Session

 1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

K.P.  Khalsa:    Hello,  welcome  to  Culinary  Herbalism.  We  are  going   to  talk  about  herbs  
and  their  use  in  food  and  how  you  can  help  heal  your  family  and  yourself  by  including  
herbal  medicine  in  your  kitchen   recipes,  your   family   diet,   and  your  day   to  day   ea=ng  
ac=vi=es.  For  session  one,  we  are  going  to  talk  in  general  about  how   herbs  can  be  used  
as  food,   and  how   food   can   be   used   as  medicine.  I   am   Karta  Purkh  Singh  Khalsa.   I've  
been  in  the  natural  healing  field   for   38  years.  During   that  =me   I've  worn   many  hats   or  
turbans  as  the   case  may   be.   I  am  a   massage  therapist,   nutri=onist,   and   an   herbalist.  
Today   I  am   wearing  my   herbal  turban.   So  we  are  going   to   talk   about   herbs  and  their  
benefits  from  food.

These  days   I   do  a   lot   of   work   as   an   industry   scien=st,  helping   companies  with   their  
manufacturing,  quality  control  kinds  of   processes.  And  my  big   specialty  is  as  a  product  
development  specialist.  I've  formulated  hundreds  of   formulas  over  the   years  for   many  
different  companies,   taking   them  from   a  concept  all  the  way  to  a  marketable   usable,  
product.

I  am  the  senior  research  scien=st  and  principal  medical  formulator  for  Yogi  Tea,   which  
means   that  I  come  up  with  the  medical   side  of   the   Yogi  Tea  products.  Going   way  back  
over  30   years  ago,   I  was  the  founder   of   SeaPle's  first  holis=c  clinic.  The  idea  was  to  put  
several   therapists   together   in   an   alterna=ve   kind   of   seQng   so   that   we   could   work  
together  in  case  management,  and  operated  that  for  two  decades.

I'm  coming   to  you  today  from  Eugene  where  I  live.  Eugene  is  a  small  town,   very  green,  
very   environmentally  oriented.   This  is  what  it  looks  like  in  Eugene  and  this  is  where  you  
can   find   me,  where   I   am   presen=ng   this  show   today.   Eugene   is   a  small   town   so   we  
spend  a  lot  of  our  =me  outdoors  doing  recrea=onal  kinds  of  things.

Two   big   rivers   come   together   here,   a   lot   of   ac=vity   around   those   rivers.   Outdoor  
ac=vi=es  are  big.  This  is  taken  right  outside  my   house.  In  Eugene  you  can  ride  a  bike  and  
view  cows  all  the  same  Saturday  aTernoon.  Another  trail  right  outside  my  house,  hiking  
is  big,  I  enjoy  that  kind  of  thing  with  my  family.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

Of   course,  Eugene   is  the  home  of   the  University  of   Oregon,  Track  Town,  USA.  Olympic  
trials   have   been   held   here   a   couple   of   =mes,   very   much   track   oriented   kind   of  
experience  here,  living  in  Eugene.  As  we  all  know  it's  the  land  of  the  re=red  old  hippies.

Some   other   northwest   sites   from   around   the   region,   known   for   salmon,   known   for  
mountains.  But  mostly  we  are  known  for  endless  rain.  Which  is  good,  because  it  allows  
us  to  stay  inside  studying  herbal  medicine.  Rainy,  rainy,  rainy,  that  is  Eugene.  

So  we  are  going   to   talk  about  ea=ng   and  how   your   ea=ng   can  be  developed  in   a  way  
that  allows  you  to  heal  and  stay  healthy.

Ea=ng   is  something  that  we  all  do  every  day.  It's  one   of  the  most  consistent   things  we  
do.  It's  very   habitual.  Most   of   us  eat   three   =mes  a  day   and  oTen   we  eat   kind   of   the  
same   things   over   and   over.   But   in   our   culture,   ea=ng   is   reserved   for   those   kinds  of  
things  that  we  enjoy,  and  that  we  eat  everyday  on  a  regular  basis.  That's  our  food.

