General Introduction    

    Chinese medicated diet is not a simple combination of food and Chinese drugs, but a special highly finished diet made from Chinese drugs, food and condiments under the theoretical guidance of diet preparation based on differentiation of symptoms and signs of traditional Chinese medicine . It has not only the efficiency of medicine but also the delicacy of food, and can be used to prevent and cure diseases, build up one's health and prolong one's life.

Origin and Development

    Chinese medicated diet has a long history. The ancient legend "Shennong Tastes a Hundred Grasses "shows that early in remote antiquity the Chinese nation began to explore the function of food and medicaments, hence the saying "Traditional Chinese medicine and diet both originate from the practice and experience in daily life."

    In Shennong's Herbal Classic, which was published approximately in about the Qin and Han Periods and is the extant earliest monograph on materia medica, many sorts of medicaments which are both drugs and food were recorded, such as Chinese-date (Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae),sesame seed (Semen Sesami), Chinese yam (Rhizoma Dioscoreae), grape (Vitis), walnut kernel (Semen Fuglandis), lily bulb (Bulbus Lilii) , fresh ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens), Job's-tears seed (Semen Coicis), etc. in the East Han dynasty, some noted medicated diet recipes were recorded, such as Soup of Chinese Angelica root, Fresh ginger and Mutton (Danggui Shengjiang Yangrou Tang ), Decoction of Pig-skin (Zhufu Tang), etc., all of which now still have important values. Sun simiao, a well-known doctor in the Tang Dynasty, listed and discussed such questions as dietetic treatment, dietetic treatment for senile health care and health preservation.

    According to history books, up to the period of the Sui and Tang Dynasties about more than sixty kinds of books on dietetic treatment had been published. But unfortunately most of them are lost. 

     Of all the prescriptions recorded in it, 70% are about medicated diet. it is emphasized in this book that "dietetic therapy should go first for any senile diseases, and then followed by medicine if they are not cured. " Hu Sihui, a royal doctor in the Yuan Dynasty, oceans of medicated diet prescriptions and dietetic drugs were recorded; in addition, some questions, such as diet contraindication in pregnancy, diet contraindication for wet nurse, contraindication for drinking, etc. were also discussed in this book. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen collected and recorded many medicated diet prescriptions, dozens of which were about medicated gruel alone, another dozens touched on nothing other than medicated wine. Monographs on medicated diet treatment in the Qing Dynasty varied in characteristics. over 300 species belonging to 7 phyla of medicated food and drink were introduced.

    Medicated diet has been developing greatly in assortment on the basis of traditional process, for example, medicated can, medicated sweets and so on. Salutary food and drinks produced on the basis of achievements in scientific research and having the effect of curing diseases have a variety of sorts and vary in characteristics. There is medicated food suitable for patients suffering from diabetes, obesity and angiocardiopathy; there are health-care food and drinks suitable for athletes, actors, actresses and miners; there are also health- care food or medicated diets suitable for the promotion of children's health and growth, or for prolonging life of the aged.

    Chinese medicated diet has begun to go abroad. medicated cans, health-care drinks and medicated wine made from traditional Chinese medicine have been sold at the international market. Medicated diet dining- halls have been set up in some countries. Personnel of academic, industrial and commercial circles abroad have paid close attention to Chinese medicated diet-a special food, hoping to develop academic exchanges and technical and economic cooperation in this respect. Chinese medicated diet will make contributions to the health of the people all over the world.

Characteristics

The characteristics of Chinese medicated diet are as follows:

1.Laying Stress on the Whole, Selecting Medicated Diet on the Basis of Differential Diagnosis

By "laying stress on the whole, selecting medicated diet on the basis of differential diagnosis", we mean that when prescribing medicated diet, we should first make an overall analysis of the patient's physical and health condition, the nature of his illness, the season he got ill in and the geographical condition, etc, form a judgment on the type of syndrome; then decide on corresponding principles for dietetic therapy and select suitable medicated diet. Take a patient with chronic gastritis, as an example. he should take Galangal and Cyprus Gruel (Liangfu Zhou) if the suffers from chronic gastritis of stomach- cold type, but the can take Drink of Fragrant Solomon seal Rhizome, Dendrobium, Black Palm and hawthron Fruit (Yu Shi Mei Zha Yin) if the suffers from chronic gastritis due to deficiency of the stomach-yin.

2.Suitable for both Prevention and Treatment, Outstanding in Effect

Medicated diet can be used either to treat diseases or for healthy people to build up their health and prevent diseases. This is one of the characteristics in which medicated diet is different from treatment by medicine. although medicated diet is something mild, it has a notable effect on the prevention and cure of diseases, health building -up and health preserving. Here are some of the achievements in scientific research of Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine College:

Eight-Ingredient Food: It is prepared according to the experience in ancient dietetic treatment and health care of imperial court in the Qing Dynasty from eight dietetic Chinese drugs including Chinese yam (Rhizoma Dioscoreae), lotus seed (semen Nelumbinis), hawthorn fruit (Fructus Crataegi). 97% of the children who took it for 30 days have whetted their appetite, adn their growth has improved too.

Nourishing Extract of laiyang Pear and mushroom: It is made from the juice of Laiyang Pear (Malum Piri) and extract of mushrooms ( Lentinus Edodes) and tremella (Tremella). if the middle-aged and senile patients suffering from chronic diseases take it ,not only can the symptoms of their illness be alleviated, but their blood-fat can be brought down too when they are suffering from hyperlipemia, and their immunology function can be improved.

3. Good in Taste, Convenient for Taking

There goes the saying "Good medicine tastes bitter" among the people, because most of the decoctions of Chinese drugs are bitter. Some people , especially children, take an aversion to the bitterness of Chinese drugs and refuse to take them. Most of the drugs used in medicated diet are both edible and medicinal, and retain the properties of food: color, sweet-smelling, flavor, and so on. Even if part of them are Chinese herbs, their nature and flavor are taken into consideration and made into tasty medicated diet by mixing hem with food and careful cooking. So it can be said that medicated diet is good in taste and convenient for taking.