In the realm of the energetics of food and natural medicines a common denominator connecting traditional systems of medicine is the classification of foods and natural medicines by their energetic attributes. Simple concepts such as heat, cold, dryness, and moisture are utilized and correlate intimately with the tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, pungent, and salty.
These energetic concepts correspond with all body parts and organs, all bodily functions, diseases and ailments, emotions, and mental health. These terms can indicate a very literal meaning, but largely are symbolic of more vast concepts.
For example:
The energetics of food and natural medicines can be used sympathetically and antipathetically. This is to improve health, homeostasis, and act preventatively.
Antipathetic treatment consists of using opposing energetic values in order to restore balance. Hot symptoms treated with cooling substances, dry with wet etc. The aim here is not to be extreme, but to accurately gauge the severity of the energetic presentation of symptoms.
With this approach, balance is achieved without going too far to either end of the energetic spectrum involved. For instance, mild heat symptoms can be resolved with cooling but not cold treatments etc.
Here are examples of antipathetic treatment strategy:
Homeopathic and other specialized types of extracts can be applied as a sympathetic treatment, such as the case of an allergen being used to treat an allergy.
Examples of this include using pollen to treat a pollen allergy, or bee venom to treat a bee sting allergy. Regarding sympathetic treatment, spagyric essences and homeopathic dilutions of spagyric tinctures can be employed.
Other examples of sympathetic treatment include:
Rather than a linear spectrum, these energetic concepts are truly circular, one polarity leading into the next. This helps the understanding of how both sympathetic and antipathetic treatment strategy can be used to achieve balance.
As mentioned, the tastes are intimately involved with the energetics of foods and herbs. Tastes are a key and obvious indicator of overall energetic values.
Although simple at first glance, the fundamental concepts of traditional energetics of food and medicine delve deeply into the complex nuances of health. They are now reclaiming their rightful place in harmony with modern perspectives and sciences.
A recent interpretation using modern terminology is the “six tissue states” system, which focuses on metabolism, fluids, and tone as follows:
Armed with the basic principles of energetics, we are much more apt to program our diet and medicine in a personalized way. Often people wonder, why does this herb work for a condition in one person and not in another?
This discrepancy can often be boiled down to the unique energetic blueprint of everyone. A flu virus for example, can present in a wide variety of symptoms, depending upon the energetic architecture of its “host”.
There is no one size fits all; treat the person, not the disease!