On the basis of an overall analysis of syndromes for differential diagnosis and treatment, the principle of a given dietotherapy is to be established, including the selection of food and medicine and its compounding. This is a crucial part of dietotherapy. Experience demonstrates that besides the flavour and nature of foods, the herbological theory of channel tropism and acting orientation are also of great significance. HerbologicaUy, the problem of channel tropism is based on the theory of relations between the viscera and channel. This is the selective action of herbs on the organism and is of practical importance.
In traditional Chinese medicine, since the lesion of ailment used to transmit from one viscera to another and mutually the involved viscera are affected; hence when compounding a recipe, it is of practical necessity that all the involved channels should be taken into account. This theory is also applicable in dietotherapy. For instance, for habitual constipation in the elderly, the recipe in common use is Semen Pruni porridge, containing Semen Pruni, rice and bee honey. These are all sweet in flavour with respective channel tropism to the spleen, stomach and lungs. The results are always satisfactory. Another example is Fructus Mori porridge, made of Semen Mori, glutinous rice and crystal sugar. It is good for checking dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, and forgetfulness. This recipe is based on the channel tropism of Semen Pruni, and glutinous rice is good to liver and spleen, respectively. Obviously, channel tropism is also important in dietotherapy.
Acting orientation of floating, sinking, ascending and descending indi-cates the tendency and the action of a drug. Ascending and floating refer to a drug's tendency to behave upward and outward, with the capability to disperse and eliminate superficial pathogens, dissipate and eliminate cold-evil and emesis and ascend the yang principle; whereas, descending and sinking refer to those drugs which tend to behave downward and inward. These are also capable of pressing down the abnormal flow of qi, depressing the uprushing yang principle while decreasing sweating, catharlsis, and antiemesis. These theories are also applicable and important in dietotherapy, though not so important and universally applied as they are in pharmacology.
However, for those "collapsed syndromes," such as rectal prolapse, gastroptosis and uterine prolapse, dietotherapy, plus drugs of floating and ascending nature (such as ginseng, Radix Astragali seu Hedysari, and Rhizoma Qimifugae) are always applied. Meantime, for diseases located in the lower part of the body (lower jiao), sinking and descending drugs are often applied, all with satisfactory results.
In administrating dietotherapy, all these theoretical problems should be taken into account in a flexible way, instead of being followed stereotypedly. Under the guidance of these principles, new dietotherapeutic recipes can be formulated.
