The Five Thermal Natures of Food
The five thermal natures of food and their actions to help us better understand their effects.
NEUTRAL The neutral thermal nature supports harmony and balance in the body. It is mostly found in whole grains, beans, some nuts and seeds, sweet vegetables.
WARMING The warming thermal nature of foods warms our innards, reinforces our vitality, stimulates digestion, and increases circulation. Taking in excess, warming foods also have the tendency to build internal heat and dry us out. Warming foods include many common aromatic cooking spices, such as cinnamon, rosemary, nuts such as walnuts and chestnuts, fruits such as peaches and raspberries, coffee, wine, and alliums, including garlic, shallots, chives, leeks, and onions.
COOLING The cooling thermal nature of foods reduces internal heat, activates hydration in the body and calms the liver. Excess of cooling foods can tax the digestive network, slowing down the breakdown, digestion, absorption, and transformation capacities of the digestive system. Many fruits and vegetables are quite cooling, including lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, tangerines, apples, and pears. Green tea is cooling too.
HOT the hot thermal nature of foods is use sparingly and therapeutically to forcefully dispel internal cold. Hot foods are used in some case of pain syndromes. An excess of hot foods can aggravate irritability, as well as cause internal drying. Foods that have a hot nature include hot peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, fried and greasy foods, alcohol, and dried ginger.
COLD The cold thermal nature of foods is most useful in very hot and humid climates or when someone suffers from hot conditions like fevers. It can be used to detoxify. Foods that have a cold thermal nature include grapefruit, bananas, watermelon, bamboo shoots, crabs, lettuce, and sea vegetables, as well as ice cream and all foods eaten directly from the refrigerator.
In the traditional Chinese culture of food and its traditions of food as medicine, the use of flavour is key and vital in the foods. Herbal formulas is put together to prevent illness, promote longevity and support treatment of acute and chronic health issues.
Flavor serves to activate bodily functions, such as digestion, sweating, moistening and excreting.
With the thermal nature of foods, flavor is also categorized according to its Yin and Yang properties.
Yin
Sour – Cooling
Bitter – Cold
Salty – Cooling Yang
Sweet – Neutral or warming
Pungent – Warming and Cooling; Aromatic and Warming. Next upcoming articles, we be sharing about the The five flavors of Food. Stay tune. (:
*The above information is for reference/sharing purposes only.
《This information should not be used as a substitute for the advice given to you by a Chinese medicine practitioner. If you are in doubt, please consult your practitioner in charge. " *以上资料供为参考。 《此信息不应替代中医师提供给您的建议。如果您有疑问，请咨询您的中医师。》
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