In  other  cultures  though,  the  line  between  food  and   medicine  is  much  more  blurry,  and  
people  s=ll  specifically  use  that  line  to  enhance  their  health  by  manipula=ng  their  food  
with  herbal  medicine  and  manipula=ng  their  herbal  medicine  with  food.

So  I   think  a  great  way  to  understand  this  con=nuum  of   food  and  medicine  is  to  relate  to  
herbs  as   gourmet   healing   foods,   specially   selected  foods  that   allow   us   to   bring   their  
healing  quali=es  in,  and  food  as  an  opportunity  literally  to  eat  herbal  medicine.

In  our  culture,   diet  is  something   that  you   just  kind  of   eat   everyday  whatever  you   feel  
like,  whatever  crosses  your  fancy,   that's  your  food.  And  then  when  you  get   busted,  you  
go   to   the   fix   up  guy,  and   you  use  drugs  or   even   if   you   use  herbal   medicine,  the  two  
don't  overlap  very  much.

Just  as  an  example,  here  was  a  study  done  recently  in  the  American   Journal  of   Clinical  
Nutri=on  that   found  that  women  who  ate   fruits  and  vegetables  four  to  ten  servings  a  
day,  had  a  drop  in  cardiovascular  disease  of  up   to  30   percent.  And  these  were   women  
who   already  had  problems  with  their  cardiovascular  system.   Healthy  women  did  even  
bePer  than  that.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

So  if  I  came  to  your  door   and  told  you   that  I  could  drop   your  risk  in  any  given  year  of  
geQng  cardiovascular  disease   by  more  than   a  third,  up  to  40,  maybe  50  percent,  but  
that  would  cost  $10,000,  you'd  be  running  for  your  checkbook.

Now   I   am   going   to   tell   you   that  all   you   have  to   do   is   eat   some   delicious   fruits   and  
vegetables   and   cook   some   herbal   medicine   into   those,   and   your   chances   can   be  
increased  very,  very  substan=ally.

So  the  Ayurvedic  dietary  idea  here  is  a  process  of  understanding  how  our  food   works  in  
a   systema=c   way.   First   we're   going   to   generate   =ssue   by   ea=ng   and   building   using  
things  that  help  to  support  =ssue,  and  generate  health.

The  body  is  going   to  organize  that  by  metabolizing  those  nutrients  and  repairing  =ssues  
that   need  it.   And  then  we  are  going  to  detoxify   or  clean  out  that  whole  process,   and  
start   again.   If  we  are  aware  of   when  during  the   day,  when  during  our  life=me,  we  are  
ea=ng  and   what  herbs  and  foods  we  are  ea=ng   to   facilitate   these  processes  can   go  a  
long  way  toward  enhancing  our  health.

So   this  idea  of   an   overlap  between   herbs   and   food,   there   is   no  specific  defini=on  of  
what  makes  a  food.  We're   looking   at   onions  here.  Are  onions  herbs  or  food?   Well,  it  
depends  on   how   you're   going   to  use  them.   We'll  talk   later   in   this  series  about   many  
ways  to  use  onions  medicinally,  but  of   course  enjoying  an  onion  on  your  sandwich  or  a  
delicious  soup  sure  sounds  like  a  food.

So   this   idea   of   herbal   medicines   as   specially   selected   gourmet   foods   is   a   really  

compelling   idea.   If   we   start   to   break   out   of   that   mold   of   only   certain   things   are  
breakfast  foods  or  only  certain  things  can  be  eaten  as  food,  and  instead  think  of  herbs  
as  tasty   ways  to  add  nourishment  and   healing   proper=es  to  our  food,  it  expands  our  
palate  very,  very  substan=ally.  Again,  every  other  culture  has  done  this  other  than,  let's  
say,  North  America  and  maybe  England.

