The Tao of Forgotten Food: Beyond Conventional Nutrition
Our conventional diets, while providing enjoyment through their appearance, aroma, and taste, often lack the sufficient nutrient density required for sustained health. To bridge this nutritional gap and maintain optimal well-being, these diets must be augmented with more potent, or herbal foods. This constitutes the second tier of diet, known as the Tao of Forgotten Food Diet.
Throughout history, Taoists meticulously investigated the therapeutic properties of herbs, achieving profound proficiency in their application. For instance, millennia ago, Taoist surgeons utilized specialized herbal teas to provide patients with anesthesia lasting up to six hours, entirely free of side effects. (During that era, surgery was a common practice, with procedures often involving the removal, herbal cleansing, and re-implantation of organs. This practice eventually diminished as practitioners recognized its inefficiency and incompleteness as a treatment for illness, realizing that the ultimate solution lay in prevention. They understood that all illnesses, including tumors, stemmed from specific lifestyle choices, and that surgical intervention alone could not prevent recurrence, whereas lifestyle modifications could.)
Herbs possess numerous properties yet to be fully uncovered by modern science. The Academy of Sciences estimates approximately one million plant varieties globally, with only an insignificant fraction having undergone contemporary analysis. The food commonly available in supermarkets represents the weakest nutritional offerings and a highly limited selection compared to the vast array of edible plants worldwide. Many beneficial parts of plants—leaves, branches, trunks, and roots—originally intended for human consumption, have been largely overlooked.
Coined “forgotten foods” by Taoists, these herbs were gradually eliminated from ancestral diets over thousands of years through a process of selection driven by aesthetic and palatability preferences. As humans began cultivating their own food, they naturally prioritized crops that appealed to their senses. The adage “we are what we eat” holds profound truth: consuming nutrient-dense, potent foods enhances our vitality, while a diet of weaker foods increases our susceptibility to disease.
Consider the contrast between a resilient magnolia tree and a delicate bunch of celery. The tree, far more robust, also possesses significantly greater medicinal value. Its various compounds, for example, strengthen stomach tissues and support female reproductive health. Ginseng exemplifies another strong food. Thriving in harsh, cold mountainous regions and capable of surviving for over a thousand years, its remarkable vitality offers immense potential benefits for the human body. However, discretion is advised when consuming ginseng, as its potent effects necessitate careful balance with other herbs to mitigate strong side effects alongside its numerous advantages. In stark contrast, a carrot, growing only in temperate climates, has a lifespan of merely three months, decaying if not unearthed within that period. This illustrates a key distinction: herbs provide enduring strength, whereas conventional foods offer only temporary fortification.
The foods we commonly enjoy also nourish the microorganisms within our bodies, whether organic or processed. Fortunately, herbs do not provide equal nourishment to both humans and pathogens. Humans, through conscious choice, can ingest even unpalatable herbs. Germs, lacking this willpower, are naturally repelled by herbs. When human blood becomes permeated with herbal nutrients, the pathogens within the body are effectively starved, leading to a natural cleansing and purification. The inherent cleansing and purifying qualities that allow herbs to resist decomposition for years represent one of the most profound benefits of incorporating herbal diets. (Adapted from Dr. Stephen T. Chang, The Complete System of Self Healing).