be difficult. If we
overeat at any one meal, we create stagnation, a temporary
queue of food waiting to be processed. As a result we feel
tired while our energy is occupied digesting the excess
food. If overeating becomes a habit, our Spleen becomes
over-strained and may produce phlegm or heat.
Don’t flood the Spleen
The Spleen does not like too much fluid with a meal. A little
warm fluid is helpful, but too much dilutes the Spleen’s action
and weakens digestion. A teacupful is generally sufficient.
Most of our fluid intake is best consumed between meals.
Don’t chill the Spleen
Too much raw or chilled food or fluid will also weaken the
Spleen. The digestive process needs warmth. This is expressed in oriental medicine as the digestive fire. Prolonged
or excessive use of chilled or raw food will eventually
severely weaken the digestive fire, leading to collapse of the
Spleen function.
Eat the main meal early
When we eat late at night our system is naturally slowing
down and the food sits around for longer in the digestive
system. This creates stagnation, and the body’s attempt to
burn off the food generates heat which then damages the
yin of the Stomach.
Choose foods with strong life-force
It is helpful to include as much locally grown and organic
food in our diets as possible. In both cases the life force is
more strongly preserved. For the same reason it is helpful
to eat plenty of fresh food. The life force in food is also
significantly damaged by microwave cooking, excessive
processing and chemical preservation, and killed by irradiation.
Trust your body
Sometimes we crave that which is poisonous to us, but there
is also in each of us a deeper level of knowing. As we bring
awareness to our eating, we can begin to feel what our true
needs are, what truly nourishes us. At first we may need to
be guided by more analytical judgements, but with greater
awareness we can begin to make choices from our bodies
too. What makes us feel good at the deepest level is good for
us. Over time we can cultivate this skill of separating our
cravings and addictions from our deeper levels of guidance.
Finally
It cannot be stressed enough how important general principles are over specific dietary intervention. The first step in
dietary therapy is usually to work on the overall relationship to food, before trying to change the specific components of diet.
The Language of Food Energetics
In the west, food is described as containing certain amounts
of protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and so on. This information is obtained by laboratory analysis which separates
food into its basic ingredients. The nutritional value of a
food is a statement of the sum total of its chemical ingredients before they enter the body.
When we look at food in this way we are subscribing to
the mechanistic world view. What this view says is that if
we can break food down to its fundamental constituents
then we can recreate food out of its basic building blocks. In
other words food is something that can be synthesised in a
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laboratory.
In the east, food is described as possessing certain qualities
such as a warming or cooling nature, possessing certain
flavours such as pungent or sweet, or acting on our body in
a specific way. This information is obtained by observing
the behaviour of the body after a food has been consumed.
The nutritional value of a food is stated as a set of energetic
properties which describe the actions a food has on the
human body.
Whereas our western view is based on chemistry, the
eastern view of nutrition more resembles alchemy, concerned not so much with ingredients but with latent energetic properties that are released in the human body through
digestion. The subtle essences of food have movements and
actions that have been traced and mapped in the same way
as the pathways of qi: through direct observation of experience.
The temperatures of food
The single most important category in oriental medicine is
the energetic temperature of a food. According to oriental
medicine a food may be either hot, warm, neutral, cool or
cold. Oats, chicken and onions, for example, are warming;
barley, rabbit and lettuce are cooling. This is not a measure
of how hot or cold a food is to the taste. The temperature of
a food is a measure of its effect on the body after digestion.
Simply, does it warm us up or cool us down?
Cooling foods tend to direct energy inwards and downwards, cooling the upper and outer parts of the body first.
Warming foods move energy upwards and outwards from
the core, warming us from the inside out. Very hot foods
such as chilli peppers heat us up intensely then cool us
down through sweating. Warmer foods speed us up, cooler
foods slow us down.
A knowledge of the temperatures of foods is intrinsic to
all traditional cooking. A warming curry is balanced by
cooling cucumber and yoghurt; hot lamb is balanced by
cooling mint sauce; root vegetable soups warm us in winter,
salads cool us in summer. There are no absolute rules that
govern whether a food will be warming or cooling. However, the following general guidelines are fairly reliable:
• Plants which take longer to grow (e.g. root vegetables,
ginger) tend to be warmer than fast-growing foods
(e.g. lettuce, courgette).