There's  no  specific  defini=on  of   an   herbal  medicine,   a   medicinal   herb.  They   have  the  
same   ac=ve   ingredients   as   the   foods   that   we   eat.   They   just   tend   to   be   more  
concentrated,   and  so  they're  easier  to   use  in  the  form   of   tea  or  =ncture  or  herbal   soup  
or  however  you're  going  to  use  them.  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

So  here's  a  good  example:  Rosemary.

Rosemary   we  know  that  we  like  as  a   tasty  condiment  that  we  add   to  our  foods,   and  
people  eat  it  for  taste.  But   of  course  rosemary  has  healing   proper=es.  So  when  you're  
ea=ng   a  soup   with   rosemary,  are  you  ea=ng   medicine   or  food?  Let's  take  a  look  at  this  
con=nuum  and  just  talk   about  things  that  we  take  into  our  body  and  how  we  use  those  
things  to  enhance  our  health.

Star=ng   with  the  food  end  of   things  that  are   nourishing  and  certainly  could  be  used   as  
medicine,   but  really  we  typically  take  them   for  their  nutrient  content  all  the  way  up  to  
things  that  are  much  more  drug‑like  and  we  use  for  specific  healing  purposes.

Let's  take  a  look  at  rice.  Rice  certainly  can  be  used  as  a  healing   nutrient,  and   there  are  
many   healthy   diets  based   around   rice  and  many   specific   medicinal  recipes   involving  
rice.   But   fundamentally   we   take   rice   as   a  source   of   protein   and   carbohydrate.   It's  a  
basic  kind  of  food.  We're  not  really  using  rice  as  a  medicine.

One  step   further  up  the  scale,  beets.  We  all  enjoy  them  as  food  on  our  plate.  We  steam  
them.  We  bake   them.   We  have  all  kind  of   ways  to   eat   them.  Mainly  we  use  them   as  
food,  but  of   course  beets  do  have  healing   proper=es  and   we  can  use  beets  in  various  
concentrated  ways  to  treat  specific  kinds  of  condi=ons.

Going   one  more  step  up  the  scale,   if   we  juice  that  beet,  is  it   food   or  medicine  now?  
Well,  it's  certainly   tasty,  and   we  could  mix   that  beet  juice  with  other   kinds   of   herbal  
foods  and  enjoy  the  taste.  But  fundamentally  we  would  use  beet  juice  for  healing,  and  
beet  juice   has  powerful   proper=es  even  though  it's  much  more  food‑like.  I  don't  think  
anybody  would  call  beet  a  healing   herb,   and  yet  trea=ng   something  like  hemorrhoids,  
very  successful  using  beet  juice.

One  more  step  a  liPle  further  up  the  line,  medicinal  mushroom.   Shiitake  is  a  mushroom  
that  we  all  enjoy  ea=ng,  and  we  have  it   in  our  soup.  We  have  it  in  our  s=r‑fry,  an  Asian  
mushroom  that   we   know   has  medicinal   quali=es.   So   are  we  ea=ng   a  food  or   are  we  
consuming  a  medicine?

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

Well,  if   we  eat   a  few   in   our   soup  here  and   there,  we're   geQng  medicinal  food.  If   we  
make  a   point  to  eat  many  shiitakes  a  day,  we  might  have  great  benefit  to  our  immune  
system.   Shiitake   has   shown   much   promise   trea=ng   cancer   and   enhancing   immune  
func=ons  all  the  way  around.

So   shiitake   has   been   made   into   medicinal   kinds   of   prepara=ons   where   the   ac=ve  
ingredients  have  been  concentrated,  and   we  can   buy   this  as  a  supplement.   So   we're  
advancing  up  the  scale  of  medicinal  foods,  and  now  we're  into   that  realm  of  things  that  
are  clearly  supplemental  or  more  therapeu=c  and  concentrated.

