Module One
WOOD - SPRING - LIVER AND GALL BLADDER - SOUR - GREEN
FIRE - SUMMER - HEART AND PERI CARDIEM - BITTER - RED
EARTH - LATE SUMMER -STOMACH AND SPLEEN - SWEET - YELLOW
METAL - AUTUMN - LUNGS AND LARGE INTESTINE - WHITE - PUNGENT
WATER - WINTER - KIDNEYS AND BLADDER - SALTY - BLUE/BLACK
TCM is a HUGE topic and I am only going to be looking at it with a very light touch but I feel its this light touch that is all that’s truly needed for modern living.
The first important step is to just get familiar with the elements.
There are 5 elements and each one relates to a different time of year, with a different color, season and bodily organs that correlate to them. Each element also links to different flavors and taste. Try and begin to become familiar with this chart because I would like for you to refer to it regularly.
In TCM, including the 5 flavours when cooking not only brings a balanced plate of food but can also create more harmony in the body.
For now, the main things I would like to focus on with the 5 elements are the tastes/ flavours associated with each and also the organs paired with them. We will dive deeper into each element during each module.
THE 5 FLAVOURS AND MAKING UP A BALANCED PLATE
The 5 flavours/tastes create actions within the body, moving energy in different directions. Ideally, the 5 elements will be balanced when we create a dish. Flavours can also help when there might be an imbalance within the system, helping to move stuck energies or blockages.
THE FIVE FLAVOURS
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SOUR - UPWARDS
The Wood Element (Spring)
Live and Gallbladder
Cooling, contracting, consolidating, generates fluids, tonifies Yin.
Foods - Leafy green vegetables, raw, steamed or boiled briefly. Sauerkraut, vinegars and lemon.
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BITTER - OUTWARDS
The Fire Element (Summer)
Heart and Small Intestine
Cooling, clearing heat, drying, dextoxing, stimulated purging, tonifies Yang.
Foods - Fried onions, garlic, ginger. Mild/warm spices, coffee, alcohol, oils, nuts, seeds and herbs.
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SWEET - DOWNWARDS
The Earth Element (Late Summer)
Stomach and Spleen
Nourishing, building, moistening, calming, relaxing, strenghtening, tonifies Yin, supplement Qi and blood.
Foods - Root vegetables like sweet potatoes and ground vegetables -cooked into a soup, stew or casserole. Stewed fruits
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PUNGENT/SPICY - INWARDS
The Metal Element (Autumn)
Lungs and Large Intestines
Dispersing action, relieves stagnation, moves Qi and blood, circulation, breaks down mucus, stimulates digestion, activating, warming, tonifies Yang
Foods - Baked, slow cooked. Grains like brown rice, wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt. And pungent diakon pickles.
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SALTY - IN ANY DIRECTION
The Water Element (Winter)
Kidneys and Bladder
Softening, moistening, sinking, cooling, detoxifying, tonifies Yin
Foods - Teas, watery vegetables and fruit, seaweeds, miso soups, bean soups, stews or casseroles, mild use of sea salt
THINKING ABOUT LAYERING TEXTURE & FLAVOUR FOR THE ULTIMATE PLATE
Experimenting with different textures and flavours can be a game changer when trying to balance your plate of food and make it truly wonderful. Thinking about these key elements I believe makes all the difference when bringing your food to life.
CRUNCHY
Nuts, seeds, crispy onions, croutons, firm tofu, pickled cucumber, granolas, oats, coconut, crumbled biscuits, crusty sourdough
CNCHY
SMOOTH
Silken tofu, eggs, creams, butter, nut butters, cheeses, oils, avocado, yoghurt, pulses, tahini paste
SMOOTH
BITTER
Dandelion leaves, chopped coriander, rocket, garlic, tahini paste, fenugreek, oregano, lavender, mustard, lemon zest
BITTER
UNAMI
Miso paste, seaweed sheets, unami paste, sardines, wostershire sauce, coconut aminos, tomatoes, parmesan, mushrooms
UNAMI
SWEET
Honey, maple, agarve, sugars (I prefer to use light and dark muscavados), barberry, jams, Coconut, vanilla,
SWEET
SOUR
Vinegar, pomegranate mollasses, lemon juice, Za’tar, barberry, hibiscus powder, tamarind, Kefir, yoghurt, rhubarb, gooseberries, citrus fruits, preserved lemons
SOUR
SALTY
Nuts, capers, kimchi, anchovy, parmesan, bacon, soy, pickles, miso paste
SALTY
SPICY
Chilli, wasabi, horseradish, tabasco, dried chillies, jalapenos, harissa paste, shriracha,
we don’t want balance… we want flux
LEARNING MORE ABOUT YIN AND YANG
You would have seen this kind of image before - this image represents the Yin and Yang energies.
