Characteristics of Medicinal Congee Therapy

The reason why the application of medicinal porridge therapy for wellness helps maintain and supports has been able to continue uninterrupted for more than two thousand years is inseparable from its characteristics.

1. “Porridge therapy” is equivalent to a combination of medication therapy and dietetic therapy.

Since medicinal porridge therapy involves boiling traditional Chinese medicine with rice or millet and consuming it as porridge, “porridge therapy” encompasses the dual effects of medicinal supports and dietary therapy. For example, dried ginger is a traditional Chinese medicine used to warm the middle and dispel cold, but it has no nourishing effect and is only suitable for interior cold syndromes. Japonica rice or glutinous rice can invigorate the Spleen and replenish qi, yet they lack the ability to dispel cold. When dried ginger is combined with rice or millet and boiled into porridge for consumption, it becomes an excellent dietary supports for warming and tonifying the Spleen and stomach, supports Spleen-stomach deficiency-cold. Another example is “Atractylodes Macrocephala Pork Stomach Porridge” from the “Comprehensive Record of Holy Relief”. In this formula, Atractylodes Macrocephala is the most commonly used Spleen-tonifying medicine in clinical practice and is essential for supports Spleen deficiency syndromes. Areca nut has the function of promoting qi circulation, eliminating food stagnation, and relieving abdominal distension. Pork stomach is “a key ingredient for tonifying the Spleen and stomach”. When combined with japonica rice, which tonifies the middle, and all these ingredients are boiled into porridge with pork stomach and japonica rice, it is highly effective for individuals with insufficient middle qi and Spleen-stomach deficiency with abdominal distension. Therefore, medicinal porridge therapy is a combination of medicinal supports and dietary therapy.

2. “Congee tonification” equals medicinal tonification combined with dietary tonification.

Since ancient times, medicine and food have shared the same origin, and medicinal herbs and food have been used together, with many foods also serving as medicinal substances. For example, longan (Dimocarpus longan), Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita), mulberry (Morus alba), hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida), etc., can be both eaten and used as medicine, making it difficult to strictly distinguish between them. Selecting traditional Chinese medicinal herbs with nourishing and strengthening properties to cook porridge with rice for consumption can be used to nourish the body, enhance physical fitness, and achieve the goal of prolonging life. For instance, “Bu Xu Zheng Qi Porridge” is a medicinal porridge recipe made by cooking ginseng (Panax ginseng) and astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) with japonica rice. Ginseng is a precious and potent qi-tonifying herb, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners throughout history have said it can “vigorously replenish vital energy”; astragalus is considered the best among qi-tonifying herbs, with traditional Chinese medicine believing it has a strong nourishing effect. Both herbs are classified as “superior grade” medicinal materials. Cereals are also nourishing substances for humans. Therefore, making porridge with ginseng, astragalus, and japonica rice can fully exert the medicinal tonic effects of ginseng and astragalus while also achieving the food nourishing effects of japonica rice. Other examples, such as “Glutinous Rice Donkey-hide Gelatin Porridge,” “Deer Antler Glue Porridge,” and “Ginseng and Poria Porridge,” are all nourishing medicinal porridge recipes that combine medicinal and food nourishment. When used appropriately, they can simultaneously achieve the goals of medicinal and food nourishment.

3. The therapeutic method of medicinal porridge reflects the superiority of the synergistic effect between rice and medicine.

