Food as Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – Grains

Cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years, amaranth plants are classified as “pseudocereals.” They are not in the same botanical family as grains such as wheat or rice, which are considered “true cereals.” Amaranth seeds are similar to quinoa seeds in appearance.

Nutritional Properties 

Gluten-free. A good source of protein and calcium. High in lysine, an amino acid not found in most other grains. High in protein (15-18%), fiber, amino acids (lysine & methionine), Vitamin C, magnesium, and calcium.

Preparations

Breads, cakes, soups, grain dishes. Pop like popcorn. Toast for a nutty flavor.

TCM Properties and Uses

• Temperature – Cooling
• Flavor – Bitter, Sweet
• Healing properties – dries Dampness, cools Heat, benefits Lungs

One of the first cultivated grains, barley was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9,000 BCE.

Forms

• Hulled barley is the whole grain, minus the indigestible outer hull.
• Pearl barley has had some of the outer bran layers removed, making it look whiter. It is still considered a whole grain.
• Sproutable barley still has its outer hull. It is the only form that can be sprouted. It is a mild laxative. To neutralize the laxative property, roast it until aromatic before cooking. This also makes the barley more alkalizing. 

Nutritional Properties 

Contains gluten. Good source of essential nutrients, including dietary fiber, calcium, protein, the B vitamin niacin, and dietary minerals, including iron, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Preparations

Flour, bread, porridge, soups and stews, tea, beer and malt drinks.

TCM Properties and Uses

Barley is a common herb within Chinese Medicine, used to treat quite a range of conditions. It is frequently used for the weak and convalescing, and for diarrhea. It is also used to soothe inflamed membranes, alleviate painful urination, reduce fever, reduce tumors, and reduce swelling (edema).

Hulled Barley (husk removed) – either whole or pearled

• Temperature – Cooling
• Taste – Sweet, salty
• Healing properties – Strengthens the Spleen-Pancreas, regulates the Stomach and fortifies the Intestines, builds Blood and Yin fluids, moistens dryness, promotes diuresis (urine production), benefits the Gallbladder and nerves. Easily digested. Steeped and made into a drink, it can benefit Summer heat (aka heat stroke) and fatigue.

Sprouted Barley

• Temperature – Slightly warm
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Treats indigestion from starchy foods (food stagnation) and intolerance to mother’s milk in infants. Tonifies the Stomach, alleviates stagnation of Liver (chest/upper abdominal swelling and tightness), and strengthens weak digestion and poor appetite due to Spleen Qi deficiency. Useful for candida-induced digestive weakness.

Caution: Roasted whole barley or pearl barley may cause/worsen constipation. 

Buckwheat is a pseudocereal first domesticated by humans as far back as 6,000 BCE in Southeast Asia. No relation to wheat.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Good source of fiber and protein. Richest source of rutin (a bioflavonoid) among all cereals and pseudocereals. Main micronutrients are manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin (B3), and vitamin B6.

Preparations

Bread, flour, noodles, porridge, rice alternative, soups and stews. When roasted, it becomes “kasha,” an alkalizing grain

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Cleans and strengthens the intestines and improves appetite. Effective in treating dysentery and chronic diarrhea. Strengthens capillaries and blood vessels. Inhibits hemorrhages, reduces blood pressure, and increases circulation to the hands and feet. Buckwheat can be used externally, as a poultice, with vinegar for skin inflammation, eruptions, and burns.

Caution: Not recommended for those with heat signs (fever, thirst, red face, deep-red tongue color, and high blood pressure). Not recommended for those with wind conditions (dizziness, disorientation, nervousness, spasms, or emotional instability).

Corn was likely first domesticated over 10,000 years ago in Mexico.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. There are several different plants in the maize family, and each one produces quite different foods. For example, the nutritional properties of popcorn are quite different to those of sweetcorn.

• A large ear of cooked sweetcorn contains fiber, sugars and carbohydrates, some fat, and protein. 
• Popcorn is a rich source of fiber, moderately high in protein, and relatively low in fat. It provides a good amount of essential nutrients, particularly B vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, iron, and potassium.

