Dual use of medicine and food is also called homology of medicine and food. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that many foods are both food and medicine, and food and medicine can also prevent and treat diseases, that is, "medicine and food are homologous."
There are many traditional Chinese medicines with the same origin of medicine and food. For example, yam can invigorate the spleen and lung, tonify the kidney and replenish essence, and can treat spleen deficiency, anorexia, nocturnal emission and other symptoms.
Hawthorn can promote digestion, strengthen the stomach (promote food digestion and enhance the function of stomach fu-organs), promote qi circulation, dissipate blood stasis, remove turbidity and reduce blood fat (clean up turbid substances in the body and reduce excess fat in the body), and can treat symptoms such as meat stagnation, epigastric fullness, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Longan meat can tonify the heart and spleen (nourishing drugs are used to tonify the heart and spleen), nourish blood and soothe the nerves (nourishing blood and soothe the nerves), and can treat symptoms such as qi and blood deficiency, palpitation (violent heartbeat and panic), amnesia, insomnia, etc.