• Foods with a high water content tend to be more cooling (e.g. melon, cucumber, marrow).
• Dried foods tend to be more warming than their fresh
counterparts.
• Chemically fertilised foods which are forced to grow
quickly tend to be cooler than their naturally grown
counterparts.
• Some chemicals added to foods may produce heat reactions as may artificially ripened foods.
• The temperature of food will also be influenced by the
cooking or preparation method. The effects of the vari-
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ous methods are as follows:
Raw
Cooling
Steamed
Cooling/neutral
Boiled
Neutral
Stir-fried
Mildly warming
Stewed
Warming
Baked
More warming
Deep-fried
Heating
Barbecued
More heating
Grilled
More heating
Roasted
Most heating
Longer and slower methods will also produce more warming effects than quicker methods i.e. a stew will be more
warming if it is cooked slowly than if it is cooked quickly.
Microwaved food, incidentally, does not alter the energetic
temperature of a food as no external heat is added. Recent
research has also revealed that microwaved food suffers
severe molecular damage and when eaten causes abnormal
changes in human blood and immune systems3. My own
observation is that regular microwave users almost invariably show signs of blood deficiency.
Knowing the temperatures of foods helps us to balance
the overall effect of a meal to suit our body’s needs. Those
with cold constitutions or conditions need to eat more
warming diets and vice-versa.
The flavours of food
The flavour describes an essential quality inherent in a food.
It describes a potential which is liberated by the alchemy of
cooking and digestion. Each flavour arises from one elemental power and is said to enter a particular organ. There
are five main flavours4:
• The salty flavour belongs to the water element and
enters the Kidneys.
• The sour flavour belongs to the wood element and
enters the Liver.
• The bitter flavour belongs to the fire element and
enters the Heart.
• The sweet flavour belongs to the earth element and
enters the Spleen.
• The pungent flavour belongs to the metal element and
enters the Lung 5
People often ask “If I crave a certain food does that mean it’s
good for me?” The answer is both yes and no. When we are
out of balance we develop a craving to correct that imbalance. The sweet flavour helps strengthen the Spleen, so
when the Spleen is in disharmony we crave sweetness. This
craving is appropriate in the sense that it tells us that our
Spleen is out of balance and the craving is a message that
stimulates us to rebalance ourselves.
Whereas a moderate quantity of one flavour benefits its
related organ however, too much of that flavour will overwhelm and damage it. A little salt, for example, benefits the
Kidney but too much will inhibit its action. In following our
cravings, we may quickly give ourselves such a huge dose
JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
of the remedial flavour that we overwhelm the organ and
create the opposite effect. This is in part due to the availability within our culture of highly flavoured and saturated
foods. The flavour also tells us something about a food’s
action:
The salty flavour (e.g. fish, seaweed, leek)
The salty flavour moves inward and downward, drawing
the action of a food towards the centre and root of the body.
The salty flavour moistens, softens and detoxifies, counteracting the hardening of muscles and glands. It regulates the
moisture balance in the body, stimulates digestive function
and improves concentration.
The salty flavour helps drain excess moisture through its
strengthening action on the Kidney as well as re-moistening the body in conditions of dehydration e.g. in the addition of salt to rehydration medicine. A little saltiness supplements the quality of the blood but in excess the salty
flavour can congeal the blood and stress the Heart.
The sour flavour (e.g. lemon, raspberry, olive)
The sour flavour stimulates contraction and absorption. It
has a gathering or astringent effect. It is therefore used for
all leaking and sagging conditions involving loss of body
fluids such as sweating, diarrhoea and haemorrhage. It
counteracts the effects of fatty foods, prevents stagnation
and benefits digestive absorption. The sour flavour specifically stimulates secretions from the gall-bladder and pancreas and despite the acid nature of most sour food the effect
is actually to lower the acidity of the intestines.
Sour foods are blood activators and stagnation eliminators but in excess may cause over-contraction and overretention of moisture. Sour foods support the Spleen function of containment by stimulating contraction and giving
tone to the tissues.
