Yin and Yang theory, Human health and Food therapy

• Opposition of Yin and Yang: for example, the opposition between heaven as yang and earth as yin, movement as yang and stillness as yin, heat as yang and cold as yin, sun as yang and night as yin, etc.
• Mutual interaction of Yin and Yang: for example, the dynamic bee helps the static flower spread pollen, and the static flower supplies nectar to the dynamic bee.
• Wax-wane of yin and yang: For example, the weather in the four seasons waxes and wanes, in spring yang increases and yin decreases, in summer yang dominates yin, in autumn yin increases and yang decreases, and in winter yin dominates yang. The yin and yang of the four seasons are established in a balanced time period.
• Transformation of yin and yang: for example, water can be transformed into ice (yin) when it is cold or water can be transformed into steam (yang) when it is superheated.

The most basic things that maintain human life are the human body's activity functions (Yang) and the nurtients substances needed by the human body (Yin).  Normal human health is in a state of balance between yin and yang. It is said that " When yin and yang are balanced, the spirit is nourished". This message emphasizes the importance of maintaining harmony between yin and yang for overall health and well-being. The theory of yin and yang is also widely used in human body activity functions and the nutrients substances needed by the human body. Here are some examples:

Respiratory system: The lungs are responsible for breathing. We inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The respiratory function of the lung is the activity function (yang) that maintains life. Oxygen supplies cells with aerobic respiration and converts food into important substance nutrients (yin) for human cells through the catalysis of enzymes.

Digestive system: The spleen governs transportation and transformation, and food is transformed into body substance nutrients (yin) by the digestive function of the spleen (yang). In contrast, the body's nutrients (yin) can be converted to energy that supports the body's activity functions (yang).

These examples illustrate how the Yin-Yang theory applies to the physiological functions of the human body (Yang) and the substance nutrients the body needs (Yin) to sustain human lives.

Yang: the physiological activity functions of the viscera and bowels etc.

Yin: substances such as vital essence, blood, body fluids etc.

The ideal state of balance between yin and yang in the human body is that yin and yang are in a harmonious and balanced state. Yin and Yang are interdependent, restrict each other, transform into each other, maintain a balance of wax and wane, and jointly maintain the normal physiological functions of the human body. Only in a state of balanced yin and yang can the human body be healthy and live a long life.

Opposition of yin and yang: the human body’s activity functions (yang) and the human body’s nutrient substances (yin) coexist and are in opposition to each other. Too much activity functions (yang) will consume too much substances (yin), and too little activity functions will not produce the right amount of substances, resulting in imbalance, so it needs to be restricted to achieve an appropriate balance.

 Yin and Yang are mutually rooted: functions (yang) and substances (yin) are interdependent. One cannot exist independently of the other. The absence of any one of them functions (yang) or substances (yin) means that life cannot exist. For example, without the substance nutrients of the body (yin), the breathing function of lung or the digestive function of the spleen cannot be realized (yang); similarly, without these functions (yang), the substances of the human body (yin) cannot be produced.

Wax-wane of yin and yang : functions (yang) and substances (yin) must be balanced within an appropriate range, such as a moderation of work and rest. Too many functional activities (yang) will consume a lot of body substances (yin), causing yang to grow and yin to disappear. Therefore, food (yin) must be supplemented to achieve a balance of yin and yang. If the body accumulates too much excess substances and has too few activity functions, causing yin to grow and yang to disappear, then the excess substances must be eliminated to achieve a balance of yin and yang. This is what traditional Chinese medicine says: only by tonifying the deficiency and purging excess can the balance of yin and yang be achieved.

Mutual transformation of Yin and Yang: function (Yang) and substances (Yin) can transform into each other. The (yin) vital essence, blood, and body fluids nourish (yang) the activity functions of the body organs. On the contrary, (yang) the activity functions of body organs produce (yin) the body's essence, blood, and body fluids.

The human body's activity functions (yang) and the human body's substances (yin) must achieve a relative dynamic balance between yin and yang, so that the body will be in a healthy state.

Traditional Chinese medicine summarizes various diseases syndromes into eight major categories: cold and heat (the body feels cold or hot), deficiency and excess (deficiency or excess of body substances or functions), exterior and interior (external or internal factors causing disease), and yin and yang (summarized above into two major catergory yin and yang). Heat, excess, and exterior are yang, while cold, deficiency, and interior are yin. Yin and Yang is a summary of the eight basic principles.

Food can be catergorize into cold or hot property, replenishing deficiency or purging excess effects, and their relationship to body's organ network. Different treatment methods for food therapy are proposed: food of cold property treats heat syndrome, food of hot property treats cold syndrome, deficiency syndrome is replenished by food of tonic nature, and excess syndrome is cured by food of purging nature. The basic principle of food therapy is to achieve a relative dynamic balance between yin and yang, then the body will be in a healthy state. Here are some examples:

Deficiency syndrome treated with replenishing  Cold syndrome treated with hot property

Ginseng: warm in property; replenishes lung qi deficiency (strengthen functions). Ginseng is used for weak cough, shortness of breath, and averion to cold.

Pilose Antler: warm in property; replenishes kidney yang deficiency (strengthening function). Antler is used for impotence, infertility, spermatorrhea, and aversion to cold.