Corn is relatively low in niacin. Eating corn as a primary food source can cause pellagra, an often fatal wasting disease caused by niacin deficiency. Eating corn as part of a well-balanced diet poses no threat. Good sources of niacin include peanuts, wheat germ, nutritional yeast, whole wheat, and most meats.

It was found that cooking corn in lime (a process called nixtamalization) softens the maize and helps to increase the availability of niacin and other nutrients in corn. The form of corn produced by nixtamalization is commonly called hominy.

Preparations

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral
• Taste – Sweet / bland
• Healing Properties – Diuretic that nourishes the Heart, benefits the Stomach, improves appetite, regulates digestion, promotes healthy teeth and gums. It tonifies the Kidneys – helping overcome sexual weakness. Corn silk is a diuretic. It can be made into a tea and is beneficial for urinary difficulty, high blood pressure, edema, kidney stones, gallstones.

Often referred to as the “queen of grains,” millet is another staple crop that has long been part of human diets, with evidence of first domestication going back to 2,500 BCE.

Nutritional Properties

Preparations

Millet is not only available as a whole grain but also as a flour. Whole grain cooked millet can be enjoyed as a breakfast porridge, side dish, or salad add-in. Millet flour can be used in place of wheat flour to produce gluten-free cookies, breads, and other baked goods. It does not work well for making cake, however.

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Cooling
• Taste – Sweet, salty
• Healing properties – Alkalizing – balances over acidic conditions, decreases bacterial growth in the mouth preventing bad breath, high in amino acids and rich in silicon. It has been shown to prevent miscarriage. Antifungal – one of the best grains for candida albicans overgrowth. Helpful for diarrhea (roast millet before cooking), vomiting (millet soup or congee), indigestion and diabetes. Benefits morning sickness – use millet soup or congee daily. Sprouted millet helps digestive “food stagnation” caused by undigested starch. Diuretic, strengthens the Kidneys, benefits the Stomach and Spleen-pancreas, nourishes the Yin, moistens dryness.

Caution: Millet is not recommended for those with weak digestive function and consistently watery stool.

Oats were first domesticated as recently as around 1,000 BCE, although wild oats have been eaten by humans going back as far as 30,000 years ago.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free – with caution: While oats are naturally gluten-free, they may be contaminated during production with wheat, barley or rye. Oats and oat products labeled gluten-free have not been cross-contaminated. Some people with celiac disease, however, cannot tolerate the gluten-free-labeled oats.

Oats are a good source of B vitamins, particularly thiamin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Major micronutrients include manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and silica.

Forms

Oats may come in several different forms, including groats (the whole oat kernel), steel-cut oats (cut kernels), and rolled oats (steamed and flattened groats). Although they have different textures, appearances, and cooking times, these three forms are all considered to be whole grains.

Preparations

Baking, beer, bread, flour, porridge. 

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Warming
• Taste – Sweet, slightly bitter
• Healing properties – Soothing. Restores nervous system and reproductive system. Strengthens the Spleen-Pancreas, nourishes and regulates the Qi. Removes cholesterol from the digestive tract and arteries, strengthens cardiac muscles. Can be used for dysentery, diabetes, hepatitis, nervous and sexual debility, indigestion and abdominal bloating. Rich in silicon, helps nourish bones and connective tissue. Contains phosphorus, required for brain and nerve formation in youth. Useful as a poultice for itching. When oat water is consumed regularly, it acts as an internal antiseptic to strengthen the immune system. Both oat water and oat porridge are beneficial for weak and deficient individuals. Oats in any form (rolled oats, steel cut oats, whole oat groats) are beneficial for boosting the immune system – especially in children. Oat groats are the most nourishing form, but rolled oats are also beneficial.