The bitter flavour (e.g. rye, chicory, thyme)
The bitter flavour drains and dries as it travels downwards
through the body. It will improve appetite, stimulate digestion and draw out dampness and heat. It is used to reduce
excess conditions and is therefore to be restricted in conditions of cold and/or deficiency. The bitter flavour acts
mostly on the Heart but also benefits the Lung. In excess the
bitter flavour can deplete qi and moisture.
The sweet flavour (e.g. pumpkin, rice, beef)
The sweet flavour is by far the most common and all foods
contain a measure of sweetness. The sweet flavour harmonises all other flavours and forms the centre of our diet,
mildly stimulating the circulation of qi and blood. The
sweet flavour includes most meat, legumes, nuts, dairy and
starchy vegetables and is considered tonifying and strengthening. Sweet foods are used to treat deficiency. They are
also considered moistening and will benefit dryness.
In excess the sweet flavour leads to the formation of phlegm
and heat. Refined sugar will weaken the blood and any
excess of sweetness should be avoided in damp conditions.
The pungent flavour (e.g. ginger, garlic, peppermint)
The pungent flavour disperses stagnation and promotes
the circulation of qi and blood. It stimulates digestion and
helps break through phlegm.
Care must be taken when choosing the temperature of
pungent foods. Many hot pungents are so extreme that they
eventually cool the body via sweating. Warm pungents
produce longer lasting warming effects and will benefit
cold conditions. Cool pungents can be used when heat is
present.
As damp and stagnant conditions frequently involve
underlying deficiency, the use of pungents often needs to be
supported by a tonifying diet. In excess the pungent flavour
will over-stimulate and exhaust qi and blood.
A balanced diet includes the use of all flavours, with the
sweet flavour occupying a central position. We can increase
or decrease our intake of a particular flavour according to
our needs.
The routes and actions of foods
A food is also said to enter particular channel pathways,
directing its effect towards particular organs. Almonds, for
example, enter the Lung channel and walnuts enter the
Kidney channel.
Some foods also have a specific therapeutic action. A food
may either tonify a particular bodily substance or function
(yin, yang, qi, blood) or it may reduce the influence of a
pathological condition (qi stagnation, blood stasis, dampness, heat or cold). Almonds, for example, counteract
phlegm, walnuts tonify yang.
When we combine the channel route with the therapeutic
action of a food we get a specific description of its therapeutic effect. Using the above examples we find that almonds
remove phlegm from the Lung and walnuts tonify the
Kidney yang. This knowledge helps us choose foods to
include in our diet which are tailor-made for our personal
energetic needs.
Putting principles into practice
The treatment of deficiency
When we say that someone is deficient, we mean that they
lack certain substances, functions or qualities. We can describe people as deficient in yin, yang, blood or qi. As
practitioners we look for a way to guide them back to
sufficiency and one part of this may be suggesting changes
in diet.
The yang deficient person
Someone who is deficient in yang lacks the catalytic spark,
the cellular chemistry of combustion. When our fire is
weak, we become cold and slow, and physical processes
become sluggish. Hypothyroidism, for example, is a generalised condition of yang deficiency where the metabolic
rate slows down and stimulating drugs such as thyroxine
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JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
are used to restore balance.
In daily life it is activity which generates yang, quickening
the metabolic processes into action. Appropriate exercise is
therefore always encouraged. We apply the same principle
to food: to stimulate the yang we use foods which are
activity generators. And just as yang deficiency is treated
with heat, as in the use of moxa, yang strengthening foods
are also warming in nature. To help the heat penetrate more
deeply we also use slower cooking methods such as baking,
roasting or casseroles.
The advice to a yang deficient person therefore is: move
more, keep warm, reduce cold foods and exposure to cold,
increase warm foods and use some of the warmer pungent
spices. Chestnut casserole, baked trout, roast lamb or warming chai (Indian spiced tea) are typical recommendations,
and food can be flavoured with such spices as ginger,
cinnamon, clove, nutmeg or cardamom or herbs such as
basil, rosemary and thyme.
The yin deficient person
With yin deficiency, rest is the key to recovery and replenishment. The deep level of depletion present in yin deficiency is restored by practices which take us deeply into
ourselves such as some meditation practices and good
quality rest. In working with yin deficiency we reduce
stimulation and encourage calm. In daily life this means
giving ourselves quiet space and stillness, nourishing the
subtle and reflective aspects of our being.
