Who Am I

Question 1

I am a member of the Chenopodium family and am one of the ancient staple foods of the Incas (and was called the “mother grain”). Botanically I am not a true grain but can be used as one. I have grown in the South American Andes for thousands of years, and thrive in high, cold altitudes. Since 1982 I have been cultivated in the United States with various degrees of success, and am now generally available.

Answer 1

Quinoa

Question 2

I have a warming thermal nature; sweet and sour flavor. I specifically tonify the kidney yang and the pericardium functions, however I am strengthening for the whole body. Compared with other grains I have the highest protein content. I have more calcium than milk and have a higher fat content than any grain. I am a very good source of iron, phosphorous, B vitamins and vitamin E. I am an appropriate grain for recent vegetarians who crave nutrient-concentrated foods.

Answer 2

Quinoa

Question 3

I am also used for heat excesses such as eye inflammations, burning urine, blood in the urine, acne, and canker sore and to cool internal heat in the liver and stomach, which often contributes to headaches and excessive appetite, among other maladies. Along with my roots I am used in the East and West to treat high blood pressure and am a safe remedy for high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Answer 3

Celery

Question 4

I am generally helpful for indigestion, hoarseness, diabetes, and jaundice and am most commonly used in the West and East to treat various lung-related imbalances including bronchial disorders, asthma, and sinus problems. When pungency is needed to disperse lung conditions I am much more superior when eaten raw. The “green” part of me is exceptionally rich in vitamin A.

Answer 4

Turnip

Question 5

Because of my high copper and cobalt content, I am commonly used to teat anemia. I originated in China, where I am considered weakening if consumed abundantly. I must be used cautiously during pregnancy, and avoided in cases of diarrhea.

Answer 5

Apricot

Question 6

I restore nervous and reproductive systems; strengthen the spleen-pancreas; build and regulate the qi energy; remove cholesterol from the digestive tract and arteries; and strengthen cardiac muscles. I can be used in case of dysentery, diabetes, hepatitis, nervous and sexual debility, indigestion and swelling including abdominal bloating. If you use me in a poultice I will relieve itching; and when used as a pack will heal and beautify the skin.

Answer 6

Oats

Question 7

Because I am mildly astringent, I can be used for juvenile bed wetting, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, and diarrhea; can quench thirst, moisten dry mouth and throat. Since 1926 my refined and rancid products have been greatly overeaten and I have been genetically altered which would explain the many common allergies to me – a vital food.

Answer 7

Wheat

Question 8

I am a member of the kidney bean family, originally from India, but have become a traditional part of Chinese cuisine. I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet flavor. I detoxify the body, am beneficial to the liver and gall bladder, produce yin fluids in general as well as specific yin fluids for the liver, alleviate damp-heat in the body, am a diuretic; reduce swelling.

Answer 8

Mung Bean

Question 9

I can be used to treat food poisoning, dysentery, diarrhea, painful urination, mumps, burns, lead and pesticide poisoning, boils, heat stroke, conjunctivitis, and edema – especially in the lower extremities. I am also useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, acidosis, and gastro-intestinal ulcers marked by heat signs

Answer 9

Mung Bean

Question 10

I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet-and-bitter flavor. I benefit the stomach and spleen-pancreas and calm an aggravated liver; dry damp excesses; purify the blood; reduce wind conditions such as vertigo and nervousness; and promote sweating.

Answer 10

Celery

Question 11

If consumed in a soup I treat inflamed (red) skin outbreaks, summer heat, thirst, restlessness, impatience, and urinary difficulty accompanied by heat signs. I am one of the most important beans therapeutically, because of my capacity to cleanse the heart and vascular system and reduce toxicity.

Answer 11

Mung Bean

Question 12

I was first described in Chinese manuscripts in 2800 B.C., and am called the “beef” of China due to my extensive use and high protein content (38%). I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet flavor. I strengthen the spleen-pancreas, supplement the kidneys, and cleanse blood vessels and heart.

Answer 12

Soybean

Question 13

I was used by the ancient Aztecs as a valuable food and in their worship rituals, and have recently come to the attention of world health workers with discovery that in areas of Africa and Latin America where I am consumed, there exists no malnutrition. I have a cooling thermal nature; bitter and sweet flavor.

Answer 13

Amaranth

Question 14

I am used for lung conditions including coughing and asthma, and help in cases of fluid-dryness types of constipation. Caution: I can exacerbate phlegm and sputum if the person has damp signs such as sluggishness, thick, greasy tongue coating, and edema.

Answer 14

Almond

Question 15

In my under-ripe state, along with my seeds, I am rich in the digestive enzyme papain, which helps digest protein, break down deposits on the teeth, resolve mucus, and has a strong vermicidal action capable of destroying most intestinal worms including tapeworm.

Answer 15

Papaya

Question 16

I have a neutral thermal nature; sweet and bitter flavor. I tonify the stomach, act as a digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing. I can be used to treat dysentery, indigestion, mucus excesses, and the pain of rheumatism. I also contain carpaine, a compound providing anti-tumor activity

Answer 16

Papaya

Question 17

I have a high amino acid (protein) profile and rich silicon content. I help to prevent miscarriage; and am an anti-fungal – one of the best grains for those with Candida albicans overgrowth. Caution: I am not recommended for those with signs of very weak digestive functions such as consistently watery stools.

Answer 17

Millet

Question 18

I am a dusky-jade color. My fronds are hollow tubes that flutter in the water-some like ruffled fans, while other are large and flat. My fibers are more tender than any other seaweeds. In Ireland, I am known as sloke; the Scottish call me laver. I have a very cooling thermal nature; sweet-and-salty flavor. I increase yin fluids; am a diuretic; soften hardened body areas (such as nodules); and transform and resolve heat induced phlegm (yellow or green).

Answer 18

Nori

Question 19

Unless I am well-cooked, I inhibit the digestive enzyme trypsin, making me difficult to digest. Recent research suggests that I may protect against atherosclerosis, PMS, bone loss, and menopausal difficulty.

Answer 19

Soybean

Question 20

I am very high in silicon, and help to renew joints, bones, arteries, and all connective tissues. Because of these effects and my capacity to clear digestive fermentation (dampness) and acidic blood that frequently accompanies tissue inflammations, I am useful in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, gout, and nerve inflammations.

Answer 20

Celery

Question 21

I am known as “the queen of the grains.” I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet and salty flavor. I am a diuretic; strengthen the kidneys; beneficial to stomach and spleen-pancreas. I build the yin fluids; moisten dryness; alkalizing – balance over-acidic conditions; and sweeten breath by retarding bacterial growth in the mouth.

Answer 21

Millet

Question 22

I am one of the richest silicon foods, a grain that helps to renew the bones and all connective tissue. I also contain phosphorous, required for brain and nerve formation during youth. I have a warming thermal nature; sweet and slightly bitter flavor. I am soothing.

Answer 22

Oats

Question 23

I have a neutral thermal nature; sweet-and-sour flavor. I moisten the lungs and increase the yin fluids; used for dry throat, thirst, asthma, and other lung conditions when there is fluid deficiency.

Answer 23

Apricot

Question 24

I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet and salty flavor; tonify the kidneys; build the yin; am one of the few foods which Chinese medicine attributes with directly nourishing the heart-mind; can calm and focus the mind and can be used for palpitations, insomnia, irritability, menopausal difficulty, and emotional instability. I encourage growth, weight gain, and fat formation – am especially good for children and the frail person. On the other hand, I should be eaten in small amounts, if at all, by the obese as well as those with growths and tumors.

Answer 24

Wheat

Question 25

I have a warm thermal nature; sweet and sour flavor. I can be used as a remedy for bladder disturbances; to destroy worms in the intestinal tact; to strengthen gums; and to soothe ulcers of the mouth and throat.

Answer 25

Pomegranate

Question 26

I am the most easily digested of the seaweeds and have the highest protein content (48% of dry weight). I am rich in vitamins A, B1, and niacin. I decrease cholesterol, treat painful and difficult urination, goiter, edema, high blood pressure, cough with yellow mucus, beriberi, fatty cysts under the skin, warts, and rickets. And because I am amazing I also aid in digestion, especially with fried foods.