Medicinal porridge therapy differs from using drugs alone to eliminate pathogenic factors and supports wellness, and it is also different from consuming plain rice porridge solely for strengthening the body and regulating health. When drugs are combined with grains and cooked together into porridge, they can mutually enhance and support each other, producing a synergistic effect. Ancient medical practitioners had long recognized that when drugs and grains are combined to make porridge, “for potent drugs, their effects can be moderated; for mild drugs, their efficacy can be doubled.” Taking Aconite Porridge from the “Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang” as an example, aconite is a potent and toxic herb. When cooked into porridge with ginger, honey, and japonica rice, its nature can be moderated and its toxicity reduced. Both Phytolaccae Radix and Semen Pharbitidis are potent purgative and diuretic drugs. When cooked with rice into “Phytolaccae Radix Porridge” and “Semen Pharbitidis Porridge,” their therapeutic effects remain unaffected while some side effects can be avoided. Another example is Cistanche and Mutton Porridge. In this formula, cistanche is a traditional Chinese medicine for tonifying the Kidney and strengthening yang, while mutton is a food that warms and nourishes the Spleen and Kidney. When cooked with japonica rice into a thin porridge, it not only enhances the effect of warming and tonifying Kidney yang but also achieves the effect of warming the Spleen and stomach. As Qing Dynasty’s Huang Gongxiu stated in “Ben Cao Qiu Zhen,” “Although rice is a common food and consuming it alone may not be particularly beneficial, when combined with drugs, its effects become significant and should not be regarded as ordinary and overlooked.”

4. Medicinal porridge therapy emphasizes strengthening the Spleen and nourishing the stomach to replenish the “acquired foundation.”

Traditional Chinese medicine has always attached great importance to the functions of the Spleen and stomach, emphasizing that “the Spleen and stomach are the foundation of the acquired constitution.” When prescribing medications for supports wellness, “it is essential to consider the strength or weakness of the Spleen and stomach” and select appropriate drugs based on the vitality of stomach qi. When predicting the prognosis of wellness, the Spleen-stomach theory is often relied upon, with the belief that “if the Spleen and stomach are unharmed, there is little to worry about.” Clinical practice has demonstrated that “once stomach qi is dissipated, it is difficult to administer any medication effectively.” The medicinal porridge therapy in traditional Chinese medicine adheres to the principles of nourishing stomach qi and strengthening the Spleen and stomach, often yielding ideal results.

Japonica rice or glutinous rice, important ingredients in medicinal porridge, both have excellent functions of strengthening the Spleen and stomach and replenishing vital energy, and have been highly praised by predecessors. Ben Cao Jing Shu lauds japonica rice as “the leader among the five grains, which people rely on for their lives.” Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu states: “Japonica rice is sweet and neutral, suitable for making porridge. Porridge and cooked rice are the best tonics in the world. Poor people suffering from deficiency syndromes can use thick rice broth as a substitute for ginseng decoction. Porridge is most suitable for nourishing patients and women in confinement.” No wonder Yi Yao Liu Shu Yao Xing Zong Yi praises: “Japonica rice porridge is a miraculous elixir for nourishing life and promoting growth, and glutinous rice porridge is a wonderful product for warming and nourishing the stomach qi.”

5. “Porridge decoction” is an ancient and unique excellent dosage form.

Common dosage forms of traditional Chinese medicine generally include decoctions, pills, ointments, powders, etc. From the perspective of improving traditional Chinese medicine dosage forms, medicinal porridge can be considered an ancient yet novel dosage form – “porridge form”. Its advantages are as follows: (1) Since rice and medicine are boiled together to make porridge, especially nourishing medicinal porridges, they can be normally consumed as breakfast, dinner, or snacks. They can not only satiate hunger but also serve as dietary therapy. Examples include Dioscoreae Porridge, Longan Porridge, Milk Porridge, Sugarcane Porridge, and Sheep Bone Porridge. (2) It has the advantage of complete absorption like decoctions without harming the stomach qi. Since the porridge form passes slowly through the intestines, the active ingredients of the medicine can be fully absorbed. (3) Compared with traditional Chinese medicine pills, powders, ointments, and pellets, it is also suitable for long-term consumption. Moreover, medicinal porridge can be flexibly formulated according to the patient’s condition and seasonally selected as appropriate. (4) Most medicinal porridges are made by boiling a single herb, or at most two or three herbs, with rice, making them economical, simple, safe, and effective.