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

Other:
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, chickpeas

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

Drinks:
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, watercress

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:
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

About the Five Elements system

More than a product classification

The Five Elements is a way of looking at the relationships that exist in nature and in the human being. In this approach, flavour, thermal nature, and the qualities assigned to foods are not random - they can offer insight into how a given food acts and in what context it may be most supportive.

This table is designed to make those observations easier in everyday life: while cooking, composing meals, and paying closer attention to how you feel.

How to use it

It is best to treat this tool not as a set of rigid rules, but as a map. What feels nourishing and balancing for one person may be too heavy, too cooling, or too dispersing for someone else.

Over time, certain recurring patterns may become easier to notice: which meals bring a sense of lightness, which lead to heaviness, what feels supportive in a given season, and what only works well from time to time.

Why context matters

Food classifications are only the starting point. What becomes truly meaningful often appears when they are viewed in a wider context - including daily rhythm, digestion, energy levels, preferences, current condition, and recurring tendencies.

This is why many people use such tables as a starting point, while deeper understanding tends to emerge only in relation to their own individual picture.

Connections with modern research

Although the Five Elements theory is traditional in nature, some contemporary studies explore concepts related to it within the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

  • Scientific reviews discuss traditional properties of herbs and foods, such as flavour, thermal nature, and functional associations. Source
  • Some works use mathematical and systems-based models to describe relationships present in traditional TCM theories. Source
  • Qualitative studies examine how traditional classifications can be described and analysed in empirical research. Source
  • Other reviews explore possible links between traditional herb properties and biological processes, for example related to the gut microbiota. Source

These studies do not provide scientific confirmation of the Five Elements theory, but they indicate areas where related concepts are being investigated.

Important note

The information presented in this application is intended for orientation and is based on the traditional model used in TCM. It is not a diagnosis and should not be treated as medical advice.

If you would like to explore these patterns in a more personal and complete way, an individual consultation with a qualified TCM practitioner is recommended.