Answer 26

Nori

Question 27

Ayurveda considers me one of the best of all nuts, useful for building ojas, and essence that vivifies intellection and spirituality as well as reproductive ability. I am also the only nut to alkalize the blood; all others acidify. I have a slightly warming thermal nature; sweet flavor. I relieve stagnant qi energy of the lungs; transform phlegm; alleviate cough; lubricate the intestines.

Answer 27

Almond

Question 28

I dry dampness, benefit the lungs; am high in protein (15-18%), fiber, amino acids (lysine and methionine), vitamin C, and calcium. I contain more calcium and the supporting calcium cofactors – magnesium and silicon – than milk. You can pop me like popcorn or toast me for a nutty flavor.

Answer 28

Amaranth

Question 29

I can be used to induce and promote labor at childbirth. My leaf, a widely available herb, strengthens the uterus, checks excessive menstrual flow, and restrains bleeding in general; exceptional at tonifying the uterus and supporting optimum hormonal patterns during pregnancy.

Answer 29

Raspberry

Question 30

I have a neutral thermal nature; sweet and sour flavor; benefit the liver and kidneys; enrich and cleanse the blood of toxins; regulate the menstrual cycle; control urinary functions; treat anemia, as well as excessive and frequent urination, especially at night.

Answer 30

Raspberry

Question 31

I am an energy tonic that lubricates dryness. Next to flax, I am the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids. The Southwest American Indian ate me for sustenance during endurance contests. Latin Americans used me to treat constipation.

Answer 31

Chia

Question 32

I am a member of the mustard family, and am a good source of sulfur, a warming, purifying element; because of my alkalizing nature, sulfur, and other factors, I help to detoxify the body. I have a neutral thermal nature; pungent, sweet, and bitter flavors. I improve circulation of qi energy and remove stagnant blood; build the blood; promote sweating; resolve mucus and other damp conditions; relieve coughing; clear food stagnation and improve appetite.

Answer 32

Turnip

Question 33

I have a cooling thermal nature; sweet flavor. I reduce swelling; clear stagnant blood by dissolving congealed blood and accumulations such as tumors resulting from stagnant blood; specifically treat congealed blood affecting the uterus; and also have a hemostatic action (reduce bleeding). I am used for bleeding hemorrhoids, blood in the urine, and bleeding in general.

Answer 33

Eggplant

Question 34

I have a cooling thermal nature; have a sweet and slightly bitter flavor; can relieve damp conditions including dysentery, eczema, and edema; can help regulate blood sugar balance and benefit the pancreas – used for diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Answer 34

Pumpkin

Question 35

I promote discharge of mucus from lungs, bronchi, and throat; regular use has been shown to benefit bronchial asthma. When I am cooked I destroy intestinal worms, but not as effectively as my seeds

Answer 35

Pumpkin

Question 36

I am a rich source of bioflavonoids that renew arteries and prevent strokes and other hemorrhages. I treat dysentery, diarrhea accompanied by heat signs, and canker sores. As I influence the liver and uterus I am particularly helpful for resolving repressed emotion and their harmful effects on these organs. Caution: I should be eaten sparingly during pregnancy.

Answer 36

Eggplant

Question 37

I detoxify the body. Due to my cold nature and high sugar content I am useful in the treatment of drug addiction (especially alcoholism) marked by heat signs and sugar cravings during withdrawal.

Answer 37

Banana

Question 38

I have a cooling thermal nature; pungent, slightly bitter flavor; diuretic; brighten the eyes; treat summer heat conditions. I can be used for eye inflammation and nearsightedness. I contain abundant pantothenic acid and vitamin A, which benefit rough skin; have more vitamin C than citrus; am a high natural source of sulfur, iron, and B vitamins.

Answer 38

Broccoli

Question 39

If lightly cooked, I will retain my rich chlorophyll content, which will counteract gas formation resulting from my sulfur.

Caution: I have five goitrogenous chemicals which disrupt the body’s ability to use iodine. Avoid me in cases of thyroid deficiency and low iodine.

Answer 39

Broccoli

Question 40

I am rich in potassium, and am used universally for hypertension. Because I can reduce blood pressure, am easy to digest, and also moisten dryness, I am a good food for many elderly people. I am commonly given to children and infants, although I should be used cautiously with children who are cold, inactive, or frail.

Answer 40

Banana