1. Most Suitable Nourishing Foods
1. Bai Mu Er (White Wood Ear): Also known as Yin Er. There are differences in production from Sichuan and Guizhou, with those sold in major stores in Sichuan being preferable. It is rich in plant-based polysaccharides and has the function of nourishing Yin and benefiting the lungs.
2. Ye Bai He (Wild Lily): Also known as Xiao Bai He. It is very small in shape and slightly bitter, found in the coastal areas of Chuan Sha and Putuo. Even after prolonged cooking, it remains firm and does not disintegrate. It is cool in nature and benefits the lungs, making it particularly suitable for patients with hemoptysis. It is sold by street vendors in Ningbo and Pudong for about three yuan per pound.
3. Wu Gu Ji (Black-boned Chicken): The feathers are white, and the bones are gray. It nourishes blood, nourishes Yin, benefits the lungs, and regulates menstruation, making it an excellent choice. The market sells Wu Ji Bai Feng Wan, which uses this chicken. It is best prepared by clear stewing, as the chicken juice is minimal, and it is sometimes available from local farmers in small markets, but not easily found.
4. Jia Yu (Soft-shelled Turtle): It has a strong ability to nourish the body and Yin. For those with deficiency and experiencing edema from beriberi, consuming Jia Yu three to four times can lead to recovery. Regularly consuming it in clear stews three to four times a month is also a good choice for health. When the shell is stewed until soft, its nourishing power is even more pronounced.
5. Chicken Soup: When appetite is good, stewing chicken soup is truly a supreme health tonic. Using the water-steaming method, the soup is clear, fresh, and rich, with a small bowl of soup from one chicken, while tender chicken soup yields more.
6. Chicken Juice: This is regarded as the top nourishing food, with effects surpassing all other items. Various tonics cannot compare to the royal path of chicken juice without side effects. It is particularly effective after illness. When making it at home, care must be taken not to overcook. The products from Yuanxia Company are excellent. Since homemade versions often lack a thermometer, it is easy to overcook or burn.
7. Huang Dou Tang (Yellow Soybean Soup): Yellow soybeans are the most effective nourishing food among vegetarian options, but soybeans are not easily digested. Therefore, making this soup is both tasty and easy to digest. It can be regularly prepared as a soup in daily dishes, either with pig’s feet or diced meat, and consumed as a clear stew, rich and delicious.
8. Hu Tao Rou (Walnut Meat): This is a brain-nourishing food and also has blood-nourishing properties. For those with weakened mental faculties, often experiencing dizziness, restlessness, or insomnia, regular consumption of walnut meat is beneficial. The shape of walnuts resembles brain tissue, symbolizing their brain-nourishing intent, and they also have blood-nourishing effects, making them suitable for postpartum consumption.
9. Hei Zhi Ma (Black Sesame): This is a food that nourishes the kidneys and clears the liver. Those with tinnitus can recover with prolonged consumption. For those with poor eyesight, it can gradually improve the clarity of the eye’s lens, thus treating dizziness and insufficient vision due to deficiency.
10. Sheng Li (Raw Pear) and Ou (Lotus Root): Raw pears are nourishing for the lungs and provide moisture, while lotus root nourishes and generates blood, making them very suitable for those with lung deficiency and Yin deficiency constitution. They can be consumed in various ways, such as honey stewed, sugar boiled, or eaten raw.
11. Dan Cai (Dried Mussel): This has long been recognized as a nourishing food for Yin. Women with low blood or those with lumps in the neck or groin, as well as initial symptoms of Yin-related external conditions, can consume it without concern for it being a stimulating food.
12. He Shi Wa (Toad): This is a type of toad with mild effects and is not particularly potent. Those with excessive internal heat can consume it, as it has a fishy taste. Those with warm palms and Yin deficiency can also eat it. This item is not recorded in ancient or modern medical texts, and its efficacy and flavor are unverified.
13. Yan Wo (Bird’s Nest): This has the effect of nourishing the lungs and generating fluids.
14. Xi Yang Shen (American Ginseng): Inferior products should be avoided; those with white skin are also inferior. It is best to purchase from larger ginseng stores. Its functions include clearing heat, nourishing the lungs, and calming the liver while generating fluids.
15. Dou Fu Jiang (Tofu Pulp): This is a cost-effective and high-quality nourishing food. Except for those with stomach ailments and acid reflux, it can be consumed by most people.
16. Yang Ru (Goat Milk): Goats are not carriers of pulmonary tuberculosis, making this a good nutritional drink for lung disease patients.