Next   on  our  list,   parsley.   Eat   parsley   in   a  salad,   clearly   a  food.  Use  parsley   juice   as  a  
medicine  to   treat  edema,  clearly  therapeu=c.  You  know,  Jane   Fonda  says  in  her  book  
that  in  her  experience  as  an  actress,  where  she  was  always  looking  to  lose  weight  and  a  
few  ounces  made  a  difference  to  the  camera,  that  two  ounces  of   parsley   juice  worked  
as  well  as  the  pharmaceu=cal  diure=c  that  she  had  been  taking.

Hawthorn,  something  that  we're  not   as  familiar  with  in  the  United  States  and  here  we  
buy  it  from  the  health   food  store  as  a  supplement.  We   think  of   it  as  a  medicine.  But  in  
Europe  where  this   grows,  especially  England,  hawthorn  is  considered  to  be  a  food  and  
people  eat  it  regularly.  Hawthorn   grows  in  hedgerows,  where  people  plant  it  to  divide  
their   fields   to   keep   the   animals   from   wandering   through.   And   so   people   have  
thousands  of  acres  of  Hawthorn  berries  available  to  pick  as  food.

They  go  out   and  make  soup   and   jelly   and   all  kinds  of   berry   prepara=ons,   pies,   what  
have  you,  from  Hawthorn.  Clearly   a  food,  Hawthorn  is  a  member   of  the  rose  family,  and  
the  liPle  berries  are  much  like  rosehips  although  it's  closely  related  to  things  like  apples  
and  pears,   so   it  has  that  kind  of   food‑like  quality.  So  we  think   of  it  as  a  medicine,  but  if  
you   lived   in   England   and   you   were  puQng   Hawthorn   jelly   on   your   toast,   you   would  
think  of  it  as  a  food.

A  liPle  further  up  the  line,  we're  geQng  into  things  now  that  we  think  of  as  being  more  
specifically   medicinal.  Ginseng   is  a  good   example.  Ginseng   in  our  culture   we   think  of  
definitely  not  as  a  food   but  as  a  supplement.  You  use  it  as  tea.  You  take  it  in  pills.  You  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

think   of   using   it   for   specific   kinds   of   therapeu=c   purposes   to   enhance   stamina   or  

sexuality.

But  if  you   lived  in  Asia,  you'd  be  used  to  seeing  ginseng   in   a  plethora  of  products  from  
soup   to  tea   to  chewing   gum,  to  any  kind  of   thing  that  you  might  consume   as  a  way  to  
get  ginseng  in  and   people  do.  Perhaps  you've  visited  your  local  oriental  grocery  and  you  
have  seen  fresh  ginseng  available  in  the  produce  sec=on  as  a  vegetable.

You   can  chop   up   ginseng   and  cook   it   into   soup,   you  can  steam  it,   you   can  use  it  as  a  
fruit  like  you  would  other  root  vegetables.  Yes  you'd  use  it  in   smaller  amounts  because  
it  is   a  potent  food.   But   it   actually   has   a   nice  kind   of   sweet   slightly   biPer   taste   that  
people  like  in  their  food.

You   might  choose  to  use  ginseng  in  a  soup,  very  common  way   to  cook  ginseng,   cooking  
it  along   with   other  stamina  enhancing,  immune  enhancing   ingredients,  enjoy  it  for  the  
taste  and  get  some  medicine.

Now   we're   a  liPle  further   up   the  scale   and   we're   looking   at  an   herb   like   Echinacea,  
which  I  don't  think  anybody   would  say   is   a  food.  Yes  you   could  put   some  in   your  salad  
dressing,  but  realis=cally  it  doesn't  taste  very  good.  Really  much  more  drug  like.

So  again  we're  not  thinking  of  Echinacea  as  a  food.  You  could  cook  it  into  your  food  and  
that's  the  whole  topic  of  our  series  here  is  to  how  to  get  these  things  into  your  food  in  a  
tasty  way   that  people  will   enjoy.  But  mainly   it's  used   in   medicinal   kinds   of   forms  like  
capsules  or  =ncture.

