Chinese medicine believes that

All edible things have four qi and five flavors, meridians, and the nature of rising and falling. When choosing food and medicine substances for obese adult patients, they must first accurately differentiate the syndrome and choose the corresponding food and medicine substances according to the three-factor principle of “depending on the person, the time, and the place”.

Chinese medicine classifies obesity into the categories of “fat people”, “fat people”, “fat people”, etc. Obesity is a syndrome of deficiency and excess. Syndrome differentiation involves pathological factors such as phlegm, dampness, and heat. It is often accompanied by symptoms of excess such as phlegm, dampness, blood stasis, and qi stagnation. The disease is mostly located in the spleen and stomach, which is closely related to kidney qi deficiency and can involve the five internal organs.

Common syndromes and medicinal diet recommendations are as follows

01 Stomach heat and fire depression syndrome

Obesity eats a lot, digests food well, is hungry, has uncomfortable bowel movements, or even dry and hard stools, yellow urine, or dry and bitter mouth, likes to drink water, red tongue, yellow fur, and rapid pulse.

Recommended medicinal diet: Dendrobium officinale, Polygonatum odoratum and lean meat

Main ingredients: 60g lean pork, 10g Dendrobium officinale, 10g Polygonatum odoratum.

Preparation method: Wash all ingredients and put them into a clay pot, add clean water, boil over high heat, then simmer for 1 hour, and add appropriate amount of refined salt.

Usage and dosage: It can be eaten with meals and taken warm. Take it once a day or every other day as appropriate.

Recommended medicinal diet: Three Bean Drink

Main ingredients: 15g red bean, 15g black bean, 15g mung bean, 5g raw licorice.

Preparation method: Wash all ingredients, add appropriate amount of water, and cook until the beans are cooked.

Usage and dosage: It can replace part of the staple food, take it warm, eat beans and drink soup. Twice a day, eat continuously for 5 to 7 days.

Recommended medicinal diet: Reed root soup

Main ingredients: 100g fresh reed root or 50g dried product.

Preparation method: Wash the reed root and boil it in water for 10-15 minutes (dry product can be boiled for 20 minutes).

Usage and dosage: Drink as tea, take frequently, twice a day, and drink continuously for 5-7 days.

02 Phlegm-dampness syndrome

Fat body, heavy body, drowsiness of limbs, fullness in the chest, dizziness, dry mouth without desire to drink, sticky and uncomfortable stool, fond of eating fatty and sweet alcohol, lazy to lie down, pale and fat or large tongue, greasy or white and smooth tongue coating, slippery pulse.

Recommended medicinal diet: Oxtail bone stewed with grapefruit peel and Poria cocos

Main ingredients: Oxtail bone (about 100g), grapefruit peel 50g, white radish 100g, Poria cocos 5g, ginger 1-2 slices.

Preparation method: Wash all ingredients, peel the white radish and grapefruit peel and cut them into small pieces. Cut the oxtail into sections, soak it in cold water, and then blanch it in boiling water. Put the above ingredients into a pot, add clean water, boil it over high heat, then simmer it over low heat for 1 hour, and add appropriate amount of refined salt for seasoning.

Usage and dosage: It can be eaten with meals, warm. Once a day.

Recommended medicinal diet: Coix seed and winter melon soup

Main ingredients: 300g winter melon, 20g coix seed.

Preparation method: Peel and remove the winter melon, cut 1cm thick and 4cm long winter melon slices for later use. Slice the ginger and cut the scallion into sections for later use. Wash the coix seed, put it in a stew pot, add appropriate amount of water, boil it over high heat, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Add the winter melon slices, scallion, and ginger, turn to high heat and boil, continue to simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat, and add a small amount of salt for seasoning (it is better not to add salt).

Usage and dosage: Eat before meals or with meals.

Note: It is recommended that pregnant women take it according to the doctor’s advice.

Recommended medicinal diet: Orange and jujube tea

Main ingredients: 3 jujubes, 3g tangerine peel.

Preparation method: Remove the core of the jujube, stir-fry until it is charred, wash the tangerine peel, and brew them together with boiling water for 10 minutes.

Usage and dosage: Drink instead of tea, take it frequently while warm, and the jujube can be eaten.

03 Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome

Obesity and laziness, sighing, chest tightness and fullness, dark face and lips, dull color of limbs, or even cyanosis, may be accompanied by dry stool, insomnia, decreased libido or even impotence in men, irregular menstruation, scanty menstruation or even amenorrhea in women, dark menstrual blood or blood clots, dark tongue or ecchymosis, thin tongue coating, stringy or astringent pulse.

