Unlike us, there are five different elements in Chinese medicine. An expert explains how they affect diet.
Fire, water, earth and air – these are the four elements familiar to most people in the western world. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), however, things are different: “The five elements in TCM are wood, fire, earth, metal and water,” explains Irene Elmer (46), board member of the Swiss TCM Association.
According to the expert, however, the terms functional circle or phase of change are preferred to the word element in TCM. “These terms are a bit broader and include the dynamic factor of the elements. In TCM, the elements are not understood as something static, but are in constant flux and are subject to constant change,” says Elmer.
Qualitative instead of quantitative classification
While we often classify foods in a quantitative way – for example, in number of calories, fat or protein content – qualitative values play a far greater role in Chinese. “In TCM, food is primarily considered according to temperature behavior, taste and effect,” adds Elmer.
Food is also considered in relation to the various elements and their meridians: Depending on the taste, a food is assigned to an element.
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Acid Food belongs to the wood element (liver and gallbladder) and has an inward or contracting effect. We know that feeling when something sour makes our mouths tight. Examples are blueberry, pineapple, grapefruit, kiwi, quinoa.
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bitter Food belongs to the fire element (heart and small intestine) and has a downward or draining effect. Many people experience the urge to go to the toilet after their morning coffee. Examples are coffee, turmeric, amaranth, wild rice, broccoli.
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Sweet Food belongs to the earth element (spleen and stomach) and has an upward or strengthening and relaxing effect. The best way to recognize this is in the effects of something sweet, which increases our energy and relaxes us. Examples are fennel, carrots, beetroot, basmati rice, buckwheat, millet.
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sharp Food belongs to the metal element (lungs and large intestine) and has an outward or dispersing and opening effect. We know this from the sweat-inducing effect of spicy food. This is where the pores open and sweat moves from inside the body to the surface. Examples are onion, garlic, pak choi, radish.
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salty Food belongs to the element of water (kidney and bladder) and has a downward or softening and lowering effect. This is reflected in the slightly laxative effect of salt – for example, with Glauber’s salt. Examples are mussels, squid, barley, algae.
Different temperature behavior
The temperature behavior of a food is also something that TCM pays attention to. “Every food has a thermal effect, meaning that it can either cool or warm the body. Someone who lives in a hot climate or generally tends to be overheated or sweats easily needs more cooling foods, while someone in a cold climate or someone who gets cold often needs more warming foods,” explains Elmer.
While not all foods are included here, as a general rule of thumb, slow-growing plants, root vegetables, and dried foods are among the more warming ones. Fast-growing plants and foods with a high water content, on the other hand, tend to have a cooling effect:
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warm food: Cinnamon, ginger, chili, pepper, garlic, leek, lamb
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cool foods: Tomato, cucumber, pineapple, kiwi, persimmon, yogurt, rhubarb, watermelon
But even this classification is not static, but can be influenced by the preparation process, as the expert describes: “If a tomato is eaten raw, it is more cooling than if it is cooked. Grilled meat appears hotter than stewed meat, and frozen contains more cold than freshly prepared food.”
The poles yin and yang
However, the umbrella of the TCM theory is formed by the two poles Yin and Yang. They merge into one another, transform into one another, complement one another and are mutually dependent. “Put simply, the human metabolism is an interplay of yin and yang – a constant transformation. Yang stands for activity, warmth and energy, while Yin represents the passive, cool and resting.»
According to the expert, foods can either strengthen the yin by cooling, calming us or giving substance: “For example, juicy, cooling foods such as persimmons, kiwi, melons, tomatoes or asparagus.” But they can also strengthen the yang by bringing us warmth and activating us: “This applies, for example, to leeks, garlic or hot spices such as chili or cinnamon.