Moisten Lung, nourish Yin and Fluids
Pear: Moisten Lung, stop dry cough
White fungus (Tremella): Nourish Yin, generate fluids
Almonds (sweet): Moisten Lung, stop cough
Honey: Moistens Lung and Intestines
Lily bulb: Nourishes Lung Yin and calms Heart
Lung Yin Deficiency or Dryness
Nourish Yin, clear deficiency Heat
Black sesame seeds: Nourish Liver and Kidney Yin
Goji berries: Nourish Blood and Yin, support vision
Mulberries: Nourish Yin, tonify Blood
Tofu: Cool, moistens dryness
Duck meat: Nourishes Yin and clears Heat
Yin Deficiency With Heat
Move Liver Qi and prevent emotional constraint
Vinegar (small amount): Moves Liver Qi, disperses stagnation
Celery: Cools Liver, relaxes tendons
Citrus peel (e.g., dried tangerine peel): Regulates Qi, resolves Phlegm
Green tea: Moves Qi, clears mild Heat
Mint: Disperses Wind-Heat, soothes Liver
Liver Qi Stagnation
Warm and tonify Kidney Yang, support Jing
Lamb: Warms and tonifies Kidney Yang
Walnuts: Strengthen Kidney, warm Lower Jiao
Cinnamon: Warms channels, boosts Yang
Black beans: Tonify Kidney Essence, promote urination
Bone broth: Nourishes Jing and warms interior
Kidney Yang Deficiency
Dampness
Transition between Yang and Yin; centre phase
-
Strengthen Spleen and Stomach
-
Drain Dampness and support digestion.
-
Use sweet and warm foods that are easy to digest
Spleen tonics: Sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, yam
Damp-draining foods: Job’s tears (coix seed), adzuki beans
Light protein: Chicken, fish, tofu
Fermented foods: Miso, pickled vegetables (in moderation)
Warm teas: Ginger tea, orange peel tea
Avoid
-
Excessive cold/raw foods → weaken the Spleen.
-
Dairy, sugar, and greasy food → promote Damp accumulation.
-
Overeating or irregular meals → burdens digestion
Late Summer
Dryness
Yin is rising; Qi draws inward
-
Nourish Lung Yin and moisten dryness.
-
Prepare body for upcoming winter by tonifying fluids.
-
Use lightly warming, moistening, and neutral foods
Moistening fruits: Pear, apple, persimmon
Lung tonics: Almonds (sweet), sesame seeds, honey
Yin-nourishing foods: White fungus, lily bulb, tofu
Grains: Rice, oats, barley
Root vegetables: Turnip, yam, lotus root
Avoid
-
Spicy, dry, or fried foods → aggravate dryness.
-
Excessive hot-natured foods → deplete Yin and Fluids
-
Cold/raw foods (in Yin-deficient individuals)
Autumn
Spleen
Warm or neutral
Sweet (natural, not refined)
Avoid
Cold/raw foods, dairy, excessive sugar
Neutral or slightly cooling (if Fire)
Bitter (to clear Fire) or Sweet (to nourish)
Avoid
Caffeine, spicy foods (if Heart Fire)
Heart
Wood
Liver
-
Astringes sweat, urine, sperm, and essence.
-
Stabilises and binds.
-
Generates Yin and fluids.
-
Calms the Liver and nourishes Blood (in moderation)
Overuse may overly constrain Liver Qi or aggravate stagnation.
Sour
(酸, suān)
Fire
Heart
-
Clears Heat and Fire
-
Drains Dampness
-
Purges excess and descends Qi.
-
Dries Moisture and supports bowel movement
Avoid excess in Yin deficiency or Blood deficiency, as bitter can be drying.
Bitter
(苦, kǔ)
Five Flavors
(酸苦甘辛咸)
Sour, Bitter, Sweet, Pungent, Salty)
The Five Flavours (五味, wǔ wèi) are fundamental qualities of foods and herbs that describe their energetic action on the body, especially how they affect the Zang-Fu organs, direct Qi, and restore internal balance. Each flavour is linked to a specific element, organ, and therapeutic action. Understanding the Five Flavours allows practitioners to use food and herbs strategically in both preventive and therapeutic dietary therapy.
What is TCM Dietary Therapy?
Dietary therapy (食疗, shí liáo) is a cornerstone of preventive medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It refers to the therapeutic use of food — selected according to its energetic properties — to nourish Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids, regulate organ function, prevent disease, and support constitutional balance. Rather than separating food and medicine, TCM sees them as a continuum.
Dietary therapy in TCM is the practice of using natural foods, cooked and combined according to individual pattern diagnosis, seasonal influences, and organ function, to strengthen upright (Zheng) Qi, prevent internal disharmony and address mild symptoms before they require herbal or acupuncture intervention. Goals of TCM Dietary Therapy in Prevention:
-
Protect Zheng Qi to resist external pathogens.