This is supported by a diet which nourishes us deeply,
especially the subtle mineral base of the body. Yin strengthening foods are generally cool, calming and moistening and
they penetrate like water to the deepest level. Sweet, salty
and sour flavours are most useful, whereas the drying bitter
or stimulating pungent flavours are usually reduced. Yin
tonics include many fruits, seeds, sea plants and dairy
foods. A yin nourishing meal might be a fruit salad, scrambled eggs on toast or fish soup. Seaweeds, kelp and algae are
useful complements to this diet and pork or rabbit are
useful meats.
The advice to a yin deficient person therefore is: reduce
stimulation and increase restful practices, reduce stimulating foods and increase calming foods, subtly nourishing
foods and more lubricating foods.
The qi deficient person
Qi is derived from food and air, and from the subtle forces
around us. In addressing qi deficiency we need to look at
how our qi is being inhibited from fully expressing itself.
The inhibition of our qi’s expression can have many
causes: emotional, environmental (e.g. geopathic or industrially induced stress) or due to lack of oxygen from poor
breathing. Food also plays a part: lifeless foods, especially
microwaved, do not provide the vitality needed for vibrant
living. The subtle qi present most strongly in fresh and
organic produce is necessary to support the quality of qi in
our bodies.
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Dietarily, qi deficiency is addressed by the use of vibrantly alive food. At a more physical level qi deficiency
may simply describe a lack of energy, and complex carbohydrates are used to release energy slowly into the system.
The principle of resonance is also used with foods of specific
shapes or colours being used to strengthen the qi of particular organs. Pumpkins, for example, are used to strengthen
the Spleen, Kidney beans the Kidneys. Animal organs are
also considered to strengthen the related human organs.
Fresh air and exercise are good recipes, and such foods as
pumpkin, lentils or chicken soup are effective qi tonics. Oat
porridge is a great strengthener too as are date and oat
flapjacks, indeed oats, chicken and dates are some of the
best known qi tonics, especially when supplemented by
herbs such as ginseng or royal jelly. Supplementation,
however, is only recommended in the short term and the
return to abundant energy needs to be supported by
breathwork, exercise and exploration of why our qi is
depleted.
The blood deficient person
The quality of our blood is a measure of the available
nourishment circulating in our bodies and its manufacture
is dependent on the strength of our Spleen. Blood is transported upward to the upper jiao where after being acted on
by the Lung it is vitalised by the Heart. Blood deficiency is
readily treated by diet, especially when supported by exercise to increase Lung function.
It takes about 120 days for us to fully renew our blood, so
much can be achieved in a few months. A diet rich in fresh
vegetables is essential, especially green leafy vegetables
and chlorophyll-rich foods, whose benefits are increased by
being combined with grains. Most meat, beans and high
protein foods will also greatly strengthen the blood.
Beyond this we can simply advise a person to eat well and
widely as all food is ultimately converted into blood or qi.
Blood is particularly weakened by sugar and its quality
lowered by heavily salted, de-natured or fatty foods. Poached
egg on a dish of spinach, beetroot soup, braised liver, nettle
tea are all simple recipes for a blood-nourishing diet.
Excess conditions
Stagnation
Stagnant conditions need movement. This may be emotional, physical or creative. When it comes to food, the
recommendation is to reduce conditions which encourage
stagnation such as overeating, too much complex food or
poorly combined food and to maintain simplicity and lightness in the diet. The pungent flavour is used to give a little
extra movement.
Cold and heat
Cold and heat are treated by their opposites. Cold conditions are improved by warming foods and vice-versa. When
a pathogenic factor is involved and the condition is acute,
JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE NUMBER 56 JANUARY 1998
then the pungent flavour is used to drive the invader out of
the body. For example, the cooling pungent elderflower is
used for a hot pathogen and the warming pungent ginger
for a cold one.
Dampness and phlegm
Dampness results from the failure to warm or transform
moisture in the body. It is nearly always associated with a
weak Spleen, often with weak Kidneys and sometimes with
a weak Lung. Dampness can lodge in a specific part of the
body or affect the whole body.
