Disclaimer: All herbal teas, medicinal soups, acupuncture and Tui Na described in this article are only auxiliary wellness regimens for traditional health maintenance, not formal medical treatments. They cannot replace professional physician diagnosis, prescription drugs or clinical therapies. Anyone diagnosed with physical diseases shall strictly follow the treatment plans formulated by licensed medical practitioners. All TCM terminology, wellness regulation theories and traditional health philosophies in this text are solely for the inheritance, popularization and cultural exchange of traditional Chinese medicine. No content herein shall be deemed guidance for clinical diagnosis or medical treatment. Read more
1.Sesamum indicum (Heizhima, black sesame)
(1) Functions: Nourishes the Liver and Kidneys, replenishes Jing essence, supports healthy blood circulation and Qi vitality, helps maintain normal aging process.
(2) Application: Suitable for premature aging, rough skin, premature graying of hair, sparse hair, and can be used as an adjunctive dietary therapy for individuals with general weakness, low blood volume, and lack of strength.
2. Vigna angularis (Red Adzuki Bean)
(1) Functions: supports healthy blood circulation and reduces swelling, helps maintain a balanced internal environment and promotes diuresis, detoxifies, and helps resolve abscesses.
(2) Application: Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) contains protein and other nutrients, and is suitable for supporting the health of individuals experiencing angular cheilitis, skin itching, eczema, edema, difficult urination, jaundice, and diarrhea with dysentery.
3. Glycine max (Huangdou, Soybean)
(1) Functions: Helps tonify Spleen Qi and supports a balanced internal environment.
(2) Application: Suitable for individuals with chronic wellness and physical weakness, generalized edema, acne, palpitations, and consumptive cough. Regular consumption or grinding into soybean milk and boiling before drinking can help maintain clear and delicate skin, promote vitality, and particularly has a significant impact on enhancing the feminine silhouette.
4. Glycine max (L.) Merr. (Heidou, black soybean)
(1) Functions: supports Kidney health and promotes fluid balance, helps reduce fluid retention and swelling, helps maintain a balanced internal environment, harmonizes the middle jiao and strengthens the body, supports skin hydration and promotes healthy hair color.
(2) Application: Suitable for premature graying of hair, haggard skin, sallow or pale complexion. Boiling Black Soybean (Glycine max) in water helps maintain normal fluid balance and supports comfort in cases of body heaviness.
5. Benincasa hispida (Wax Gourd)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports urinary health, helps eliminate toxins, and supports reduction of swelling.
(2) Application: Suitable for obesity, as well as edema with abdominal distension, difficult urination, rough and dark skin, and acne caused by damp-heat. helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports healthy fluid metabolism, promotes comfortable movement of tendons and meridians, supports healthy skin appearance, and helps with occasional discomfort.
6. Cucumis sativus (Cucumber)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports normal fluid balance, and aids in detoxification.
(2) Application: Suitable for individuals seeking to support weight management and promote general well-being, as well as those experiencing abdominal distension, limb edema, or occasional difficulty with urination.
7. Zingiber officinale (Shengjiang)
(1) Functions: helps expel exterior pathogens and disperse cold, helps with occasional nausea and vomiting, supports stomach health.
(2) Application: helps maintain stomach warmth and helps with occasional occasional nausea, supports skin health in cases of frostbite, promotes hair regrowth in alopecia areata, supports healthy appetite, helps with occasional cough and shortness of breath, and helps maintain normal respiratory function and supports comfortable movement of the waist and legs in cases of wind-cold common cold and wind-dampness-related discomfort.
8. Luffa cylindrica (Sigua)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports comfortable movement of tendons and meridians, supports healthy blood circulation, and helps eliminate toxins.
(2) Application: Suitable for individuals with neurodermatitis, rough and thickened skin, jaundice, or metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, serving as an adjunctive therapy. Alternatively, roasted and ground Luffa cylindrica (Sigua) can be taken orally or applied topically to help maintain a balanced internal environment for conditions such as carbuncles, blocked lactation, and hemorrhoids and fistulas.
9. Momordica charantia (Bitter Gourd)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports eye health, and aids in detoxification.
(2) Application: Suitable for red and painful eyes due to Liver Fire, restless thirst and abdominal pain due to Stomach Heat; helps maintain a balanced internal environment for conditions such as heatstroke-induced fever or malignant sores.