Finally,  at  the  end  of  the  scale,  we  are   looking   a  herb   like  foxglove,  an  herb  that   grows  
in  the  Northwest  here  where   I  live,  that's  definitely   not  a  food.   People  get  poisoned  
everyday  using  it,  and  a  piece  of  the  leaf  the  size  of  your  thumbnail  would  kill  you.

So  we  don't  want  people  ea=ng   this  plant.   It's  very  specifically  drug   like.   It   is   used   by  
natural  healing   prac==oners,  but  only   those  that   are  highly  trained.   It's  the  source  of  
the  drug  Digitalis.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

So  therapists  who  are  trained  know  how  to  use  this  product   appropriately  and  use  it  in  
very,   very   minute   amounts   to   control   heart   rhythm.   We   don't   want   this  in   people's  
food.  It's  a  natural  drug  for  all  intents  and  purposes.

So  we've  taken  a   look  at  this   spectrum  here  from   rice  through  beets  all  the  way  up  to  
through  things  like  Hawthorn,   kind  of  in   the  middle,  that  are  definitely  food,  but  strong  
enough  to  be  medicine.

And  then  further  up   the  scale,  things  that  are  more  specifically   medicinal  but   you  could  
use  in  food.  And  at  the  far   end  herbs  that  are  much  more  drug  like,  ginkgo  might  be  an  
herb  in  this  category.  No   one  would   cook  ginkgo  leaves  into  their   food.  We  use  ginkgo  
as  a  specific  kind  of  medicine.

We'll  talk   about  this  en=re  spectrum  throughout   this  en=re  series,  so  you  can  get  an  
idea  how   to  create  food  that's  tasty,  your   family  will  eat,  and  you  can   up  your  content  
of  medicinal  food  substan=ally  and  have  a  great  benefit  in  your  life.  

So,  to  clarify  we  want  to  look  at  food  as  an  opportunity  to  consume  herbal  medicine.

And  honestly   that's  what  most  people  in  the  world   do,  is  think   of   their   daily  diet  as  a  
way  to  enhance  their  health.  Withevery   meal  they're  thinking,  "How  could  I  get  healing  
herbal  medicine  into  this?"

And  remember,  there  is  no  specific  defini=on   of  herbal  medicine.  So  the  eggplant  that  
you   eat   for   dinner   could   be   healing,   the  melon   that   you   have   for   dessert   could   be  
healing  or  we  could  use  things  that  we  think   more  of  as  medicine,   and  use  the  food  like  
aspect  of  our  food  as  a  base  to  work  those  things  in.

And   maybe   even  make  things  that   are  less  tolerable,  less  tasty   into   a  delicious  food,  
kind  of   hide  them  in   the  food.  We'll  talk  about  all  those   possibili=es.   Herbal  medicine,  
we  said  really  is  just  concentrated  food.

So  when  you  are  shopping  at  the  herb  store,  and  you  buy  cloves,  are  those  medicine,  or  
are   they  food?  Well,  we  think   of   them  as  tasty   condiments  here,  but  they  are  a  main  
medicine   for   nervous   system   in   Asia,   for   example.   And   a   diges=ve   aid,   powerful  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

remedies  that  we  think  of  as  medicinal  herbs  but  other   people  in  other  cultures  think  
of  just  as  normal  parts  of  food.

So  this  idea  of  ea=ng  in  a  conscious  way  so  that  you  can   use  every  opportunity   to  work  
your   medicine   into   your   food   and   your   food   into   your   medicine   is   one   of   the   most  
consistent  habits  that   we   have   every  day.   Habitual   ac=vi=es   are  hard  to   change   with  
people  but  once  they  are  changed,  they  become  really  locked  in.

So  we  want  to  create   the  habit  of   health  so  that  every  meal  is  an  opportunity  to  heal,  
and   not  just   be  tasty,   not  just   have  a  great   experience,   but   to   enhance   your  overall  
health.  It's  probably  the  most  basic   building  block  of  good  health.  It's  the  thing  that  we  
do  every  single  day.

Diet  is  probably   the  most  important  thing   that  a  person  can  do   over  their  life=me.  Over  
the   next   50   years   it's   probably   the   most   significant   discussion   you   can   have   with  
yourself   about  how  to  enhance  your  life,  for  the  next  50  days  or  15  minutes,   probably  
less  important.

If  you  are   doing  crisis  control,  the  things  we   think  of  as  foods  like   potatoes  or   carrots,  
while  they  could  be  used  for  medicine,  are  prePy  mild  and  require  a  long   consistent  use  
of  them  to  have  much   benefit.  So  we   are  thinking  long  term   here.  Your  food  is  really  a  
major   tool   for  enhancing   your   good  health,  and  giving  it   a  lot  of   serious  thought,  it  is  
one  of  the  most  profound   things  you   can  do  for  living   a  healthy  life  over  the  course  of  
your   life   and   as   we   talked   about   earlier   maybe   enhancing   your   life   by   20,   30,   40  
percent.

In   our   culture,   we   don't   know   very   many   people   have   done   this.   So   we   think   of   a  
life=me  as  past  middle  age  kind  of  a  long  slow  decay  and   we've  all  seen  elderly  people  
in  our  culture  and  we  know  that  these  ideas  area  not  common  in  our  culture.

But  if  we  think  of   someone  like  Jack  LaLanne,  a  great  example  from  my  experience,  he  
lived   to   be   96   years  old,   and   he   was   going   full   blast   as   a   health   nut   opera=ng   his  
business   and   enjoying   good   health   for   that   en=re   96   years.   I   want   to   be   like   Jack  
Lalanne  for  96  years,  not  like  most   of  the  people   in  my  culture  that  I  see.  So,   I'd   like  to  
make  these  choices.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

My  defini=on  for  these  kinds  of  ideas,  my  defini=on  for   natural  healing  is  the  science  of  
deferred   gra=fica=on   while   s=ll   feeling   great.   Yes,   you   can't   just   make   your   choices  
willy‑nilly,   you   do   have   to   make   some   serious   choices  over   =me,   and   s=ck   to   those  
disciplines.   It   doesn't   mean   that   you   can't   cheat   a  liPle   bit   here   and   there.   In   fact,  
natural  healing   systems   even  tell   you  how  to  cheat,   because  they   know   that   humans  
are  what  they  are.

But  on   the   whole,   if   you  make  great   choices,   each   aTernoon  you're  going   to   have  a  
snack,  and  your  choice  is  an  apple  or   a  Snickers  bar,  if  you  choose  the  apple  most  of  the  
=me,   you're   going   to   be   in   good   shape.   And   very   occasionally,   you   would   eat   the  
Snickers  bar,  no  harm,  no  foul.

So,  diet   is   clearly   the  safest  therapy.   In   terms   of   people   enhancing   their   health,   you  
don't  have   to   consult   a  prac==oner.  There's  nothing   much  that  can  go   too   far  wrong.  
You  choose  your   food  in  a  way  that's  well  balanced  and  tasty,  and  has  a  broad  spectrum  
of   possibili=es.  You   can  work  these  foods   into  your  diet,   and  be  prePy   guaranteed  of  
being  safe.

In   most   cultures,   people   have  had   these   discussions  at   the   dinner   table,   and   talking  
with  their  mom  and  their  aun=es,  and  all   of  their   rela=ves   about  how  to  use   diet  in  a  
healthy   way.  And  they   just  imbibe  this  from  their  earliest  days.  I've  had  conversa=ons  
with   Asian   families,   for   example,   about   Grandpa   says,   "Well,   it's  almost   spring.   The  
weather's  warming  up.   We  should  switch   to  our  spring  diet,  now."  And  mom  says,  "No,  
I   think  there's  some  cold   weather  s=ll  coming,  we  should  s=ck  with  our  winter  diet  for  
another  couple  of  weeks."