Essentially, this represents the way the universe works, which is in polarities: for example, up/down, hot/cold, male/ female etc.
We have these 2 forces -
Yin - Female, mother earth frequency
Yang - Male, cosmic Qi, father energy of the cosmos (universe etc)
They are a perfect partnership. When they are balanced, all is well.
Our aim is to create this Yin/ Yang balance but as you know, often once balance is achieved, it is lost. . This constant state of flux is what living is - we can experience real highs and desperate lows and, whilst balance would be lovely, it would also bring stagnation and boredom.
So often all we hear is “we want to create balance” and whilst I don’t disagree with this, it’s actually not necessarily true. I believe what we are wanting is to know how to be able to bring our body (and mind) back into a place of balance, so that when we are out of kilter we can know how to bring ourselves back to f a space of calm (and safety). However, it’s not realistic to think we can permanently hang out here. Life, if you hadn’t noticed, is rarely balanced and that’s what makes it life - a constant dance between the two polarities.
Did you know this male/ female energy or hot/cold energy is also present in the foods we eat?
We can look at the thermal nature of foods - cucumber is cooling, whilst chilli is heating. These awarenesses will help you begin to work with food at a different energetic level. So, for example, we don’t want to be eating cooling foods in the winter when our bodies are normally cold, but in the summer they can help to cool us down. This might sound obvious but with fast food and the rich variety of cultural foods readily available to us, we have begun to lose sight of what our food is doing to, and for, us.
The key link that I feel Traditional Chinese Medicine brings to all the other research I have done over the years, is how it connects us to the planet, the seasons as well as our true soul/ spiritual health.
We often dis connect from these 3 areas, yet I believe its through re engaging with them and realising how inexplicably linked we are to them (and each other) that we can find true health and happiness. The 3 Treasures highlights this perfectly.
THE THREE TREASURES
The three treasures determine your physical, mental and emotional health.
Shen is the flame/ light given of by the candle. Often thought of as spirit, consciousness and awareness. It’s the radiance of our spirt which lights up the dark. The light given off by the flame is the ultimate purpose of the candle - our unique personality and energy.
Your lifestyle dictates your Shen - the music you listen to, the people you hang out with, think of smells/ aromatherapy and how they can lift the spirits etc
Examples of foods and ingredients are - Medicinal mushrooms are often connected with the spirit/ Shen, flowers for herbal teas, as well as green tea which is brilliant for brain chemistry
QI (and blood) - is our day-to-day vitality. In TCM this is represented as the stomach and spleen (like the cauldron of a cooking pot - the Shen is the steam given off and the Jing is the fire underneath the pot, but the pot is where the cooking takes place). The spleen takes food and air and transforms the food into blood and Qi which nourishes everything in the body.
We want to be building up our Qi (and blood) every day, with every meal we make.
Strong Qi (and blood) is required for daily activity and adventures, strong immunity, protection and adaptability
Qi is about flow. It represents your vitality which can either burn bright or flutter. It provides the light but consumes the candle too. Trying to find balance will ultimately lead to the candle lasting longer.
Think really digestible foods like slow cooked casseroles, warm soups, pickles to aid digestion etc
NB - Blood is not technically a 3 treasure but is inseperable from Qi, however also interdependent. Qi is Yang in energy and Blood Yin in energy. Blood is considered a dense form of Qi but when Qi moves, blood follows
JING - your constitutional energy - the wax which makes up the candle. Associated with the kidneys, which correlates to the water element (we will cover this more in the course)
A reservoir or regenerative lifeforce essence. It governs growth, development, and ageing and the slow unfolding of life’s changes, your blueprint and longevity, linked with your reproductive power and immunity.
The candle’s life expectancy will depend on the size of the candle and quality of the wax, like your genetic inheritance it determines the life of your candle - however the way you choose to live your life can help support your living.
Think nutrient dense foods like egg yolk, pollen, nuts, seeds, seaweeds… dark, mineral rich, primordial foods.