The Spices and the Five Chinese Elements

Spices not only improve the taste and aroma of dishes, but are also very beneficial for health and the harmonious flow of Qi, especially if they are added to dishes according to the five elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine (in the sequence of the circle of element generation). In TCM, spices are widely used in cooking to correct the energy state of our body.

Spices to warm or cool the body

When using spices, it is helpful to consider what element a particular spice belongs to and what thermal effect it has on the body:

• Spicy: chili, curry, nutmeg (Metal). Fennel, cinnamon (Earth) and cloves (Metal) to infuse or add to tea.
• Warm: turmeric, oregano, rosemary, thyme (Fire) and basil, ginger, cardamom, bay leaf (Metal).
• Cold: sage (Fire), tarragon (Earth).

Warming spices are very useful in the cold seasons, while cooling spices help combat the summer heat. With the help of spices, you can balance your internal temperature. For example, if you decide to make a salad with raw vegetables, which is very refreshing, add basil and oregano to “warm it up.”

Spices to improve health

Turmeric is an excellent natural antibiotic; it improves digestion, normalizes pancreatic and liver function, and has a choleretic and anti-inflammatory effect. It is used for dietary supplements designed to relieve inflammation for joints, medicines for liver care and restoration, and many other vitamin supplements. If you don’t like the taste of turmeric, you can take it in capsules: in this form it is called curcumin.

In cooking, turmeric is suitable for stews, potatoes, and rice and not only seasons them, but also dyes them: add a little turmeric to pancake batter and it turns a nice light yellow color.

A popular drink in Ayurveda is Golden Milk, which is milk with turmeric and honey. It is recommended to drink it in a 40-day cycle every night before going to bed. The recipe is very simple: heat the milk until it is hot, but do not bring it to a boil. Add a teaspoon of turmeric, and when the milk with turmeric has cooled a little, add a tablespoon of honey.

Cinnamon is no less useful than turmeric. It improves overall tone and strengthens the immune system. Cinnamon is rich in beneficial minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc, as well as vitamins. This spice is useful against colds, helping to relieve unpleasant symptoms and recover faster. In winter, you can use cinnamon in a tasty cough recipe: mix half a banana, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey and eat it at night before bedtime.

You can combine the beneficial effects of these two spices with a drink that has an antioxidant and inflammatory effect, invigorates, and improves brain function and mood.

We recommend drinking this drink in the morning, and if you prepare it using 5 elements, it will also be energy balanced:

• 1 cup of hot water (not boiling) (Fire)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (Fire)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (Earth)
• 1 teaspoon honey (Earth)

Stir it all together and let the drink stand for 5-10 minutes. If you do not like turmeric, you can make it with cinnamon and honey. The result is a drink with “earthy” influences in the elements: this means that, in addition to the effects mentioned above, it will add Qi to the earth and reduce the desire for harmful sweet products (sweets, chocolate, etc.).