Some people are more prone to dampness than others. A
tendency towards dampness can be aggravated by living in
damp conditions or by a sedentary lifestyle. It needs the
transformative power of the body’s yang to stop damp
accumulating. Eating in ways which inhibit our Spleen
function or which injure the yang will increase our tendency towards dampness. Dampness may also be caused
by pathogens lodged in the body which have not been
properly expelled, or by the use of suppressant drugs such
as steroids or antibiotics.
Dampness is treated by strengthening the Spleen and
may also need tonification of the Kidneys, the Lung and the
yang. Dampness is often the result of overeating or overnutrition. It may also result from jamming the digestive system with poorly combined foods. We also need to avoid too
much raw, cold, sweet or rich food and the overconsumption
of fluid.
Some foods are particularly dampening. They include
dairy products (sheep and goat products are less dampening), pork and rich meat, roasted peanuts, concentrated
juices especially orange and tomato, wheat, bread, yeast,
beer, bananas, sugar and sweeteners, and saturated fats.
Some foods, on the other hand, have properties which help
to resolve dampness. Many of these are bitter flavoured or
diuretic and include aduki bean, barley, celery, seaweed,
rye and garlic.
The presence of excess phlegm demands the reduction of
phlegm-forming foods and the use of phlegm-resolving
foods such as garlic, radish or barley. Retention of body
fluid (e.g. oedema) is helped by water-removing (diuretic)
foods such as aduki bean, celery and seaweed.
The transformation of chronic dampness takes some persistence, combining the use of damp-resolving food with
avoidance of damp-forming foods. When the body is weak,
as in chronic fatigue syndrome, tonification may be a more
important principle than the reduction of dampness, as
until dampness can be transformed by the Spleen and the
body’s yang, it will continue to accumulate easily.
Barley and cabbage are used to reduce damp-heat in the
Liver, dandelion root coffee is an excellent transformer of
lower burner dampness and jasmine tea will help a cold and
damp Spleen.
Finally, it is my view that all dietary change should be
gradual and actively engage the client with their healing
process. There is generally no need to look to exotic foods to
generate healing: the diet appropriate for each of us is
largely available here, where we live. It is more harmonious
with the spirit of energetic medicine to make use of our local
resources and the creative resources of the human spirit. It
is also an approach more in harmony with the needs of our
planet.
Recipe
Pumpkin and chestnut soup to dry dampness, tonify yang
and strengthen the Spleen
Ingredients
One medium pumpkin
One mugful of dried chestnuts, pre-soaked
Two medium onions
Garlic
Vegetable stock
Black pepper, bay leaf, rosemary to taste
Splash of cider vinegar
Olive oil
Parsley
Paprika
Method
Fry the onions gently in olive oil, add the chopped pumpkin
and garlic and cook a little until soft. Add the pre-soaked
chestnuts, stock and flavourings. Simmer for forty minutes,
remove bay leaf and liquidise. Garnish with parsley and
paprika.
Notes
1 See Sun Si-miao’s Thousand Gold Remedies for Emergencies written
in the 7th century CE. Sun Si-miao believed that only those adept
in dietary therapy could be called superb physicians.
2 See Deane Juhan’s Job’s Body for an excellent discussion of the
fascia.
3 See Pediatrics vol 89 no.4 April 1992 “Effects of Microwave Radiation on Anti-infective Factors in Human Milk” and Hans
Hertel’s research in Search For Health, Spring 1992.
4 Strictly speaking there are eight flavours, the extra ones being
bland, astringent and oily. The bland flavour is diuretic and
dries dampness, the astringent flavour tightens, decongests and
slows down, the oily flavour moistens, thickens and warms.
5 Naturally, this is something of a simplification. The tendencies
of the flavours change according to which organ they are affecting e.g. “The Liver has a tendency to disintegrate - pungent food
dispels this tendency. One uses pungent foods to supplement
the Liver, sour food to drain it ... The Heart has a tendency to
weaken - salty food makes the Heart pliable. One uses salty food
to strengthen the Heart, sweet food to drain it.” Neijing Suwen
Chapter 22.
The content of this article is discussed more fully in Daverick Leggett’s
book Helping Ourselves. His forthcoming book Recipes for Self Healing
will contain recipes and guidance on putting the principles of food
energetics into practice. Both books are published by Meridian Press.
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