FIVE ELEMENTS TABLE
WOOD ELEMENT
sour taste
HOT
(RE)
none
WARM
(WEN)
Vegetables:
sprouts
Fresh herbs:
dill, parsley leaves, cilantro
Spices:
pickled ginger, vinegar: balsamic, apple cider, rice, wine
Meat:
hen, chicken
NEUTRAL
(PIAN)
Grains:
bulgur, spelt
Dairy products:
curd cheese, yeast
COOL
(LIAN)
Grains:
wheat, couscous, bread kvass
Vegetables, leafy greens, herbs:
beet greens, alfalfa sprouts, nasturtium, borage, lamb’s lettuce, sorrel, spinach
Fermented and pickled foods:
sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers (fermented and preserved), pickled radish, marinated olives, marinated vegetables, soy sauce (shoyu, tamari)
Dairy products:
sour cream, white cheese
Fruits and juices:
gooseberry, blueberry, peach, pomegranate, apple, blackberry, mandarin, mango, papaya, oranges, currants, plums, strawberries, grapes, cherries, unripe fruit, apple compote
Drinks:
hawthorn tea, hibiscus tea, fruit teas, champagne, white wine, wheat beer, sauerkraut juice, fresh fruit juices
COLD
(HIAN)
Dairy products:
yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, sour milk
Fruits and juices:
pineapple, kiwi, rhubarb, lemon juice
Drinks:
wheat beer
FIRE ELEMENT
bitter taste
HOT
(RE)
Spices:
fenugreek
Drinks:
bitter liqueur, bitter vodka, mulled wine
Meat:
goat, lamb, mutton
WARM
(WEN)
Grains:
buckwheat, quinoa, toasted grains
Fresh and dried herbs:
basil, summer savory, tarragon, lovage, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, turmeric
Dairy:
goat milk and cheese, sheep cheese
Spices:
sweet paprika, lemon zest, juniper berry, fenugreek, cocoa, poppy seeds
Drinks:
beer, grain coffee, red wine
NEUTRAL
(PIAN)
Grains:
amaranth
Vegetables:
Brussels sprouts
Drinks:
grain coffee
COOL
(LIAN)
Grains:
rye
Vegetables and salads:
eggplant, chicory, endive, artichoke, radicchio, arugula, asparagus, beets
Herbs and spices, fresh and dried:
dandelion, mugwort, zedoary (aromatic turmeric), sage
Fruits and juices:
elderberry, grapefruit, quince
Drinks:
rooibos tea, grain coffee, beer
COLD
(HIAN)
Vegetables and salads:
chicory, endive, iceberg lettuce
Drinks:
black tea, green tea, coffee, Guinness, pilsner
Herbal teas:
burdock root, dandelion root, wormwood, lady’s mantle
EARTH ELEMENT
sweet taste
HOT
(RE)
Spices and herbs:
fennel (seeds), cinnamon
WARM
(WEN)
Grains:
sweet rice (glutinous rice), sorghum
Vegetables:
hokkaido pumpkin, fennel, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, sautéed/stewed onion
Fruits:
peaches, apricots, raisins, sweet cherries, red grapes
Oils and fats:
pumpkin seed oil, rapeseed oil, walnut oil, clarified butter (ghee)
Spices:
cinnamon, caraway, vanilla
Nuts:
coconut (flakes, milk), pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios
Drinks:
liqueur, port, sweet wine, mead
NEUTRAL
(PIAN)
Grains and legumes:
millet groats, corn grits
Vegetables:
potatoes, beets, pumpkin, green beans, green peas, kohlrabi, cabbage (white, red, savoy), carrots, parsley root
Fruits:
dried dates, figs, dried plums, papaya, honeydew melon, pineapple
Mushrooms:
oyster mushroom, wild mushrooms, shiitake
Nuts and seeds:
pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, sesame, sunflower seeds, peanuts
Oils and fats:
peanut oil, sunflower oil, butter
Spices:
saffron, vanilla
Dairy:
butter, cow’s milk, curd cheese (not sour), eggs, full-fat cheese, sweet cream
Meat:
beef, veal
Other:
cane sugar, molasses, honey, marzipan
Drinks:
malt beers, chamomile, corn silk, licorice
COOL
(LIAN)
Grains:
barley, yeast bread
Vegetables:
broccoli, Swiss chard, zucchini, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, eggplant, mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, asparagus, spinach, avocado
Fruits:
bananas, pears, sweet apples, green grapes
Other:
soy milk, tofu, white sugar, kudzu starch
Dairy:
sweet cream
Oils:
flaxseed oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, wheat germ oil
Fresh herbs and spices:
tarragon
Nuts:
cashews
Drinks:
pear and sweet apple juice
COLD
(HIAN)
Vegetables:
cucumber, asparagus, avocado, soy milk
METAL ELEMENT
pungent taste
HOT
(RE)
Spices:
star anise, cinnamon bark, chili, hot curry, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, black pepper, dried ginger
Drinks:
Yogi Tea, whisky, vodka, spirits, mulled wine
WARM
(WEN)
Grains:
oats
Vegetables:
onion, shallot, scallions, leek
Dairy:
strongly fermented cheese, blue cheese, parmesan
Meat:
game: pheasant, wild boar, deer, partridge, quail
Spices and herbs (fresh and dried):
garlic, mustard, cardamom, caraway, cumin, basil, horseradish, coriander, chives, bay leaf, marjoram, hot paprika, parsley, mandarin and orange zest, fresh ginger, black cumin (nigella), dill, black pepper, dried thyme
Drinks:
sake, spirits
NEUTRAL
(PIAN)
Meat:
goose, turkey
Other:
kudzu
COOL
(LIAN)
Grains:
brown rice, barley
Vegetables:
kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, radish, spring radish, celery stalks
Meat:
hare
Drinks:
mint tea, white wine, champagne
WATER ELEMENT
salty taste
HOT
(RE)
none
WARM
(WEN)
Fish and seafood:
cod, flounder, lobster, shrimp, langoustine, sprats, tuna, eel, smoked fish, perch, crabs
Meat:
cured meat, slow-aged ham, dried meat
NEUTRAL
(PIAN)
Legumes:
adzuki beans, peas, lentils, green beans, broad beans
Meat and seafood:
pork, squid, oysters, carp
COOL
(LIAN)
Legumes:
chickpeas, mung beans, dried beans, black soybeans, yellow soybeans
Seafood:
squid, oysters
Other:
olives
COLD
(HIAN)
Seaweed:
arame, hijiki, kombu, nori, wakame, agar-agar (made from seaweed)
Seafood:
caviar, crabs, mussels, crayfish
Spices:
soy sauce, miso, salt