Oat water preparation— Simmer 2 tablespoons of oat groats or flakes in 1 quart water for 30 minutes to 2 hours (longer cooking increases thickness and nourishing qualities). Strain or drink it as is, either warm or at room temperature.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal grown worldwide. It was first cultivated by the Inca people prior to 3,000 BCE. A cousin of amaranth, quinoa has similar characteristics.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Compared to other grains it has the highest protein content. It is high in calcium and has a higher fat content than any other grain. It is a good source of iron, phosphorus, B vitamins, and vitamin E. Major micronutrients include manganese, magnesium, and copper.

Preparations

Flour, salads, soups, stews. Often used in the same way as couscous. 

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature –  Warming
• Taste – Sweet and sour
• Healing properties – Tonifies and strengthens the whole body. Tonifies Kidney yang and Pericardium.

First domesticated about 9,000 years ago, rice is the staple food of over half of the world’s population.

There are myriad varieties of rice³ with varying nutritional profiles.

Types of rice are also characterized as long-, medium-, or short-grained. This characteristic has little impact on the nutritional profile, but does affect flavor, cooking properties, and TCM healing properties.

This section will be longer, as we will look at several varieties of rice from the TCM perspective. Use the links to the left to skip to the type of rice you are most interested in.

Basmati rice 

Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in the Indian subcontinent

Be sure to purchase whole-grain basmati. “White basmati” is parboiled before refining and is lacking some of the nutrients found in the whole-grain version.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Good source of fiber and protein. Rich in manganese and selenium.

Preparations

Compared to other rice varieties, basmati has a distinct fragrance. It has a soft, fluffy texture and a mild, nutty flavor with versatile culinary uses.

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Lighter in consistency, making it appropriate for damp presentations, overweight, or other stagnant conditions.  

Brown rice

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Brown rice is also referred to as whole-grained rice, because it has not had the outer bran layer removed. It is more nutrient-rich than white rice. It is a good source of fiber and protein; rich in manganese, thiamin (B1), and niacin (B3).

Preparations

Baked goods, cooked rice, flour, rice-based dishes. 

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – The B vitamins in brown rice are beneficial for the nervous system and may help to relieve depression. May be used for individuals with diarrhea, nausea, diabetes, and thirst. It is believed that a handful of raw brown rice, chewed thoroughly as the first morning food, helps to expel worms. Strengthens the Spleen-Pancreas; soothes the Stomach; expels toxins; Nourishes Qi; is considered hypoallergenic.* Alleviates irritability associated with “summer heat.”

*Note: with NAET we have seen individuals reactive to all kinds of rice; listen to your body.

Short-grain brown rice

Has a nuttier flavor and chewier consistency than long-grain brown rice.

Nutritional Properties

Same as long-grain brown rice (above)

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral 
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Because of its flavor and consistency, short-grain rice is better for frail and nervous individuals. A better option during the cooler seasons than long-grain rice, which is less sticky.

Sprouted rice

A common herb of TCM. Commercially-produced sprouted brown rice is often referred to as GBR, for Germinated Brown Rice.  

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Germinating the brown rice increases its nutritional value and makes it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients in brown rice. The germination process converts some of the rice’s starches into amino acids, which increases the levels of nutrients like antioxidants, vitamin E, and protein.⁴

Note: Sprouting, or germinating, grains generally alters their nutritional profile. For more about this, see the Harvard Health Blog article.⁵

Preparations

Manufactured GBR is mostly sold in dried form (the drying does not affect the nutritional value), which looks very similar to ordinary brown rice. The effect of the drying process is to prolong GBR’s shelf life. It requires a shorter cooking time compared to regular brown rice.

Use in stir-fries, salads. Will lose nutritional value if too well cooked. Can be lightly toasted and powdered to use in hot water as a tea.