10. Eggplant
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, cools the blood, and supports the reduction of swelling.
(2) Application: Eggplant is a zinc-rich vegetable that plays an important role in the development of secondary sexual characteristics, particularly in enhancing feminine curves. When cooked, it helps maintain a balanced internal environment. It is also rich in [unspecified nutrient in original text] and supports platelet health.
11. Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato)
(1) Functions: supports stomach health and aids digestion, helps generate body fluids and helps with occasional thirst.
(2) Application: Suitable for obesity, rough skin, dry mouth and thirst, poor appetite; helps support digestive health and aids digestion.
12. Chinese cabbage
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment and supports healthy water metabolism, supports the health of the five internal organs, nourishes the stomach, promotes healthy skin, and helps eliminate toxins.
(2) Application: Suitable for promoting hair growth, helping maintain scalp health to helps maintain hair loss, supporting hydration and resolving phlegm, addressing dry mouth with reduced appetite, excessive cough with phlegm, difficult urination, and chest discomfort.
13. Apium graveolens (Qincai, Celery)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports Liver health and cools blood.
(2) Application: Consuming cooked celery helps maintain a balanced internal environment by clearing damp-heat from the stomach and intestines and resolving phlegm-fire in the Lung Meridian (LU). It supports individuals experiencing excessive cough with phlegm, toothache, and eye swelling. Topical application of mashed celery supports the management of abscesses and provides beneficial auxiliary effects for individuals with hypertension, coronary artery sclerosis, and Heart conditions.
14. Laminaria japonica (Haizai)
(1) Functions: Helps soften hardness and resolve phlegm, supports blood nourishment and Lung moistening, helps maintain a balanced internal environment and supports healthy water metabolism.
(2) Application: It can be used as an adjunctive therapy for conditions such as difficult urination, edema and distension, and cough with wheezing. It helps maintain normal blood pressure and blood lipid levels. It is also an optimal food for individuals with insufficient thyroid function.
15. Shrimp
(1) Functions: supports Kidney health and enhances yang energy, promotes Qi circulation and stimulates appetite.
(2) Application: Shrimp supports transportation and transformation functions. Individuals with chronic wellness, physical weakness, shortness of breath, and fatigue may consume it to promote physical strength and vitality. When stir-fried with wine or boiled, it helps maintain normal Kidney function and supports healthy sexual vitality in cases of Kidney deficiency with lower body coldness, spermatorrhea, or premature ejaculation.
16.Pork
(1) Functions: supports Kidney and blood health, strengthens the body, nourishes Yin and moistens dryness.
(2) Application: Pig’s trotters can help reduce facial wrinkles. Specifically, boil pig’s trotters into a paste and apply it to areas with facial wrinkles, then wash it off the next morning. After two weeks, there will be unexpected benefits. Pork skin can make the skin radiant and elastic. Boiling pork skin until tender or applying it as a frozen compress to the face can help maintain a balanced state of the Heart and Lungs, helps with occasional restlessness, support throat health, and reduce swelling and pain.
17. Vinegar
(1) Functions: supports healthy blood circulation and disperses blood stasis, aids in digestion and resolves food accumulation, reduces swelling and softens hardness, detoxifies and harmonizes the stomach.
(2) Application: Consumed raw with vinegar or heated, it can eliminate fishy odors from fish, meat, etc., and neutralize toxins from fish and insects. Heated vinegar wet compresses applied to frostbite 2-3 times daily yield noticeable results. Long-term consumption not only makes the skin soft, smooth, and reduces wrinkles but also helps maintain normal cholesterol and blood lipid levels, supporting healthy weight management.
18. Egg
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, supports Qi and blood health, and promotes calmness of the Shen.
(2) Application: Consuming cooked eggs helps nourish Qi and blood, and soothe the five internal organs. For excessive hair loss, spermatorrhea, or excessive vaginal discharge, consuming eggs supports yin nourishment and helps maintain a balanced internal environment, while promoting Qi and blood replenishment.
19. Cow’s milk
(1) Functions: Helps tonify Qi and nourish blood, supports Lung and stomach health, promotes fluid production and moistens the intestines.