17. Bie Jia Tang (Soft-shelled Turtle Shell Soup): Bie Jia refers to the shell of the soft-shelled turtle. In addition to being stewed, there are also roasted Bie Jia available in pharmacies, which is the hard shell of the turtle, very inexpensive, about eight cents per two. This is the most nutrient-rich part of the turtle for nourishing Yin. Daily consumption of five qian (a unit of weight) with several red dates, boiled into a soup to replace tea, can treat symptoms of Yin deficiency, tidal fever, bone steaming, and warm palms. Those with Yin deficiency and internal heat can also drink it regularly without harm.
18. Da Suan (Garlic): Garlic is known to benefit the stomach and lungs, but it is not a food that can cure tuberculosis; it merely nourishes the lungs and enhances resistance to tuberculosis. Regular consumers can eat more; those unaccustomed should only consume one or two cloves. If there is a tidal fever or severe internal heat in lung disease, it is not beneficial to consume it. Raw garlic is best, while vinegar-soaked garlic is slightly less effective.
19. Jiu Cai (Leek): This is also beneficial for the lungs, with properties similar to garlic, but slightly less potent.
20. Qian Shi (Fox Nut), Shan Yao (Chinese Yam), and Lian Xin (Lotus Seed): These three foods can be consumed regularly as snacks for those with nocturnal emissions, as they have a slight effect on nourishing the kidneys and stabilizing the essence. However, for those with prolonged nocturnal emissions, dietary control alone may not suffice, and medicinal treatment is necessary.
21. Yi Mi (Job’s Tears): Yi Mi refers to the grain of Job’s Tears. It functions to nourish and clear the lungs, being a highly effective nourishing food rich in protein. It is extremely beneficial and can be consumed regularly without concern for dampness. It is mild and beneficial for lung diseases, and those with Yin deficiency and excessive internal heat, who are prone to lung diseases, can consume it regularly. Cooking one bowl daily is effective in preventing tuberculosis, and it should not be underestimated. Yi Mi requires about four hours of cooking; old Yi Mi may have slight insect damage, which is unavoidable, so it should be selected carefully. Those with cloudy urine or nocturnal emissions should try it cautiously, as it may not be suitable for everyone.
22. Ou Fen (Lotus Root Powder): This is particularly beneficial for those with hemoptysis, as it nourishes and stops bleeding, with effects surpassing those of beef liver. Women with low blood should also consume it. It is indeed a treasure, but ordinary cheap lotus root powder is often not genuine and may be substituted with arrowroot powder or starch, which forms a white gel when mixed with water. Genuine lotus root powder is costly, and before the war, only the San You Industrial Company produced authentic lotus root powder, which is the best for patients with hemoptysis. The white lotus root powder sold in southern stores is of inferior quality. It is an excellent food, and it is regrettable that it is not easily available at times.
23. Xue Tang (Blood Soup): Ordinary chicken blood soup has a great ability to nourish Yin and blood; pig blood soup has similar value. In the past, Westerners believed that consuming blood was a practice of barbaric races, but with the invention of organ therapy in recent years, it has been recognized that blood soup has the effect of nourishing and replenishing blood, which aligns with the TCM principle of using blood to nourish blood. Chicken blood and pig blood, when cooked with chicken soup or spinach, yield even better results.
24. Wu Zei (Cuttlefish): This has some ability to nourish Yin, but it is not without benefits.
25. Ji Dan (Chicken Egg): The health benefits of eggs are well-known and need no elaboration.
26. A Jiao Tang (Donkey-hide Gel Candy): For those with Yin deficiency and weak lungs, who have had a chronic cough, if they dislike taking medicine, they can purchase five liang of donkey-hide gel powder from the pharmacy, dissolve it in water and cook it into a gel-like liquid, then add rock sugar to boil until it reaches a syrupy consistency. It can be taken with hot water, is very palatable, and is easier for children to consume. This can be called donkey-hide gel syrup, which is excellent for nourishing Yin and benefiting the lungs, and is a good remedy for treating dry cough. However, it should not be consumed for coughs caused by colds or external pathogens.
27. Shi Bing (Dried Persimmon): Persimmons are sweet and neutral, slightly cold in nature. Dried persimmons are made from white persimmons and should be purchased from southern stores. They must be cleaned of any lime residue and steamed once. This is a nourishing food for Yin deficiency. Those suffering from hemorrhoids, red stools, or severe constipation can consume it regularly.
