Edition 13: Medieval Medicine as a Modern Solution?

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From Luke Daly

The Latest: Medieval Medicine as a Modern Solution?

Amid a surge in chronic health issues like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, researchers are turning to an ancient source for potential solutions: food as medicine. A new study sheds light on how a 14th-century text might hold the key to improving modern health.

the concept of medicine and food homology in Yinshan Zhengyao provides important insights into modern health management. Developing this concept requires not only preserving its traditional essence but also integrating it with modern science, updating ingredients, promoting the concept, fostering interdisciplinary integration, and adapting it to contemporary needs. This approach is essential for achieving sustainable, comprehensive, and innovative development in modern health management.

A team of Chinese and Mongolian researchers has explored Yinshan Zhengyao, a work written in 1330 by Hu Sihui, the Yuan Dynasty's Imperial Dietician. Described as "the first nutritional science treatise in the world," this remarkable text offers a holistic approach to diet for preventive health, with over 200 recipes for soups and elixirs, and detailed descriptions of 232 foods and 174 medicinal plants. Drawing on knowledge from Chinese, Mongol, and Arab sources, Hu Sihui provides a rich blend of dietary and medical wisdom, emphasizing the importance of quality food in maintaining well-being.

The researchers hope that the teachings of Yinshan Zhengyao can offer fresh insights into using food as a tool for health, complementing modern knowledge of genetics and metabolism. According to Min-Hui Li, lead author of the study, the text details dietary therapies that regulate digestion, respiration, the endocrine system, and the nervous system, and support organ health. By viewing food as medicine, the philosophy encourages society to treat food not only as a source of energy but as a key to longevity.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of balance is central, with diseases stemming from bodily imbalances. For example, the kidneys are linked to reproductive health and fluid regulation, and treating one organ can create a ripple effect throughout the body. Yinshan Zhengyao echoes this idea, highlighting the interplay between different aspects of health.

The researchers see an opportunity to integrate the ancient wisdom of Yinshan Zhengyao with modern therapies and knowledge. They argue that the concept of "medicine and food homology" in the text is still relevant today, providing a foundation for innovative health management. By combining traditional principles with modern science, updating ingredients, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, they envision a comprehensive approach that supports sustainable and effective health solutions.

Yet... Perhaps not all medieval medicine

The concept of the four humours, ushered in by Hippocrates and perpetuated by subsequent thinkers in antiquity, represents a pivotal crossroad of naturalistic knowledge, philosophy, and science. This fusion aimed to construct an understanding of the human body in relation to the surrounding world. In its essence, the theory identified four primary humours: red blood (sanguine), yellow bile (choleric), black bile (melancholic), and phlegm (phlegmatic). These bodily fluids were intricately linked to the four elements, the qualities of cold, hot, moist, and dry, the four seasons, and even celestial bodies. The pursuit of health, therefore, was to find harmony among these humours. Any deviation from this balance indicated potential illness. But it made sense to ancient doctors that if someone had a fever and was too hot, then they had an excess of blood and yellow bile (both of which represented heat) and therefore would be cured by bloodletting and eating 'cool' foods such as lettuce.

This humoral theory persisted through medieval and early modern periods but quickly diverted into the realms of gender. It was believed that female softness and weakness were attributed to their cool composition, while male strength and hardness were generated by their hot and dry climate. As such, by expelling one's semen he could cool his temperate and become more feminine.

With stirrings of lust, men could equally be psychologically "feminised" by becoming emotionally attached to their partner and less independent. The fear was that a feminised man could reverse the moral order which held men as those in charge of society. Yet, this perception of manly control extended as far as homosexual relationships as whilst it was deemed perfectly acceptable to be active in one, it was the partner in the passive role who received penetration that was frowned upon and understood as being feminine. In fact, even oral sex with a female was condemned as it too reversed the social hierarchy. These prohibitions and condemnations, however, were closely tied to public roles in the ancient world, with moral codes being determined by a "fear of effeminacy and of emotional dependence" as well as "fears based on a need to maintain a public image as an effective upper-class male, rather than any qualms about sexuality itself."

These were the views inherited by Medieval thinkers, that "masculinity" originated in the genitals; that manhood was as fragile as the sperm that carried it; and that sexuality was not unbridled lust, but rather a carefully measured and balanced behaviour. Female sexuality was, for the most part, the opposite of the above but equally as linked to biology.

So perhaps we should pick and choose what we draw from the past.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We look forward to unravelling more historical wonders with you in the coming months. Until next time!

Warmest regards,

Luke