The author of Compendium of Materia Medica is Li Shizhen, a famous physician in Ming Dynasty. Compendium of Materia Medica is the representative work of China's Materia Medica before16th century, which not only made great contributions to the development of China's pharmacology, but also had a far-reaching impact on the development of world medicine, botany, zoology, mineralogy and chemistry.

In the book Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen's own health preserving method is also included: four natures and five flavors, and medicine and food are homologous.

Li Shizhen thinks that food, like medicine, has five flavors: pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty, as well as cold, hot, warm and cool. Choosing food is the same as choosing medicine, and it should be based on four natures and five flavors. Only when it suits your body can you warm the viscera and enhance your immunity.

What are the four natures?

1 cold food

2 Warm food

3 Pingshi

What are five flavors?

1 spicy food

sweet food

3 sour food

4 Bitter food

5 salty food

The theory of "homology of medicine and food" (also known as "homology of medicine and food") holds that many foods are both food and medicine, and food and medicine can also prevent and treat diseases. In ancient primitive society, people found the taste and efficacy of various foods and drugs in the process of searching for food, and realized that many foods can be used as medicine and many drugs can also be eaten. It is difficult to distinguish the two strictly. This is the basis of the theory of "homology of medicine and food" and the basis of dietotherapy.

Tips:

Every food has a different "sex" and "taste". You should combine the "sex" and "taste" of food with your own physique when you are keeping in good health, otherwise it will be inappropriate to eat.