28. Hong Pi Gan Zhe (Red-skinned Sugarcane): This is a fruit suitable for those with internal heat due to Yin deficiency, as it has a cooling and fluid-generating effect. It is a good product for treating tidal fever, thirst, dry lips, warm palms, and heat after dysentery. It is produced in Tangqi, with purple skin and about three feet long.
29. Xiang Fei Zi (Fragrant Pine Nut): For children prone to dysentery, consuming two to three pieces daily has a clearing effect.
30. Niu Ru (Cow’s Milk): For those with Yin deficiency, cow’s milk can also be consumed. Those unaccustomed to it may choose not to drink it. Those with poor digestion should avoid it. Those with bad breath or belching may find it causes stomach discomfort, especially in spring and summer. Fresh milk should not be left out for too long, and care should be taken when boiling. Regular consumption can nourish the body, but it is not entirely suitable for some individuals of Chinese descent, so those unaccustomed may choose to avoid it.
31. Ren Ru (Human Milk): The efficacy of human milk from healthy lactating women is indeed superior to that of cow’s milk, especially for children recovering from illness. This is a natural nutritional product bestowed by nature, suitable for the human body. It is evident that for young or elderly individuals, it should be consumed immediately after being expressed, as it should not be left for a while, as exposure to air or heat can cause rapid changes, making it unpalatable.
32. Tong Yan (Child’s Urine): This is a consumable for those with Yin deficiency and hemoptysis, and is not a baseless superstition. Recently, there have been detailed studies by outsiders, confirming the presence of uric acid, salts, calcium, magnesium, phosphates, calcium phosphate, and urea in it. Magnesium phosphate is a superior lung tonic, thus it has some efficacy for those with hemoptysis. However, if the child has their own illnesses, such as damp heat, blood heat, or dysentery, then child’s urine should not be used. There are many effective medicines and methods for treating hemoptysis, and child’s urine is not a necessary item.
33. Feng Mi (Honey): For any food that requires sugar, honey can be used instead, as it has the function of nourishing the lungs, moistening the Yin, and lubricating the intestines. Granulated sugar is hot and produces phlegm, and while rock sugar is better, the genuine cane sugar is often in short supply, so honey is a better seasoning.
34. Zhu Rou (Pork): This is very nourishing, but fatty cuts should be eaten sparingly.
35. Tong Zi Ji (Young Chicken): This is undoubtedly the top nourishing food, especially when made into fresh chicken juice, which is even more effective.
36. Shi Hu (Dendrobium): This is a food that nourishes Yin and clears heat. Those lacking body fluids and experiencing warm palms can consult a doctor and drink it as tea.
37. Bo Cai (Spinach): This vegetable is very rich in iron and is excellent for women to nourish blood. It is not a stimulating food, and aside from those with coughs, it can be consumed with peace of mind.
38. Gou Qi Teng (Goji Vine), Cong Bai (Scallion), and Can Dou (Fava Bean Leaves) (which cool the blood and clear heat), You Cai (Rapeseed) (rich in nourishment), and Yu Ni (Taro) (those with lumps should eat more).
39. Zhu Fei (Pig Lung), Zhu Gan (Pig Liver), Zhu Xue (Pig Blood), and Yao Zi (Kidney) can all enhance endocrine function and are beneficial foods.
2. Unsuitable Foods
1. Ginger, chili, spicy tomatoes, mustard, pepper, and all spicy foods should be strictly avoided.
2. Alcohol: Lung disease patients must not drink.
3. Opium: Initially effective, but later harmful to the lungs.
4. Fungus and fetal foods for children: Consuming them alone has no effect, as proven by repeated tests.
5. Crab, shrimp, fennel, mustard greens, cilantro, lamb, sour foods, yellow fish, and sea fish, apricots, dried lychee, longan, and the above items are all too hot and should not be consumed.
3. Additional Notes
Aside from the foods mentioned above, any not listed are generally not very nourishing and do not have major contraindications. Additionally, it is not advisable to excessively avoid foods. In cases of weakness or illness, the following items are all inconsequential and can be consumed in moderation: ham, eggs, fresh meat, salted eggs, century eggs, meat floss, jellyfish skin, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, tofu, vegetarian foods, vegetables, and pickled foods (green bean sprouts and tofu have uncertain medicinal properties).
【This article is excerpted from “The Haipai Traditional Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine Ding Gan Ren School Series – Collection of Chen Cun Ren’s Academic Experience”, published by the People’s Health Publishing House, edited by Zhu Shengliang. Edited by Renwei TCM. Click below to read the original text for more details about this book.】
