The holistic approach of nourishing the body through food and medicine: A detailed explanation of Acanthopanax senticosus, jujube, honey, angelica, and Polygonum multiflorum, along with other Yin-nourishing Chinese herbs.

What are the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus? How to use it? This product is the dried root and rhizome of Acanthopanax senticosus, a plant of the Araliaceae family. It is harvested in spring and autumn, washed, and dried. The rhizome is irregularly cylindrical with nodular growth, 1.4–4.2 cm in diameter. The root is cylindrical, often twisted, 3.5–12 cm long, and 0.3–1.5 cm in diameter; the surface is grayish-brown or dark brown, rough, with fine longitudinal grooves and wrinkles, the skin is relatively thin, and some peels off, revealing a grayish-yellow area. It is hard, with a yellowish-white, fibrous cross-section. It has a distinctive aroma and a slightly pungent, bitter, and astringent taste. This product is pungent, slightly bitter, and warm in nature, and enters the spleen, kidney, and heart meridians. It can invigorate qi and strengthen the spleen, tonify the kidneys and calm the mind. It is used for spleen and kidney yang deficiency, physical weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite, lower back and knee pain, insomnia and excessive dreaming. Dosage in traditional Chinese medicine: 9–27 g.

What are the effects of jujubes? How to use them? This product is the dried, ripe fruit of the jujube plant (Ziziphus jujuba), a member of the Rhamnaceae family. It is harvested in autumn when the fruit is ripe and then sun-dried. The fruit is oval or spherical, 2–3.5 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is dark red, slightly glossy, and has irregular wrinkles. The base is concave and has a short stalk. The exocarp is thin, and the mesocarp is brownish-yellow or light brown, fleshy, soft, sugary, and oily. The kernel is spindle-shaped, sharply pointed at both ends, and hard. It has a slightly fragrant odor and a sweet taste. This product is sweet and warm in nature, and enters the spleen and stomach meridians. It can tonify the middle energizer and replenish qi, nourish blood and calm the mind. It is used for spleen deficiency with poor appetite, loose stools and fatigue, and hysteria in women. Dosage in traditional Chinese medicine: 6–15 g.

What are the effects of honey? How to use it? This product is honey produced by the Chinese honeybee or the Italian honeybee, both belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is harvested from spring to autumn and filtered. This product is a translucent, glossy, viscous liquid, white to pale yellow or orange-yellow to yellowish-brown. Upon prolonged storage or exposure to cold, white granular crystals will gradually precipitate. It has a fragrant aroma and an extremely sweet taste. If crystals precipitate, place it in a water bath not exceeding 60℃ until all crystals melt. Stir well, cool to 25℃, and determine the relative density using the Webster's hydrometry method. The relative density should be above 1.349. Honey is sweet and neutral in nature, and enters the lung, spleen, and large intestine meridians. It can tonify the middle jiao, moisten dryness, relieve pain, and detoxify. It is used for abdominal pain due to deficiency, dry cough due to lung dryness, and constipation due to intestinal dryness; externally, it is used to treat slow-healing sores and burns. Dosage in traditional Chinese medicine: 15–30g.

What are the effects of Angelica sinensis? How is it used? This product is the dried root of Angelica sinensis, a plant in the Apiaceae family. It is harvested in late autumn, and the fibrous roots and soil are removed. After the moisture has slightly evaporated, it is bundled into small bunches, placed on a rack, and slowly dried with smoke. The root is slightly cylindrical, with 3-5 or more branch roots at the bottom, 15-25 cm long. The surface is yellowish-brown to brownish-yellow, with longitudinal wrinkles and transverse lenticels. The root head (Angelica sinensis head) is 1.5-4 cm in diameter, with annular markings, a blunt upper end, and remnants of purple or yellowish-green stems and leaf sheaths; the main root (Angelica sinensis body) has an uneven surface; the branch roots (Angelica sinensis tail) are 0.3-1 cm in diameter, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, often twisted, and have a few fibrous root scars. It is pliable, with a yellowish-white or light yellowish-brown cross-section, a thick cortex with fissures and numerous brown dotted secretory cavities, and a lighter-colored xylem with a yellowish-brown cambium ring. It has a strong aroma and a sweet, pungent, and slightly bitter taste. Those that are dry, lack oil, or have a greenish-brown cross-section are not suitable for medicinal use. This herb is sweet and pungent in taste, warm in nature, and enters the liver, heart, and spleen meridians. It can nourish and invigorate blood, regulate menstruation and relieve pain, and moisten the intestines to relieve constipation. It is used for blood deficiency and weakness, dizziness and palpitations, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain due to deficiency and cold, constipation due to intestinal dryness, rheumatic pain, traumatic injuries, carbuncles and sores. Wine-processed Angelica sinensis invigorates blood and regulates menstruation. It is used for amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, rheumatic pain, and traumatic injuries. Dosage in Traditional Chinese Medicine: 4.5–9g.

What are the effects of Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu)? How to use it? This product is the dried tuberous root of Polygonum multiflorum, a plant in the Polygonaceae family. It is harvested in autumn and winter when the leaves wither, the ends are trimmed, it is washed, and large ones are cut into pieces and dried. This product is in the form of clumps or irregular spindle shapes, 6-15cm long and 4-12cm in diameter. The surface is reddish-brown or dark brown, wrinkled and uneven, with shallow grooves, and horizontal lenticels and fine root scars. It is heavy, firm, and not easily broken. The cross-section is light yellowish-brown or light reddish-brown, powdery, and the cortex has 4-11 circular heteromorphic vascular bundles arranged in a ring, forming a brocade-like pattern. The central xylem is relatively large, and some are woody cores. It has a slight odor and a slightly bitter and astringent taste. This product is bitter, sweet, and astringent, warm in nature, and enters the liver, heart, and kidney meridians. It can detoxify, reduce swelling, and moisten the intestines to relieve constipation. It is used for scrofula, carbuncles, itchy rashes, constipation due to intestinal dryness, and hyperlipidemia. Dosage for traditional Chinese medicine: 6–12g.

What are the effects of Ophiopogon japonicus? How to use it? This product is the dried tuberous root of Ophiopogon japonicus, a plant of the Liliaceae family. It is harvested in summer, washed, repeatedly sun-dried and piled until 70-80% dry, then the fibrous roots are removed and it is completely dried. The root is spindle-shaped, slightly pointed at both ends, 1.5-3 cm long and 0.3-0.6 cm in diameter. The surface is yellowish-white or pale yellowish-white with fine longitudinal striations. It is pliable, with a yellowish-white, semi-transparent cross-section and a small central column. It has a slightly fragrant odor and a sweet, slightly bitter taste. This product is sweet and slightly bitter, slightly cold in nature, and enters the heart, lung, and stomach meridians. It can nourish yin and generate fluids, moisten the lungs and clear the heart. It is used for dry cough due to lung dryness, consumptive cough, thirst due to fluid depletion, insomnia due to heart irritability, thirst due to internal heat, constipation due to intestinal dryness, and diphtheria. Dosage in traditional Chinese medicine: 6-12g.

What are the effects of privet fruit? How to use it? This product is the dried, mature fruit of *Ligustrum lucidum*, a plant in the Oleaceae family. It is harvested in winter when the fruit is ripe, the branches and leaves are removed, and it is steamed slightly or blanched briefly in boiling water before drying; or dried directly. The fruit is oval, elliptical, or kidney-shaped, 6-8.5 mm long and 3.5-5.5 mm in diameter. The surface is dark purple or grayish-black, wrinkled and uneven, with a fruit stalk scar at the base or persistent calyx and short stalk. It is light in weight. The exocarp is thin, the mesocarp is relatively soft and easily peeled off, and the endocarp is woody, yellowish-brown, with longitudinal ridges. When broken open, it usually contains one kidney-shaped, purplish-black, oily seed. It is odorless and has a sweet, slightly bitter taste. This product is sweet and bitter in taste, cool in nature, and enters the liver and kidney meridians. It can nourish the liver and kidneys, improve eyesight, and darken hair. It is used for dizziness, tinnitus, lower back and knee weakness, premature graying of hair, and blurred vision. Dosage in traditional Chinese medicine: 6-12g.

What are the effects of turtle shell? How is it used? This product is the carapace of the turtle, a species of turtle in the Trionychidae family. It can be caught year-round, but is most abundant in autumn and winter. After capture, kill the turtle and scald it in boiling water until the hard outer skin on the carapace can be peeled off. Remove the carapace, remove any remaining flesh, and dry it in the sun. The shell is oval or egg-shaped, with a raised back, measuring 10-15 cm in length and 9-14 cm in width. The outer surface is dark brown or dark green, slightly glossy, with fine reticulate wrinkles and grayish-yellow or grayish-white spots. There is a longitudinal ridge in the middle, and eight symmetrical transverse grooves on each side. After the outer skin peels off, serrated seams are visible. The inner surface is off-white, with a protruding vertebra in the middle. The neck bone curls inward, and there are eight ribs on each side extending beyond the edge. It is hard in texture. It has a slightly fishy odor and a bland taste. This product is salty in taste and slightly cold in nature, entering the liver and kidney meridians. It can nourish yin and subdue yang, soften hard masses and dissipate nodules, and reduce fever and eliminate steaming sensations. It is used for fever due to yin deficiency, steaming fever due to overwork, internal wind due to deficiency, amenorrhea, and chronic malaria. Dosage: 9–24g.