“The same origin of medicine and food” means that many foods are medicines, and there is no absolute dividing line between them. Ancient medical scientists applied the theory of “four natures” and “five flavors” of traditional Chinese medicine to food, thinking that each food also has "Four Natures" and "Five Flavors". "The same origin of medicine and food" means that Chinese medicine and food originated at the same time. "Huainanzi Xiuwu Xun" said: "Shen Nong tasted the taste of hundreds of herbs, and the sweetness and bitterness of water springs, so that the people knew what to avoid. At this time, seventy poisons were encountered in one day." It can be seen that in the Shennong era, medicine and food were not distinguished. , Those who are non-toxic can stay, and those who are poisonous should avoid it.
Connotation of homology of medicine and food
The homology of medicine and food means that food and medicine have the same origin. It is mainly reflected in the following three aspects.
1) The source is homologous
Both food and medicine come from nature. Human beings know about food earlier than medicine. In the process of looking for food, people gradually realize that certain substances can fill their stomachs, and they will be determined as food; some substances can damage people’s health or A substance that causes death is a poison; a substance that makes a sick person better is a drug.
2) The ingredients are homologous
From a biological and chemical point of view, the elements that make up life are the same, all of which are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, etc. These basic elements further form primary metabolites such as protein, fat, amino acid, and carbohydrate. Secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, flavonoids, phenols, and alkaloids are produced through secondary metabolic processes.
3) Theories have homology
Since the source of medicine and food is the same, and the common goal is to make people healthy, it is objectively required that the two must have a common theoretical guidance. The concept of the homology of medicine and food in our country reflects the distinctive characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine when it is applied in practice. The theoretical homology of food and medicine is mainly reflected in the application rules of medicine and food under the guidance of the overall concept and syndrome differentiation and treatment. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, a hundred schools of thought contended, and philosophical thoughts flourished unprecedentedly. With the development of simple natural dialectics and materialist philosophy, medicine and dietetics also formed a more systematic theory under its guidance. Theories of holistic view, balance view, yin and yang and five elements, meridian distribution of nature and flavor, ups and downs, and three factors guide the application of food and medicine.
Core content
1) Nourishment
Food nourishment is based on personal physique, scientific and rigorous collocation of ingredients, so as to play the role of health care. At the beginning and fading stage of the disease, the theory of nourishment and nourishment can be reasonably used to strengthen the body to drive away evil spirits. Just as the "Neijing Wuchang Zhengdalun" said: "To cure a disease with a large poison, six out of ten should be eliminated; to treat a disease with poisoning, seven out of ten should be eliminated; "Grains, meat, fruits and vegetables, nourish them as much as possible; if you don't overdo them, you will harm their integrity." In short, use food to adjust the state of the body. Although nourishment is the best policy, the effect is not obvious, and it is easy to miss the timing of use and other problems, so it is not favored.
2) Diet therapy
Diet therapy is based on TCM syndrome differentiation and holistic concept, treats food as medicine, and applies the principles of prescription science. The word "diet therapy" originated from "Qian Jin Fang Volume 26 Food Treatment", which says: "Know what you have committed, and cure it with food. If diet therapy does not heal, then order medicine." It fully shows that the status of diet therapy has It has the tendency of "treatment" and is more suitable for patients.
3) Medicinal diet
Although the characters "medicine" and "diet" already existed in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, they were first used together to form the word "medicine diet" in "Hou Han Shu Biography of Lie Nu". Among them, there are sentences such as "the mother adjusts the medicinal diet and thinks deeply about the feelings". In addition, the "Song History Zhang Guanzhuan" has the record of "the fleas serve the medicinal diet", which proves that at least more than a thousand years ago, there appeared in our country The word medicated diet. Medicinal diet is the product of the combination of medicine and food. It is an expansion of diet and diet therapy. It is the most brilliant achievement of the theory of "medicine and food from the same source". Effect—the curative effect has been significantly increased; the scope of its action has been expanded—no matter whether it is healthy or not, no matter what kind of constitution it is, it can be used according to the syndrome; it has enriched the types of health care—the raw materials have increased, and edible drugs have been added.
PS: From Food and Drug Information Forum