TCM Characteristics and Uses 

• Temperature –  Neutral
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Used for weak digestion and poor appetite associated with Spleen – Pancreas deficiency. It is also used for resolving food stagnation. Aids in reducing lactation – beneficial for nursing mothers with swollen, painful breasts who are weaning their infants. Use sprouted rice fresh for symptoms of food stagnation and decreasing lactation. Use sprouted rice, lightly toasted and powdered, and mixed in hot water to tonify the Spleen-Pancreas and improve appetite

Sweet rice

Also known as “glutinous rice” or “sticky rice,” sweet rice gets its sticky texture from its high levels of amylopectin and relatively low amylose content. Amylopectin and amylose are both types of starch; a higher ratio of amylopectin to amylose has been demonstrated to lead to a stickier texture in cooked rice.

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. Contains more fat and protein than other rice. Rich in manganese, selenium, and copper.

Preparations

Sushi. Mochi. Accompaniment to soups and stews. 

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Warming 
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Easy to digest – especially as mochi. Tonifies the Qi, warms the Spleen-Pancreas and Stomach, and is mildly astringent. It can be used for frequent and excessive urination, spontaneous sweating, and diarrhea. Helpful for diabetes.

Caution with sweet rice: May increase phlegm and mucus. Avoid in cases of deficient Stomach fire (yang) – watery stools, mucus in stools, and signs of cold.

Wild rice

Indigenous to North America, wild rice grows in the shallow water of lakes and streams. It is not considered a true rice, but rather a pseudocereal (like quinoa and amaranth ).

Nutritional Properties

Gluten-free. While nutritionally similar (ish) to brown rice, it has a slightly higher protein and fiber content. It is rich in minerals such as manganese, copper, and zinc; and in B vitamins.

Preparations

Often used as an addition to other rice blends or dishes, as its flavor can be strong on its own. Cooked wild rice freezes well, so a big batch can be frozen for future use.

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Cooling
• Taste – Sweet and bitter
• Healing properties – Diuretic, benefits the Kidneys and Bladder. Hardy for colder climates. Cools the superficial tissues and concentrates warmth in the interior and lower body areas. 

Rye has been cultivated for approximately 4,000 years. It is part of the same botanical grouping as wheat and barley.

The seeds of rye are some 7 or 8 mm long, much larger and less round than wheat grains.

Nutritional Properties

Contains gluten. Rye is a rich source of essential nutrients, including dietary fiber, B vitamins, and several dietary minerals.  Major micronutrients are manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, niacin (B3), thiamin (B1)

Preparations

Baking, beer, bread, flour, mixed dishes, served alone as cooked rye berries. Rye is a very hard grain – good for harsh climates – and ideally suited for sourdough baking.

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Neutral
• Taste – Bitter
• Healing properties – Increases strength and endurance, aids muscle formation, benefits the arteries, aids in fingernail, hair, and bone formation. In its raw state it contains fluorine which strengthens tooth enamel. Rye broth or congee may help with migraine headaches. The bitter flavor benefits the Liver, Gallbladder, and Spleen-Pancreas. It drains dampness, moves Liver stagnation. The fermentation process of sourdough adds a sourness to its natural bitter flavor, which makes it more effective for the Liver.

Spelt is a species of wheat that has been cultivated since approximately 5,000 BCE. 

Nutritional Properties

Contains gluten. Spelt is low in fat, and is a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, several B vitamins, including niacin, and numerous dietary minerals such as manganese, phosphorus, and copper. It has a thick husk that protects it from most insects and pollutants, largely eliminating the need for pesticides in its cultivation.

Preparations

Baking, beer, bread, flour, mixed meals, spelt salads.

TCM Characteristics and Uses

• Temperature – Warming
• Taste – Sweet
• Healing properties – Can be used to treat various intestinal disorders, such as diarrhea, constipation (use whole berry), poor digestion, and colitis. St. Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century healer, considered spelt to be the grain best tolerated by the body. Even though spelt contains gluten, it seems to be well tolerated, even by some people with gluten issues. Strengthens the Spleen-Pancreas. It moistens dryness, nourishes the Yin and structural aspect of the body. It is beneficial for frail and deficient individuals.

The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9,600 BCE.

Nowadays, wheat is grown on a larger area of land than any other food crop. World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined.