I can heal myself. 16. The five elements

Since ancient times, the Korean people have lived a life of unity with heaven and man, and many parts of our culture originate from the yin-yang and the five elements. It is incorporated into every aspect of our lives, including not only medicine, but also Taegeukgi, the principles of the creation of Hangul, food, housing, clothing, and music. Sun, Moon, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, which represent a week, also adds the sun and moon, representative of yin and yang, to the five elements, Mokhwa, Earth, and Geumsu. Five-grain rice, Yut play’s dogaegeol yutmo, five-colored jeogori, various traditional foods of five colors, recently popular colored foods, etc…

The concept of the Five Elements first appeared in the booklet “Hongfan (洪範)” in the late Shang Dynasty, at least 3,000 years ago. “The five elements refer to water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. Water has the property of moistening objects and flowing downward, while fire burns objects and flows upward. It has the property of rising, trees have the property of bending and growing straight, iron has the property of freely deforming through manipulation, and soil has the property of growing and harvesting grains. The property of soaking an object and flowing downward produces a salty taste, the property of burning an object and rising upward produces a bitter taste, the property of bending and growing straight creates a sour taste, the property of freely changing through manipulation produces a spicy taste, and the property of growing and harvesting grains produces a sour taste. It is written, “Nature gives it a sweet taste.”

Western nutrition analyzes ingredients and calculates calories to plan meals, so it requires specialized knowledge and effort each time. However, if you understand the principles of the five elements, you can tell which food suits your body just by looking at its color.

“Phytochemicals, plant compounds” are substances produced by plants for the purpose of protecting themselves against ultraviolet rays and the external environment. It is a plant’s defensive secretion substance and is in the spotlight as an antioxidant anti-cancer nutrient that increases immunity. It can be confirmed that the efficacy of each color of vegetables and fruits is almost identical to the efficacy of foods of each color of the five elements.

Our ancestors knew for themselves whether food was suitable for their bodies just by looking at the color and shape of the food, and maintained their health by eating different foods according to the 24 seasons.

Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic