The exact origin and time of the term “medicine and food together”, which is a modern summary of the relationship between medicine and food and their applications, is not clear. From the literature search in the databases of China Knowledge, Wipo, Wanfang and National Library Reference and Consultation Union, it can be seen that the term was first appeared in “A Brief Discussion of Dietary Therapies for Tumor Patients”, which was published in 1984.

Since the concept of drug-food homology was first proposed, its research in general has shown an upward trend and has been greatly enhanced in recent years.

The reasons for this are, firstly, that medicinal food is in line with the market demand. The aging of the population, the threat of sub-health and chronic diseases have made “nourishment” and “prevention” the focus of modern people’s daily health care, and people are more and more inclined to go back to nature and seek for medical treatment and health care in accordance with the laws of nature. Food is the best medicine, food instead of drugs and other concepts to promote functional food has become a popular form of food. In 1987, the former Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) jointly promulgated the first batch of “List of Varieties that are both Food and Drugs”, which clarified the scope of medicinal food and medicinal food substances, and promoted the research on medicinal food and medicinal food.

The development of medicinal food and homologous substances in the international market

In recent years, with the growing strength of China’s national power, traditional Chinese culture has spread in the world, especially the efficacy of Chinese medicine physiotherapy in the prevention and treatment of common diseases, multiple diseases, chronic diseases and major diseases is increasingly widely recognized and accepted by the international community. At present, Chinese medicine has spread to almost 200 countries and regions around the world, and the international influence of Chinese medicine is increasing.

In Japan, there is a similar theory of “medicine and food are the same” as that of China. Japanese people fully accept the efficacy of the diet can maintain the health of the body, advocating the fusion of Chinese and Western food therapy health care.

The United States incorporated botanicals into its pharmacopoeia at the beginning of the 20th century, allowing for “safe, effective, and controlled mixtures,” that is, recognizing both individual medicines and mixtures of several herbs. The United States is the world’s largest market for dietary supplements, and herbal medicines occupy a certain size. China is the most important supplier of raw materials of Chinese herbs.

In Europe, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France and other countries have jointly established the European Phytotherapy Alliance, which promotes the recognition and development of herbal functional foods in Europe.

Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other regions in Southeast Asia have a common cultural cognition with China on the concept of health care with food and medicine, and the industry of food and medicine is basically synchronized.

Varieties of Chinese herbs with the same source of food and medicine

The varieties of Chinese herbal medicines with the same source of medicine and food are summarized and perfected in the working people’s medication practice, which is an empirical summary. With the development of science and technology, especially the development of medical technology, people are more and more clear about the identification of the active ingredients of Chinese herbal medicines, and can clearly determine which ingredients of Chinese herbal medicines can be used for human dietary supplements, and which have side effects. Therefore, medicinal food with Chinese herbal varieties need to be recognized by the national statutory departments.
1. List of items that are both food and Chinese herbs according to tradition (medicine and food with origin)

Note: Red labeled ingredients into the use as spices and seasonings

2. Chinese herbs that can only be used in health food as announced by the Health and Welfare Commission.

Remarks: All Chinese herbal medicines not listed in the list of dual-use medicines and food published by the Health Commission are not allowed to be used in food. If the categorization of the red-marked items changes in the subsequent documents, the subsequent documents shall prevail.

Current Status of Development of Medicinal Food Products

Medicinal food products mainly have the functions of benefiting vital energy and tonifying essence, lightening the body and prolonging life, nourishing the heart and benefiting the intellect, beautifying and protecting the skin, laxing fire and removing vexation, and appetizing and enhancing taste. The current market of medicinal food products are mainly:

1, substitute tea

Substitute tea, refers to the use of a Chinese herbal medicine or several kinds of Chinese herbal medicine and tea and other mixing and blending, brewing or boiling a drink. This is China’s traditional medicinal products. Tea substitute has the effect of benefiting the vital energy and tonifying the essence, nourishing the heart and removing vexation. But the current market has hundreds of kinds. Fish and dragons mixed, quality varies. Some substitute tea bags even use the edges of Chinese herbs as ingredients, and some Chinese herbs need to be concocted before brewing, but in order to reduce the cost of business, there is no concoction. Therefore, it does not play the expected efficacy of the medicinal tea substitute.

2. Functional Drinks

Functional beverages made from the same source of food and medicine are mainly made from one or several kinds of Chinese herbal medicines, and the active ingredients are extruded by heating, pressing or extracting, so as to make them into direct beverages. Currently, some manufacturers have also developed medicinal food solid drinks. Extracting ingredients from medicinal ingredients to make drinks has become a new fashion and trend, popular among young people.

3、Snacks

Snacks, also known as leisure food, old, middle-aged, young, large and small like to eat, can be tasted on airplanes, office workers can also be used as a meal, by people from all walks of life widely welcomed. Herbal snacks can be used as a meal, but also as a special nutrient to improve body functions. Herbal snacks are more common in the current market of single species, but fewer synthetic varieties.

4, skin care products

Chinese herbal skin care products and the current mainly chemical raw materials skin care products compared to the essence from the plant in the moisturizing maintenance of the skin, skin whitening, moisturizing and care must have a greater advantage.

5, medicinal diet

Medicinal food is a fine product of the same origin as food and medicine, is the crown of the traditional Chinese medicine industry chain, one of the brightest pearls, is our people’s great contribution to the food and beverage culture. Medicinal diet is under the scientific guidance of Chinese medicine, culinary science and nutritional theory, giving full play to the medicinal value of Chinese herbal medicines, matching with other foods, and using unique cooking techniques to make food with specific tonic effect.

Research and Development of Medicinal Food Products

1、Use the most traditional concept of homology of food and medicine combined with the most advanced cooking technology, research and development of new products of homology of food and medicine.

The medicine of the same source of food and medicine mainly refers to Chinese herbal medicines, and Chinese herbal medicines are the most basic material raw materials of the Chinese medicine industry. The guiding ideology of the same source of food and medicine must firmly grasp the concept of traditional Chinese medicine.

2, the continuous development of the same source of medicine and food products, to encourage the blossoming of a hundred flowers, a hundred schools of thought, medicinal food alone.

People-oriented, the people’s fundamental is life and health, “food for the people”, a word, food is the first need of the people. Food is the first need of the people. The best food is medicinal food. Medicinal food is the destination of the whole Chinese medicine industry chain, and it is the pursuit of the whole industry. Chinese medicine industry does not pursue medicine how good, but in the pursuit of food how good, food instead of medicine, food to prevent disease, conditioning in the first place, after the treatment. This is also Sun Tzu’s art of war “without fighting and yielding, the good of the good,” the reasoning, the disease has not erupted, has been pre-conditioning, unknowingly eliminating the nip in the bud, the cultural kernel of how similar! The same origin, a lineage. Medicine from the court to the folk, from food to culture, it is the responsibility of the current development of the same source of medicine and food.

In short, to make full use of the food properties of authentic Chinese herbs, to tap the essence of the thought of homology of Chinese herbs with food and medicine, to manufacture medicinal meals with Chinese characteristics, to maximize the service to the people’s life and health, is the greatest responsibility of the Chinese traditional medicine industry in China, and is also the greatest contribution to the health of the world’s people.