Utilizing food as medicine: A modern exploration of an old practice

While this concept may have been the norm hundreds of years ago, many present-day societies are overfed and undernourished, leading to floods of health issues in many populations. Getting back to the basics might be a large part of the solution 

 

We’ve all heard “you are what you eat,” but mostly we hear it used to describe the unfortunate health effects one might have after a prolonged unhealthy diet. However, it can go the other way around. Using the text of Yinshan Zhengyao, researchers are bringing an old established concept of using food to treat ailments under the light of a modern context, with the added benefits of the current knowledge of genetics and metabolism to help propel the teachings of Yinshan Zhengyao into the public eye once again.

 

Researchers published their results in Food and Medicine Homology on 19 June 2024.

 

“Yinshan Zhengyao is the world’s first authoritative nutritional treatise, compiled by Hu Sihui, a dietitian of the Yuan dynasty. This work embodies the traditional Chinese medicinal concept of

‘homology of food and medicine,’ rich in the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation,” said, Min-Hui Li, researcher and author of the study. Yinshan Zhengyao comprises 174 medicinal plants across 55 unique plant families and 111 genera. These plants are indispensable to the culture of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Another highly important piece of this traditional Chinese text is the power of the mind and mood over the human body. Cheerfulness and tranquility are aspects that are emphasized in Yinshan Zhengyao, as the mind-body connection can be as important as the fuel taken in by an individual.

 

“In Yinshan Zhengyao, dietary therapies are particularly interesting for their effects on regulating digestion, respiration, endocrine, and nervous system functions, as well as protecting and regulating various organs,” said Li. The foundation of this text is to provide treatment (and prevention) of chronic diseases through the use of plants, but also by instilling the importance of quality food in society. By viewing food as medicine, greater emphasis and care are put into the preparation and consumption of food by “putting the food to work” not only as a source of energy but as a source of longevity.

 

In TCM, diseases come from imbalances in the body. For example, kidneys are seen as organs that work closely with the reproductive system and the regulation of fluid metabolism. Modern discoveries show that kidneys, in addition to being an important part of the urinary system, are also related to maintaining fluid balance and endocrine function. Treating one part of the body can have a cascade of effects that one might not have imagined would be related, such as lumbar pain or limb weakness as a result of renal (kidney) issues.

 

With the Yinshan Zhengyao text hailing back to the early 14th century, modern medicines and therapies can be used in conjunction with the plant and diet information available from this early work on diet, health and nutrition. Professor Min-Hui Li and his team propose the integration of modern information to explore and analyze healthcare’s use of medicine and parallel food sources.

 

By studying modern applications of health and medicine, like the human genome, metabolism and regulatory networks and relationships, researchers aim to continue helping the forward movement of enhancing human health along with bringing the idea of food as medicine into a larger, more modern lens.

 

Hui Niu, Aruhan, Chun-Hong Zhang and Min-Hui Li of the Department of Pharmacy at Baotou Medical College with Hui Niu and Min-Hui Li also of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Inner Mongolia Traditional Chinese & Mongolian Medical Research Institute, Seesregdorj Surenjidiin of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, and Li-Ming Zhang of the Ningcheng County of Traditional Chinese and Mongolian Medicine Hospital contributed to this research.

 

The National Key Research and Development Program of China, Special Survey of Basic Scientific and Technological Resources, China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA, “Innovation Team Development Plan” of Colleges and Universities in Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Chinese Medicine, Young and Middle-Aged Leading Talents Cultivation Project and National Natural science Foundation of China made this research possible.

 

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About Food & Medicine Homology

Food & Medicine Homology is a peer-reviewed, cross-disciplinary, open access journal dedicated to cutting-edge research integrating findings in food science and medicine. The journal publishes papers dealing with plants, animals and microorganisms, reporting the food resources and base materials with nutritional and medicinal values and health-promoting effects that are discovered and confirmed using modern scientific theories and technologies, and providing insights into their health-promoting functions, underlying molecular mechanisms of action and regulatory modes.

About SciOpen 

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