-
Maintain Yin-Yang and Five Element balance in the body.
-
Support the Spleen and Stomach, the "Root of Postnatal Qi"
-
Gently correct minor imbalances (e.g., cold hands, bloating, dryness)
-
Harmonise diet with constitution, climate, season, and age.
Dietary Therapy
Four Qi
(温凉寒热)
Thermal Nature of Food)
The Four Qi ( 四气, sì qì) refer to the thermal nature or temperature quality of foods and herbs. They reflect how a substance affects the body’s Yin-Yang balance, particularly in relation to Cold and Heat. The Four Qi are used in dietary therapy and herbal medicine to balance the internal climate, support organ function, and prevent or treat disease.
Strongly clears Heat, cools internal Fire, sedates
Treats febrile disease, inflammation
Watermelon
Clears Summer-Heat, promotes urination
Bitter melon
Strongly cools, clears Damp-Heat
Mung beans
Detoxifies, clears Heat, reduces swelling
Crab
Clears Fire toxins, moistens intestines
Cucumber
Moistens, cools Stomach and Bladder
Tomato (raw)
Clears Heat, generates fluids
Cold
Moderately clears Heat and nourishes Yin
Used in mild Heat, Yin deficiency
Tofu
Moistens, clears Heat from Stomach and Lung
Lettuce
Cools Liver, promotes digestion
Spinach
Nourishes Blood, mildly cooling
Celery
Cools Liver and Blood, calms Yang rising
Pear
Moistens Lung Yin, relieves dry cough
Seaweed
Clears Heat, resolves Phlegm, softens masses
Cool
Warms interior, supports Yang, promotes circulation
Dispels Cold, boosts digestion
Ginger (fresh)
Warms Stomach, stops nausea, releases exterior
Oats
Tonifies Spleen, mildly warms and nourishes
Lamb
Strongly warms Kidney Yang, invigorates Qi
Chicken
Tonifies Qi and Blood, supports postpartum recovery
Cinnamon
Warms channels, disperses Cold, moves Blood
Fennel
Warms Lower Jiao, relieves Cold pain
Warm
Strongly warms Yang, dispels Cold, invigorates Qi
Used in Cold stagnation, Yang deficiency
Chili pepper
Warms interior, disperses Cold, moves Qi
Garlic
Disperses Cold, detoxifies, activates Yang
Black pepper
Warms Stomach, reduces Cold-induced pain
Mutton
Tonifies Yang, disperses Cold from meridians
Alcohol (in small doses)
Warms Yang, moves Qi and Blood
Hot
Balanced, stabilizing
Mild, balanced foods that are neither hot nor cold — suitable for long-term use or weakened patients.
Rice (white or brown)
Strengthens Spleen and Stomach Qi
Carrots
Harmonize digestion, nourish Blood
Lotus root
Tonifies Lung and Blood, mildly clears Heat
Eggs
Nourish Blood and Yin, neutral in nature
Pork (lean)
Nourishes Yin and Blood, moistens dryness
Dates (red)
Tonify Qi and Blood, harmonize other foods
Neutral
Earth
Spleen
-
Tonifies Qi and Blood
-
Harmonizes middle Jiao (Spleen/Stomach)
-
Moistens dryness.
-
Relaxes tension and spasms.
-
Has a moderating effect (used to balance other flavours)
Excess may lead to Dampness, phlegm, or weight gain.
Sweet
(甘, gān)
Metal
Lung
-
Disperses Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat
-
Promotes circulation of Qi and Blood
-
Opens pores to induce sweating.
-
Stimulates appetite and movement
Excess may deplete Qi, damage Yin, or cause dryness.
Pungent/Acrid
(辛, xīn)
Water
Kidney
-
Softens hardness and nodules (e.g., masses, cysts)
-
Moistens dryness and promotes bowel movement.
-
Purges accumulations
-
Enters the Kidney, supports Yin and Jing when used appropriately
Excess salty foods may harm Blood and Heart, contribute to fluid retention.
Salty
(咸, xián)
Nourish Organ System
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food is not only nourishment — it is also medicine. Using food energetics to nourish organ systems means choosing foods based on their
:
-
Thermal nature (Four Qi: hot, warm, neutral, cool, cold)
-
Flavour (Five Flavours: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty)
-
Action on Qi and Blood (tonify, move, disperse, drain)
-
Tendency to enter specific Zang-Fu organs and meridians.
This approach allows us to support specific organ systems, correct imbalances, and prevent disease by incorporating specific foods into daily meals based on the patient’s constitution, pattern diagnosis, and seasonal context.
