Back to search result Search again Previous Next ↑

The inadvisability of eating certain foods in certain diseases or in combination with certain medicines or other foods. The Magic Pivot (灵枢 líng shū, wǔ wèi) includes statements such as acridity is contraindicated in liver disease, saltiness is contraindicated in heart disease, sourness is contraindicated in spleen disease... Practical experience shows that salt should be avoided in water swelling, whereas oily foods should be avoided in jaundice and diarrhea. Dietary contraindications also include prohibitions about food combinations, e.g., cold and raw foods should not be taken after consumption of fatty foods, tangerines should not be eaten when suffering from the common cold. Some traditional contraindications should not be applied indiscriminately, e.g., complete avoidance of cold or oily foods, meat, and fish in measles can prevent recovery. Finally, certain foods are contraindicated while taking certain medicinals. For example, when taking turtle shell, amaranth (a leaf vegetable not readily available in the West) is contraindicated, and while taking schizonepeta, fish and crab are contraindicated. Generally, traditional dietary contraindications still await statistical proof. See dietary therapy.

Back to search result Search again Previous Next