Sample from Chinese Medicine Dietetics #1
Acupuncture CEUs Online
Download the course, complete the online quiz and receive immediate acupuncture license credit! Learn dietetics history, food preparations, theory and detailed information on many types of individual foods including: grains, tubers, oils, condiments, liquor, beans, tea, fungi and mushrooms, fruits, vegetables and herbs.
About the Authors:
Prof. Jeffrey Pang, L.Ac. received his M.D. in western medicine and TCM from the Sun Yat Sen University of Medical Science in Guangzhou, China. He practiced for ten years in Guangzhou and Hong Kong prior to becoming a licensed acupuncturist in California. Prof. Pang’s family has practiced TCM for generations and his clinical practice spans over 30 years. Since 1984, Prof. Pang has served as the Department Chair for both the Theory and Herbology departments at Five Branches University. Currently, he is an active faculty member at Five Branches University.
Adam White, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. has served as a faculty member and as the Continuing Education Director for Five Branches University. His publications cover a variety of topics including Chinese medicine dietetics, the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disorder and herb-drug interactions. He is currently the CEO of the Healthcare Medicine Institute.
Take a look at a sample of the course material taken from a section about beans...
Huang Dou (Soybean, “Yellow Bean”)
Soybeans have been cultivated in China for thousands of years and are consumed in a variety of forms including tofu, soybean oil, soy sauce, fermented beans, sprouts, and soymilk. The USA is the largest producer of soybeans (over 80 metric tons annually) followed by Brazil, Argentina, and China. Over 90% of US soybean is genetically modified.
Yellow soybean is neutral and sweet. Yellow soybean tonifies the Spleen, benefits the intestines and eliminates tissue fluids for the treatment of edema. According to five element theory, yellow soybean is particularly beneficial to the Spleen because the color yellow and the Spleen belong to the earth element. Black soybeans are similar but also benefit the Kidneys and invigorate the blood. Soybean oil is hot, pungent, and sweet. Soybean oil lubricates the Large Intestine. Soy sauce benefits digestion and may be used externally for the treatment of burns.
Tofu (Bean Curd)
Tofu has been produced in China since the Han Dynasty approximately 2,000 years ago. Tofu later became part of Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisine. Tofu is cool and sweet. Tofu benefits the Spleen, Stomach, and Large Intestine. Tofu benefits Qi, produces fluids, and cools heat toxins. Tofu may be cooked with vinegar and consumed to treat chronic diarrhea. Tofu is high in protein, relatively low in calories, contains iron, and when traditionally prepared is a significant source of calcium.
Tofu is the curd produced from coagulated soymilk. Shi Gao, gypsum, is the traditional coagulant used in bean curd production and it accounts for the high calcium content in tofu and the cooling temperature as well. Non-traditional coagulants are often used in tofu manufacturing such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, vinegar, citric acid, and glucono delta-lactone. However, these replacements for Shi Gao alter the medicinal function of the tofu.
Tofu is produced first by soaking soybeans in water overnight. Next, the soybeans are combined with a little bit of water and run through a juicing machine. The end result is a juice and a fibrous substance. The fiber can be cooked and eaten or used as fertilizer for plants. The raw juice is then filtered but is not yet edible and may cause diarrhea and vomiting if consumed due to a mild toxicity. Next, boil the juice. At this stage, the juice no longer is toxic and is safe for consumption as soymilk. The resultant soymilk has a neutral temperature and has, what is considered by many, an unpleasant scent.
Manufacturers usually employ a chemical process to remove the scent from soymilk and also to alter the flavor. A basic principle of Chinese medicine dietetics is that less processing is better, simple is healthy. In the marketplace, commercial soymilk is usually a healthy food but is processed more than is necessary.
Continue to boil the soymilk and skim off the top layer to make Fu Zhu, a type of noodle, or dry the skimmed layer to make fu pi, tofu skin. Up to this point the tofu products have a neutral temperate. Now, add Shi Gao to the heated soymilk to produce the bean curd. The medicinal temperature of the soymilk has now been changed to cold. A small amount of Shi Gao is added to make soft tofu and a larger amount is added to make hard tofu.
Cooking preparation techniques alter the medicinal temperature of the tofu. For example, deep fried tofu or tofu cooked in chili pepper has a hot medicinal temperature. A shortcut to tofu production is taking soybean powder and cooking it to avoid the need for the juicing process.
Traditional Tofu Cooking Preparations
- Tofu with green vegetables is traditional. Often, cucumber is chosen to enhance the cooling nature of tofu. Cut tofu into small pieces and make a soup with the cucumber and tofu.
- A traditional Japanese preparation is to combine tofu, seaweed, green onion and miso (fermented soybean paste).