Neutral or slightly cool (for dryness)
Pungent (to disperse), Sweet (to moisten)
Avoid
Dry, spicy, fried foods in Yin deficiency
Lungs
Neutral or slightly cool
Sour (to astringe), Sweet (to tonify Blood)
Avoid
Alcohol, spicy or greasy foods in Liver Heat patterns
Liver
Warm (for Yang), Cool (for Yin)
Salty and Sweet
Avoid
Cold/raw foods in Yang deficiency; spicy/drying foods in Yin deficiency
Kidney
Adapt Diet to the Seasons
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food selection is adapted seasonally to align with the natural cycles of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the dominant climatic influences (Wind, Heat, Damp, Dryness, Cold). Seasonal eating helps preserve internal harmony, strengthen Zheng Qi (upright Qi), and prevent seasonal illnesses. Each season is associated with a specific element and Zang organ, and adjusting the diet accordingly ensures that Qi and Blood flow smoothly, the organs are supported, and the body remains resilient.
Wind
Yang is rising; Qi begins to move outward
-
Support the free flow of Liver Qi
-
Lighten the diet after winter stagnation.
-
Eat foods that are fresh, green, and gently ascending
Light greens: Spinach, sprouts, chives, dandelion
Sour (to soothe Liver): Vinegar, lemon, pickled vegetables
Qi-moving herbs: Mint, basil, fennel
Sprouted grains: Mung bean sprouts, wheatgrass
Warming cereals: Oats, millet (small amounts)
Avoid
-
Heavy, greasy, or rich foods → cause Liver Qi stagnation
-
Too much spicy or hot food → aggravates Liver Yang
-
Excess alcohol → harms the Liver
Spring
Heat
Yang is at its peak; outward expansion
-
Clear Heat and support Heart and Shen (spirit)
-
Eat cooling, hydrating, and moistening foods.
-
Focus on lighter cooking methods (steaming, blanching)
Cooling fruits: Watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, pear
Moistening foods: Lotus root, tomato, mung bean, tofu
Bitter vegetables: Bitter melon, dandelion greens
Light grains: Barley, millet, brown rice
Teas: Chrysanthemum tea, mint, green tea
Avoid
-
Too much greasy, spicy, or fried food → generates Internal Heat
-
Overconsumption of cold/raw foods → damages Spleen Yang
-
Excessive cold drinks → impairs digestion despite cooling nature
Summer
Cold
Yin is at its peak; Qi stores inward
-
Conserve Yang Qi and nourish Kidney Essence (Jing)
-
Use warming, rich, and nourishing foods.
-
Focus on long-cooked dishes (soups, stews, bone broths)
Yang-warming foods: Lamb, beef, venison, bone broth
Kidney tonics: Black beans, walnuts, chestnuts
Sea vegetables: Seaweed, kelp (soften and moisten)
Warming spices: Ginger, cinnamon, garlic, clove
Cooked grains: Rice congee, millet, buckwheat
Winter
Food as Daily Medicine
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food is considered the first and most accessible form of medicine. It is mild, safe for daily use, and deeply integrated into preventive and therapeutic strategies. Food, when selected and prepared correctly, can regulate Qi and Blood, balance Yin and Yang, dispel pathogenic factors, and support organ function — much like herbs, but more gently and sustainably. Foods are chosen based on their:
· Thermal nature (Four Qi: hot, warm, neutral, cool, cold)
· Flavour (Five flavours: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty)
· Directionality (ascending, descending, inward, outward)
· Organ affinity (which Zang-Fu they "enter")
Warm and tonify the middle Jiao, support transformation and transport
Sweet potato: Tonifies Spleen Qi, supports digestion
Rice congee (with ginger or dates): Strengthens Qi, harmonizes Stomach
Pumpkin: Warms middle, dries Damp
Red dates (jujube): Tonify Spleen and nourish Blood
Ginger (fresh): Warms and moves Qi, supports transformation
Spleen Qi Deficiency
Nourish Blood and support the Liver and Heart
Spinach: Nourishes Blood and moistens dryness
Black sesame seeds: Tonify Liver and Kidney, nourish Blood and Yin
Beets: Build Blood and move Qi
Chicken liver: Tonifies Liver Blood
Longan fruit: Nourishes Heart Blood, calms Shen
Blood Deficiency
Strengthen Spleen, drain Damp, transform Phlegm
Job’s tears (coix seed): Drain Damp, strengthen Spleen
Adzuki beans: Transform Damp, promote urination
Mung beans (if Heat): Clear Damp-Heat and toxins
Turnip: Break up Phlegm and move Qi
Ginger: Warm Spleen, transform Damp-Cold
Dampness or Phlegm Retention