(2) Application: helps maintain vitality, supports fluid production and intestinal health, and promotes skin hydration. May assist with occasional constipation, dry skin, and mild nervous system fatigue.
20. Honey
(1) Functions: helps maintain Lung and Spleen health, helps with occasional acute conditions and detoxifies, supports moisturized skin.
(2) Application: For patients experiencing difficulty swallowing food, dizziness, blurred vision, lackluster complexion, constipation, palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, and general physical weakness, honey may be utilized to help maintain overall comfort and well-being. It is an excellent choice for dietary therapy.
21. Tea leaves
(1) Functions: helps maintain body fluid balance and helps with occasional thirst, helps maintain a balanced internal environment and promotes diuresis, supports healthy transformation of phlegm and digestion, helps calm the mind and nourish the Heart, supports warmth and harmony of the Stomach.
(2) Application: Tea can be used as a refreshing beverage to support the management of occasional dizziness, restlessness, thirst, and difficult urination. It also helps reduce greasiness, supports digestion, and resolves phlegm, making it an excellent beverage for relieving heat or helping maintain normal body temperature in hot conditions.
22. Wine
(1) Functions: supports healthy blood circulation, helps maintain balanced internal environment by dispelling wind and unblocking meridians, helps with occasional discomfort and supports comfortable movement of tendons.
(2) Application: Consuming a small amount helps promote the circulation of Qi and blood, leaving the face delicate, smooth, and wrinkle-free. For conditions such as wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, bone and joint pain, and traumatic injuries, it supports comfortable movement of tendons and meridians and helps disperse blood stasis. Additionally, in terms of beauty care, it supports Kidney health to darken hair, softens and nourishes hair, and moisturizes the skin.
23. Citrullus lanatus (Watermelon)
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, helps with occasional restlessness and helps with occasional thirst, promotes fluid production and supports healthy urination.
(2) Application: If experiencing oral ulcers, restlessness, heatstroke with internal heat, scanty and dark urine, etc., one may consume fresh watermelon juice. It helps maintain a balanced internal environment, generates body fluids, helps with occasional thirst, and supports healthy urinary function.
24. Ananas comosus (Pineapple)
(1) Functions: Tonifies the Spleen and Kidney, generates body fluids, and harmonizes the stomach.
(2) Application: Consuming it raw or boiling it with honey into a paste helps maintain normal function in cases of chronic Qi deficiency of the Spleen and Kidney, fatigue, tiredness, polydipsia (excessive thirst), and difficult urination. It is also one of the best foods for promoting stomach health through dietary therapy.
25. Banana
(1) Functions: helps maintain a balanced internal environment, generates body fluids, and supports intestinal lubrication.
(2) Application: Consuming bananas raw helps maintain Lung and intestinal moisture. Stewed bananas with their peels may help with occasional discomfort from hemorrhoidal bleeding.
TCM Terminology Disclaimer:All traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) terms, descriptions, and wellness expressions including but not limited to nourishing lungs, soothing throat discomfort, supporting respiratory comfort, clearing mild internal heat, balancing qi and blood, harmonizing bodily functions, and regulating general wellness featured on this website are traditional TCM cultural descriptions and historical wellness theories only. These phrases are used solely for traditional TCM knowledge sharing and cultural interpretation. They do not constitute medical efficacy claims, have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All TCM wording describes traditional auxiliary wellness conditioning effects only and should never be interpreted as clinical medical treatment results. Individuals with confirmed illnesses must seek professional medical diagnosis and follow standard Western medical treatment.
FDA Mandatory Disclaimer：These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Chinese herbal dietary supplements and traditional wellness practices are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and serve only as daily auxiliary health support. If you have been diagnosed with any illness, please seek professional medical care and follow standard Western medical treatment regimens.
Interesting read! I started incorporating black sesame into my meals a few months ago, and my hair does seem less brittle. Love seeing traditional wisdom backed up with practical applications. Thanks for sharing these food remedies!
I’ve been adding black sesame to my morning smoothies for months now—my hair feels thicker and my skin looks brighter. It’s amazing how simple foods can make such a difference. Definitely going to try more from this list!
Great list! I’ve been adding black sesame to my smoothies for months
Great article! I’ve been adding black sesame to my smoothies for months—it really helps with my hair health. Which other foods from the list would you recommend for glowing skin?