10-1

Y. W. HUANG, University of Georgia, Dept. of Food Science and Technology, Athens, GA 30602

Huangti Nei Ching, the bible of traditional Chinese medicine, states that it is better to use food than drugs. This statement, around 100 B.C., has established the value of Chinese alimentotherapy. For centuries, the Chinese believe that food and drugs are of the same origin. Combining the medicinal science and dietary practices, diverse ways of preparing dishes can be applied to alimentotherapy. However, the diet used for alimentotherapy is not just a simple combination of foodstuffs. In addition to the theory on ying/yang and five elements (water, fire, wood, metal, and earth), the following principles are applied: (1) the state of human body and the seasons; (2)the nature and taste of functional foods; (3) compatibility and incompatibility of alimentotherapy; (4) selection of materials and process; and (5) cooking techniques. Proper uses of these food items will keep the body healthy and help prevent and treat chronic diseases. Chinese health authorities have listed 77 traditionally consumed foodstuffs having medicinal effect in one group, which can be classified as traditional Chinese functional food. These food items come from different origins: fungus; plant (root, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed); and animal. This presentation will discuss the preparation method of therapeutic dishes using the most commonly consumed items such as (1) fungus: poria; (2) roots: ginger, licorice, garlic, Chinese Angelica, Lily bulb, Chinese yam; (3) leaves: ginkgo, kelp; (4) flowers: chrysanthemum, clove; (5) fruits: medlar, hawthorn, citrus, peppercorn, black pepper, star anise; (6) seeds: dates, black beans, coix, longan, black sesame, lotus; and (7) animal: honey, oysters. Several effective therapeutic dishes used to treat diseases, including insomnia and Alzheimer disease, will be introduced.