People   talk   about   these   things.   Like   we   may   talk   about   baseball   scores   or   what  
happened   on   the   news,   they're  discussing   how   we  can   use  our   food   therapeu=cally.  
And  it's  a  lifelong  interest   to  people.  And  they  apply  it.  They  apply  this  folk  knowledge  
that  everybody  knows.  So,  these  safe,  consistent,  cultural  ideas  of  how  we  can  enhance  
our  health  permeate  most  other  cultures.  And   we  just   lost  these  kinds  of   ideas  in  our  
culture  over  =me.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

Certainly,  your  diet  is  under  your  control.  And  as  an  adult,  you   can  cook  your  own  food.  
Or,  at  the  very  least,  you   can  choose  what  to  eat.  So,  it's  the  ul=mate  self‑care.  You   can  
enjoy  your  food.  You  can  get  healing  benefit  from  your  food.  And  in  fact,  you  can  create  
separate  therapeu=c  diets  for  your  en=re  family.

In   my   family,  my  youngest  daughter  is  s=ll  at  home,  about   to  be  an  empty‑nester.  But  
we  have  three,  very  different  metabolisms  in  my  family.  So,  because  we  all  understand  
these  kinds  of  ideas,  and  we  want  to  be  using  our   diet  to  enhance  our  health,  we  make  
a  basic  main  meal.   And  then  have  three  kinds  of   condiments  that  can  be   adjusted  for  
those  kinds  of  things.

One  of   us,  that's  me,   does  really  well  with  spicy  food;   the   other  two,  not  so  much.  We  
have  to  stay   away  from  spicy   food   for   their   kinds  of   metabolism.   So,  I'm  the  one  who  
gets  to  have  the  spicy  condiments.   Others  might  be  able  to  add   the  building,  grounding  
kinds  of   condiments.  But  one  way  or   another,   you   can  adjust   these  things  and  create  
your  own  system  of  self‑care  that  will   carry  you  through   your  en=re  life,  and  keep  you  
healthy,  and  keep  you  from  having  to  go  that  next  level  of  herbal  medicine.

Chinese   medicine   divides   herbs   into   two   categories:   superior   and   inferior.   Superior  
herbs  are  food‑like  herbs  that  you  use  over   a  long  period  of   =me.  They're  consistent.  
You  take  them  in  small  doses.  And  they  keep  you  healthy.  They  prevent  disease.  Inferior  
herbs  are  drug‑like  herbs  that  are  used  when  you've  broken  the  laws  of  nature,  and  you  
have  to  get  back   into  balance   quickly.   That's   a  great   way  to   understand  where   we're  
going   with   this.   We   want   to   stay   on   the   superior   herb   side.   We'll   talk   about   those  
Chinese  tonic‑herb  concepts  later  in  our  series.

So,  the  act  of  ea=ng  is  as  important  as  the  food  that  you  eat.  We  do  it  three  =mes  a  day.  
We  do  it  with  our  friends.  We  do  it  alone.  But  in   America,   we  mainly  do  it   in   the  car.  
Michael  Pollan  has  a  great  saying   that,  "You  can't   call  it  food  if   you  order  it  from  the  
window  of  your  car."  So,  a  great  slogan.  I  completely  agree  with  that.

Ea=ng   is  probably  the  most  consistent  thing  that  we  do.  We  do  it  at   specific  =mes.  We  
do  it  in  specific  places.   We  do  it  with  certain  people.  It's  a  great  opportunity  to  connect  
our  health   habits  to   those   things.   It's   a  great  =me   to   remember   to   take  your   herbal  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

medicine.   It's   a   great   =me   to   remember   to   sit   and   relax,   and   let   your   food   digest  
consistently  with  each  meal.

So,  as  we   eat   these  three  consistent  meals  a  day,  and   create   these  health‑enhancing  
food‑as‑medicine  habits,  we  have  to   ask   this   ques=on:   When  we're  ea=ng   this  food,  
this   meal,   are  we   ea=ng   food,   or   are  we   ea=ng   medicine?   Well,   we   see  here   some  
things  that  I  think  most  of  us  would  call  herbal  medicines.

