Chinese Medicinal Foods-Faves!

I know some people go by the law of similars; eat ngau gun (beef tendon) and Fung Jow (Phoenix claws-chicken feet) for nourishing the joints, cartilige,and tendons. Some say eat Ngau Dzop (cow's stomach) for stomach ailments(frankly, I would go with ginger tea, but I do enjoy ngau dzop nonetheless-and it is prepared with ginger,so...) And pig's knuckles stewed in sweet black vinegar and ginger for restoring jing after pregnancy-this is delicious, btw.
what are your views, experiences, and what other medicinal foods do you use?

Hey, I love to eat, I love trying new and unusual foods, and I love Chinese Healing
this would be as good as the food and beer thread!

hmm, the law of systematic correspondences (sometimes called the law of magical correspondences) is one of those laws that has both ample evidence to back it up and ample evidence to disprove it... which makes it kinda random in my books. I'd say that it's a useful mnemonic device to remember the functions of certain foods and herbs, but a law...? Not sure on that one.

With that said, here are a few of my favourites: Kidney beans for the "kidneys" (because they look like kidneys), Ren Shen as a male yang tonic (because ginseng looks like a little man), Walnuts as a "sea of marrow" tonic (because walnuts look like little brains,) and interestingly, the BBC has an article up on the benefits of Broccoli for the lungs - and Broccoli looks a lot like bronchial branches.

As far as what I consider to be "true" TCM nutrition, I like the Mawangdui recommendations: Eggs, Leeks, Liquor and Sleep. :)

CSP

ling chih... ganoderma lucidum, considered in folklore to be the mushroom of immortality. the stalked varieties are considered more potent; i have found two stalked ones in florida, the rest have been typical shelves. to use and benefit, the best method is to have it dried(sun dried is the best- the most potent ones are the ones dried before you pick them) and break off a piece the size of your pinky tip and steep into a tea. known to enhance the immune system... the likelyhood of confusion with deadly species is next to nothing, as polypores tend to be non-toxic in regards to edibility.

hmmm, do they have renshen that looks like a Big man?
Broccalli forthe lungs? Cool. from now on I will call it Bronchalli!:)

Should I eat straw mushrooms because they look like...
or lychees...
-or that part of the steamers...

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Originally Posted by TenTigers

hmmm, do they have renshen that looks like a Big man?

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...if they do, expect to pay mucho deniro! I've heard of a 100 year old root selling for roughly $250,000 USD!!!

Quote:

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Should I eat straw mushrooms because they look like...
or lychees...
-or that part of the steamers...

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LOL, if there's empirical evidence to support the mnemonic, why not? I wouldn't recommend such a thing simply based on the "law," though.

CSP

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TenTigers

hmmm, do they have renshen that looks like a Big man?
Broccalli forthe lungs? Cool. from now on I will call it Bronchalli!:)

Should I eat straw mushrooms because they look like...
or lychees...
-or that part of the steamers...

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are you mocking my understanding of mushrooms? i gave the familiar latin name of the species... much like everyone likes to paraphrase dharma and other martial teachings. mycology is a hobby of mine and naturally anything that benefits the human body will be keenly set aside and stored into my vast arsenal of insight.:p

wild violets contain more vitamins and minerals than a GNC store...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TenTigers

Hey, I love to eat, I love trying new and unusual foods, and I love Chinese Healing this would be as good as the food and beer thread!

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The article doesn't concern the Chinese recipes.... if there are any.
In any case, I'd say that these "food items" s/b unusual enough for ya: