The Healing Cuisine of China

Preface

Introduction

1  The Origins and Theory of Chinese Medical Knowledge
2  The Causes of Illness in Chinese Medical Theory
3  Eating for Health
4  Foods and Their Healing Properties
5  Chinese Home Remedies for Common Health Conditions
6  Longevity Banquets
7  Exercising Health

Appendix 1 Daily Requirements of Protein, Minerals, and Vitamins for the Healthy Adult

Appendix 2 Mail-order Resources

Notes

Index

Zhuo Zhao was born and raised in Beijing, where she learned the traditional arts of cooking and healing from her family. After coming to the West and discovering how little was known about these genuine Chinese traditions, she returned to China for two years of intensive research. This book is the product of that research. George Ellis traveled extensively in Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, writing and translating texts on Yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy. He is the author of The Breath of Life: Mastering the Techniques of Pranayama and Qi Gong. Zhuo Zhao and George Ellis met in Beijing in 1985 and married in 1988.

"Zhuo Zhao and George Ellis have taken great pains not only to provide us with an exhaustive (three hundred recipes) compendium of medicinal foods and preparations but have also included chapters on Chinese medical theory, Yin/Yang theory, Five Element theory and an explanation of the Chinese view of illness and its causes. The Healing Cuisine of China is a terrific book to have on hand: the recipes are well-researched and simple to make and they remind us of the tremendous power we have to maintain our own well-being."
Qi, Summer 1999

COOKING  /HEALTH

In China no clear division exists between food and medicine--the Chinese know that most ailments can be cured by eating the proper foods, and that a wholesome, balanced diet is the key to a long and healthy life. Through five thousand years of recorded history the Chinese have developed an unequaled pharmacopoeia of food remedies and have turned this knowledge into a delicious cuisine that is simple to prepare and incredibly healthful. This cuisine has little in common with the dishes on the menus of Chinese restaurants--which have sacrificed traditional Chinese principles to appeal to high-fat Western tastes. Instead, it emphasizes all-natural ingredients eaten in season and in the proper combinations.

The Healing Cuisine of China features more than 300 authentic Chinese recipes, ranging from simple preparations arranged in order of ailment cured to traditional “longevity banquets”--sumptuous Chinese feasts designed to promote happiness and vitality with such classic dishes as Chrysanthemum Chicken, Steamed Trout, Ginger Calamari, Black Sesame Tea, and Fresh Cherry Wine.

But food is only part of the picture. Authors Zhuo Zhao and George Ellis explain the underlying theories behind traditional Chinese beliefs about health, focusing on balancing yin and yang in the body, but also reconcile these ancient beliefs with Western medical knowledge about bacteria, viruses, and other causes of disease. All ingredients in the text are accompanied by extensive nutritional information and are classified according to traditional Chinese medicine. A complete fitness program, centered on the popular Chinese qi gong exercises, and a questionnaire to help readers discover their individual body requirements make this the most comprehensive guide to the healthy lifestyle of China ever published.

ZHUO ZHAO was born and raised in Beijing, where she learned the traditional arts of cooking and healing from her family. After coming to the West and discovering how little was known about these genuine Chinese traditions, she returned to China for two years of intensive research. This book is the product of that research. GEORGE ELLIS traveled extensively in Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, writing and translating texts on Yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy. He is the author of The Breath of Life: Mastering the Techniques of Pranayama and Qi Gong. Zhuo Zhao and George Ellis met in Beijing in 1985 and married in 1988.