Explanation: if the functions of the human body's vercera (lung, kidney) are insufficient (yang deficiency), after eating foods that can replenish qi and yang, the functions of the vercera will be strengthened (replenish yang) , then the yang and yin in the body will be in equilibrium. When the human body is in a state of yang deficient, the body will feel cold. Food of warm property can enhance the body temperature and make the cold and heat moderate.

Deficiency syndrome treated with replenishing   Hot syndrome treated with cold property

Lily bulb: cold in property; nourishes lung yin deficiency (replenishing substances). Lily bulb is used for dry cough, hemoptysis, and low fever. 

Dendrobium: cold in property ; nourishes stomach yin deficiency (replenishes substances). Dendrobium is used for dry mouth, thirst, dry cough and hot flashes caused by insufficient stomach yin.

Explanation: The human body has insufficient substances (yin). After eating yin-tonifying foods, the substances (yin) can be replenished to make the yin and yang in the body balanced. Yin deficiency in the human body causes internal heat. Foods of cold property can lower the body temperature and make the cold and heat moderate.

Excess syndrome treated with purging  Hot syndrome treated with cold property

Honeysuckle: cold in property; clears away heat and detoxifies (restricts hyperactive functions). It is used for cough due to lung heat, fever, sore throat and drowsiness.

Prunella vulgaris: cold in property; clears liver fire (restricts hyperactivity). It is used for red eyes, swelling and pain, headache and dizziness caused by liver fire.

Explanation: Heat evil invades the human body and causes hyperfunction of the human body. Foods that clear away heat and detoxify can restrict hyperactive functions and balance the yin and yang in the body. Food of cold property can reduce internal heat caused by heat evil and restore the body's proper body temperature.

Excess syndrome treated with purging  Cold syndrome treated with hot property

Galangal: Warm in property ; dispels cold and relieves pain, soothes the stomach and relieves vomiting (improves body function). It is used for gastric and abdominal cold pain, vomiting and diarrhea, and chills.

Pepper: heat in property; warms the stomach to relieves pain, regulate qi flow and resolves phlegm (improves body function). It is used for stomach cold pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Explanation: Cold evil invades the human body and leads to a decline in human body functions. Foods that warm the body and dispel cold can improve body functions and balance the yin and yang in the body. Food of hot property can drive away cold and restore the body's temperature.

Qi-tonifying foods

Beef, yam, eel, potato, loach, vanilla, japonica rice, jujube, glutinous rice, chestnuts, lentils, chicken, cowpea, pork belly, honey, pork kidney

Qi-tonifying Chinese medicine

Ginseng, American ginseng, Codonopsis root, Radix Pseudostellariae, Astragalus, Atractylodes, Yam, Lentil, Licorice, Jujube

Yang-tonifying foods

Cordyceps sinensis, dog meat, mutton, shrimp, walnut kernel, sea cucumber

Yang-tonifying Chinese medicine

Deer antler, Morinda citrifolia, Cistanche deserticola, Curculigo, Eucommia ulmoides, Rhizoma dog's spine, Drynariae rhizome, Psoralen psoralen, Pleurotus chinensis, Cordyceps sinensis, Gecko, Purpurea triticifolia, Cuscuta semen

Yin-tonifying foods

Fungus, milk, lily, turtle meat, wolfberry, turtle meat, pine nuts, oysters, sunflower seeds, razor clams, black-bone chicken, mussels, eggs, dried scallops, duck, black sesame, pork

Yin-tonifying Chinese medicine

Adenophora japonicus, Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus, Dendrobium, Polygonatum polygonatum, Polygonatum japonica, Lily, Lycium barbarum, Mulberry, Eclipta, Ligustrum lucidum, Polygonatum, turtle shell, Turtle Carapace

Blood tonic foods

Carrot, pig heart, longan, pig's trotter, grape, dog meat, Polygonum multiflorum, peanut, donkey hide gelatin, spinach, squid, litchi, mulberry, pork liver

Blood-tonifying Chinese medicine

Angelicae, Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygonum multiflorum, White peony root, donkey-hide gelatin

Interior- warming food

Chives, dried ginger, chili pepper, carp, fennel, grass carp, brown sugar, cinnamon

Interior-warming Chinese medicine

Cloves, dried ginger, aconite, cumin

Heat-clearing foodsCress, mussel meat, toon leaves, corn, cabbage, mung beans, tofu, amaranth, honeysuckle, purslane, tea, dandelion, chrysanthemum brain, wild rice, apple, bitter melon, tomato, cucumber, snail, watermelon, water chestnut, banana, kiwi, sugar cane

Heat-clearing Chinese medicine

Prunella vulgaris, reed root, rehmannia glutinosa, scrophulariaceae, peony bark, red peony root, honeysuckle, bezoar, smilax, gentian, sophora flavescens, coptis chinensis.

Clearing heat and detoxifying medicine

Honeysuckle, Daqingye, isatis root, dandelion, forsythia, purpurea, Houttuynia cordata, sorrel grass, smilax, Hedyotis diffusa, Pulsatilla, Shegan, Mountain Tongue Root, Puffball, Andrographis Paniculata, White Coriander, Leipzig, Snakeberry