Recommended medicinal diet: Buddha’s hand, orange peel and hawthorn porridge

Main ingredients: 10g Buddha’s hand, 5g orange peel, 5g hawthorn, 50g polished rice.

Preparation method: Wash all ingredients, wrap Buddha’s hand, orange peel, and hawthorn with gauze, put them into the pot with japonica rice, add appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Usage and dosage: It can be used as a staple food. 3 to 5 times a week.

Note: It is recommended that pregnant women take it according to the doctor’s advice.

Recommended medicinal food: Hawthorn inner gold porridge

Main ingredients: 50g japonica rice, 10g hawthorn, 10g fried chicken inner gold powder.

Preparation method: Wash japonica rice and hawthorn and set aside. Put japonica rice and hawthorn in a casserole, add water and cook porridge. When japonica rice is cooked, add chicken inner gold powder and simmer for a while.

Usage and dosage: It can be used as a staple food, 3 to 5 times a week.

Note: It is recommended that pregnant women take it according to the doctor’s advice.

Recommended medicinal diet: Hawthorn and tangerine peel tea

Main ingredients: 10g hawthorn, 3g tangerine peel.

Preparation method: Wash hawthorn and tangerine peel, put them in a cup, and brew with boiling water for 10 minutes.

Usage and dosage: Drink instead of tea, warm and take frequently.

Note: It is recommended that pregnant women take it according to the doctor’s advice.

04 Spleen deficiency syndrome

Obesity, fatigue, heaviness, abdominal distension, or mild edema of the limbs, lighter in the morning and heavier in the evening, especially when working, normal or less diet, history of overeating, poor urination, loose stools or constipation, pale and fat tongue, tooth marks on the edges, thin white or greasy fur, and soft and thin pulse.

Recommended medicinal diet: Astragalus and tangerine peel drink

Main ingredients: 10g astragalus, 5g tangerine peel.

Preparation method: Wash the astragalus and orange peel, put them together in a stew pot, add water, boil over high heat and then turn to low heat for about 30 minutes.

Usage and dosage: Drink instead of tea, warm and take frequently.

Recommended medicinal diet: Lentil and yam porridge

Main ingredients: 30g white lentils, 100g fresh yam, 30g polished rice.

Preparation method: Peel and wash the fresh yam, slice it for later use. Wash the white lentils and soak them in water for 2 hours. Wash the polished rice, add fresh yam and white lentils, cook porridge together, and cook until the rice and beans are cooked.

Usage and dosage: Eat as a staple food. Eat 3 to 5 times a week.

Recommended medicinal diet: Lotus leaf slimming tea

Main ingredients: 6g hawthorn, 6g coix seed, 3g orange peel, 9g lotus leaf.

Preparation method: Put the materials into a gauze bag or medicine bag, tie it tightly, and brew it in boiling water for 10 minutes. The effect is better when it is boiled.

Usage and dosage: Drink instead of tea, take it frequently while warm.

Note: Pregnant women should take it according to the doctor’s advice.

05 Spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome

Obesity, easy fatigue, cold limbs, or even cold limbs, like to eat hot drinks, clear and long urine, pale and fat tongue, thin white tongue coating, and deep and fine pulse.

Recommended medicinal food: Chinese yam and astragalus stewed duck soup

Main ingredients: 100g fresh Chinese yam, 10g astragalus, 3-4 slices of ginger, 300g duck meat, 100g chestnut.

Preparation method: Cut the duck meat into small pieces and blanch it in boiling water; add appropriate amount of water to cook the chestnuts, peel and shell them after cooling; peel the fresh Chinese yam, wash it, and cut it into thick slices for later use. Put the above ingredients into a clay pot, add water, boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 1 hour, add a little salt for seasoning.

Usage and dosage: It can be eaten with meals, warm. Eat 3 to 5 times a week.

Recommended medicinal diet: Ginseng walnut soup

Main ingredients: 3 walnut kernels, 3g ginseng (artificially planted ≤ 5 years), 5 slices of ginger.

Preparation method: Mash the walnut kernels for later use. Put the ginseng in a casserole, add water and boil for 20 minutes, then add walnut kernels and ginger, and continue to boil for 20 minutes.

Usage and dosage: Drink the soup and eat the walnut kernels. Eat once a day for 7 to 10 consecutive days, and then 3 to 5 times a week.

Note: Pregnant women should eat according to the doctor’s advice.

Recommended medicinal diet: Ginger and cinnamon tea

Main ingredients: 3g dried ginger, 3g cinnamon.

Preparation method: Brew dried ginger and cinnamon in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Dosage and Administration: Drink as tea, take frequently while warm.