Usually, it is rare to use a food alone to supplement nutrition or treat diseases. In order to enhance the practicality and edibility of food, different foods are often used together. This collocation relationship is called food compatibility. The compatibility of food and medicine is basically the same, the only difference is that the compatibility of food not only pays attention to curative effect, but also pays attention to nutrition and taste. The compatibility of food is basically divided into two aspects: synergy and antagonism. Food compatibility includes mutual needs and assistance; Opposition includes mutual fear, mutual killing, mutual evil and opposition.

Xiangshu

Similar foods are compatible and mutually reinforcing. For example, mussel preserved egg porridge for treating hypertension of liver and kidney yin deficiency type can nourish liver and kidney and clear away deficiency and heat; Another example is fried walnuts with leeks to treat impotence. Both leek and walnut can warm kidney and strengthen yang, and the effect of strengthening yang is doubled when used together.

Shi Xiang

Give priority to one kind of food, supplemented by another, and strengthen the efficacy of staple food. For example, the ginger sugar beverage for treating wind-cold and cold has enhanced the efficacy of warming and neutralizing brown sugar in the stomach and warming ginger to dispel cold; Mulberry wine and Huoxue Tongluo wine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis strengthened the efficacy of mulberry branches in expelling wind and removing dampness.

Fear each other

One kind of food can reduce or eliminate the adverse effects of another. For example, garlic can reduce or eliminate the adverse effects of phytohemagglutinin in lentils. Ginger can reduce or eliminate some side effects of fish, such as diarrhea and rash.

Mishandle with each other, incompatible.

In fact, one food can reduce or eliminate the adverse effects of another food, which is two ways to say that the same compatibility relationship is mutual fear and mutual killing from different angles.

Mutual evil

One kind of food will weaken the efficacy of another. The efficacy of qi-invigorating foods (such as yam and pheasant) can be weakened by radish.

contrary/opposite

The combination of two foods may have adverse effects and form food compatibility taboos. According to predecessors' experience, there are more incompatibility taboos of food than drugs (eighteen evils and nineteen fears). Such as persimmon avoid tea, mustard avoid crucian carp, sweet potato avoid eggs, radish avoid oranges, onions avoid honey and so on.