{"id":6318,"date":"2019-11-12T11:40:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T11:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-culture\/talk-about-four-natures-and-five-flavors\/"},"modified":"2019-11-12T11:40:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T11:40:35","slug":"talk-about-four-natures-and-five-flavors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/vi\/talk-about-four-natures-and-five-flavors\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk about Four Natures and Five Flavors"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Four Natures<\/strong><\/p>\n

The four natures include "cold," "hot," "warm," and "cool."<\/p>\n

Foods of "cold" or "cool" properties can be used to treat hot-natured diseases. The following are foods that are cold or cool in nature: barley, millet, <\/span>buckwheat<\/strong>(\u835e\u9ea6qiáomài), green bean, celery, spinach, lettuce, green cabbage stems, turnips (white), bamboo shoots, lily bulbs, lotus roots, eggplant, tomato, watermelon, white gourds, spo<\/em>nge gourds, cucumber, bitter melons, apples, pears, oranges, bananas, rabbit meat,frog<\/strong>(\u9752\u86d9q\u012bngw\u0101) meat, <\/span>duck meat<\/strong>(\u9e2d\u8089y\u0101ròu), <\/span>duck eggs<\/strong>(\u9e2d\u86cby\u0101dàn), crabs, sea couch (grass), freshwater snails, kelp, laver, green tea, soy sauce, table salt, and rock candy.<\/p>\n

The "hot" or "warm" foods are used in treating the cold-natured diseases. The foods that are hot or warm in nature include: glutinous rice, Chinese sorghum (kind of cereal grass), pumpkins, hot pepper, ginger, scallions, onions, leeks, mutton, dog meat, and so on.<\/p>\n

Besides the four natures, there are other foods that are neutral in nature, like rice, wheat, corn, beans, and so on.<\/p>\n

Five Flavors<\/strong><\/p>\n

In terms of the theory of Five Elements, it is held in TCM that the bitter flavor is co<\/em>nnected to the heart, sour to the liver, sweet to the spleen, pungent to the lungs, and salty to the kidneys.<\/p>\n

Foods with a pungent flavor include: ginger, scallion, garlic, hot pepper, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, leek, and spirit.<\/p>\n

Foods with a sweet flavor include: potato, lotus root, wheat, polished rice, pea, milk, pork, chestnut, date, and honey.<\/p>\n

Foods with a sour flavor include: tomato, tangerine, plum, lemon, grape, papaya, haw, cherry apple, pomegranate, and vinegar.<\/p>\n

Foods with a bitter flavor include: bitter melon, almond, lily bulb, orange peel, tea, coffee, bitter green, arrowroot, and pig liver.<\/p>\n

Foods with a salty flavor include: barley, millet, dried purple seaweed, kelp, jellyfish, pork, beef, crab, and table salt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n