- Tofu is often cut into small pieces and presented in a chicken soup with Hai Dai and green onion.
- A beautiful steamed tofu preparation combines tofu with fish, meat, or vegetables. Hollow the center of a brick of tofu and fill it with the ingredients. Place the tofu on a plate and steam the preparation. Garnish with green onion and serve.
External Use of Tofu
- A mixture of soft tofu with cooling herbs such as Huang Bai and Huang Lian may be placed directly on the skin for the treatment of burns, burning sensations, and sunburn.
- A tofu facemask may be made with a mixture of Zhen Zhu (pearl powder) steamed with tofu and other herbs to benefit the skin.
Soybean Sprouts
Da Dou Huang Jian is the name for sun-dried soybean sprouts that literally means big bean yellow curl. It is sweet, neutral and enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. Da Dou Huang Jian has a very mild function of releasing the surface and may be used to clear summer heat with dampness. By comparison, mung bean sprouts are more tender and are smaller at the base than soybean sprouts.
Soy facts
- Soy lecithin and soybean oil intake have been shown to lower cholesterol.[1],[2]
- Lecithin has benefits to the brain, nervous system and can suppress tardive dyskinesia, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive involuntary movements.[3]
- Eating soy foods has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.[4]
- Soy foods reduce the risk for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.[5]
- Genistein and daidzein are isoflavones, organic compounds that act as phytoestrogens. Soybeans have high concentrations of bioavailable genistein and daidzein. Genistein and daidzein have antitumor and antioxidant properties.[6] Studies show that genistein is both anticarcinogenic and antineoplastic.[7] Genistein and daidzein are also abundant in Ge Gen (kudzu), a popular cooking thickener and Chinese herbal medicine.
- Soy products do not contribute to breast cancer. A study of 18,312 women who previously had breast cancer shows that eating greater than 23 mg of soy per day resulted in greater than a 15% reduction of breast cancer recurrence over women who ate 0.48 mg per day or less.[8] The study concluded that, “Soy food consumption was not associated with an increased risk of mortality or cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors.” Soy isoflavonoids are referred to as phytoestrogens because they are plant based compounds with estrogenic properties.[9] One theory is that soy isoflavones compete with estrogen for receptor sites and therefore reduce the health risks associated with estrogen.
[1] Thomas A Wilson, Craig M Meservey, Robert J Nicolosi. Soy lecithin reduces plasma lipoprotein cholesterol and early atherogenesis in hypercholesterolemic monkeys and hamsters: beyond linoleate. Atherosclerosis, v140, 1, p147-153, September 1998.
[2] Oksana A Matvienko, Douglas S Lewis, Mike Swanson, Beth Arndt, David L Rainwater, Jeanne Stewart and D Lee Alekel. “A single daily dose of soybean phytosterols in ground beef decreases serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in young, mildly hypercholesterolemic men.” Am J Clin Nutr July 2002 vol. 76 no. 1 57-64.
[4] Marion M. Lee, Scarlett Lin Gomez, Jeffrey S. Chang, Mercy Wey, Run-Tian Wang and Ann W. Hsing. Soy and Isoflavone Consumption in Relation to Prostate Cancer Risk in China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, July 2003 12; 665.
[5] Scheiber, Michael D. MD, MPH; Liu, James H. MD; Subbiah, M. T.R. PhD; Rebar, Robert W. MD; Setchell, Kenneth D.R. PhD. Dietary inclusion of whole soy foods results in significant reductions in clinical risk factors for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in normal postmenopausal women. Menopause, September 2001, v8, 5. p384-392. NAMS Fellowship Findings.
[6] Lori. Coward, Neil C. Barnes, Kenneth D. R. Setchell, Stephen. Barnes. Genistein, daidzein, and their .beta.-glycoside conjugates: antitumor isoflavones in soybean foods from American and Asian diets. J. Agric. Food Chem., 1993, 41 (11), pp 1961–1967.
[7] Wei H, Bowen R, Cai Q, Barnes S, Wang Y. Antioxidant and antipromotional effects of the soybean isoflavone genistein. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1995 Jan;208(1):124-30.
[8] Sarah J. Nechuta1, Bette J. Caan, Wendy Y. Chen, Wei Lu, Zhi Chen, Marilyn L. Kwan, Shirley W. Flatt, Ying Zheng, Wei Zheng, John P. Pierce, Xiao Ou Shu. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; Kaiser Permanente Medical Program, Oakland, CA; Harvard University, Boston, MA; Shanghai Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Shanghai, China; University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA. Postdiagnosis soy food intake and breast cancer survival: Report from the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project. Tuesday, Apr 05, 2011, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 36. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 102nd Annual Meeting; Orlando, Florida, USA.