But  in  fact,  this  is  set  of   ingredients  for  a  par=cular  kind   of  medicinal  remedy.  We  have  
chilies,  we  have  cardamom,  we  have  fenugreek,   and  we  have  turmeric.  All  are  things  
that  we  think  of  as  condiments  to  enhance  the  taste  of  our  food.  But  sure  enough,  they  
have  very  profound  healing  benefits.

Turmeric,   which   is   the   yellow   powder   that   we   see   here   on   this   slide,   is   the   most  
researched  substance  in  all  of  scien=fic  nutri=on   research   today,  including  drugs  and  all  
other  substances.  And  it's  a  natural  medicine.  It's  an  herb.   Today,  in  2011,   more  than  
one  scien=fic  paper   per  day   is  being  produced  on   turmeric  and   its   extensive  benefits.  
We'll  talk  about  that  herb  in  greater  detail  as  we  progress  in  the  series.

So,  here  we  see  some  things  that  we,  I  think,  would  all  think  of  as  food,  but  in  fact  every  
one  of   these  has  healing   kinds   of   proper=es.  And,   we'll   get   to   discussing  every   single  
one  of   these  foods  that  we   see  here:  Citrus  fruits,  strawberries,  chilis,   asparagus,  they  
all  have  healing  benefits  if   we  use  them  in  a  thoughiul  way  and  consume  large  enough  
quan==es  of  them  to  actually  get  the  therapeu=c  benefit.

Remember,   in   order  to  have  the  opportunity  to   be  able  to  get  these  things  into  our  diet  
that  means  that  we  have   to  eat  them,  instead   of  something  else.  So,  something   has  to  
go,  and  that  probably  means  the  refined   carbohydrates  and  the   processed   foods  that  
people  may   be  ea=ng  now,  and  instead  we'll   eat   strawberries  and   asparagus  that  we  
cook  ourselves.

You  know,  just  as  we  look  at  this  slide  here,  we  see  that  many   of   these  vegetables  here  
are   things  that  are  very  easy   to,  to   prepare.  People  oTen   have  the  sense   that   natural  
foods  ea=ng   is  cumbersome  and   =me  consuming,   but   honestly,   chopping   up  broccoli  
and  throwing  it  in  the  steamer,  you  can  do   that  when  you  come  home  from  a  tough  day  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

at  work.  You  go  take  your  shower,  change  into  your  comfy  clothes,   you   come  back,  your  
dinner  is  ready,  the  whole  thing  took  you  30  seconds.

So,  it's   a  maPer  of   choosing   these   foods   and   which   ones   you're   going   to   find   to   be  
helpful  for  you.  Strawberry,  no  prepara=on  necessary;  asparagus,  some  quick  steaming;  
paPy  pan  squash,  throw  it  in  with  your  asparagus.

So,  it  does  require  a  liPle  bit  of   planning  ahead.   You  can't  just  think  about,   "What  am  I  
going   to   eat  for  dinner?"   and   stop   by   Safeway   for   a  prepared   meal  on  the  way   home.  
You  have  to  have  these  things  in  your  kitchen.

Just  as  a  =p,  when  you're  making  this  transi=on,  let  me  suggest  that  you  sit  down  and  
think  about   what  are  the  easiest  kinds  of  things  that  you  could  do   first  and  make  these  
changes  gradually.  What  we  oTen  see  is  that  people  get  excited  about  food  as  medicine  
and  culinary   herbalism  or   these   natural   healing  ideas.   They   clean  out   all  the  junk  food  
in  their  cupboards  and  then  stand  there  looking  at  an  empty  cupboard.

I  guarantee  you  that  three  months  later   that  cupboard  will  be   filled  up  with  the  same  
things  that  they   just  emp=ed  out.  So,   what  works   much  bePer   is  to   start  with   some  
small   steps.   Change  from   refined   flour   to   whole   wheat   flour.   Change   from  prepared  
vegetables   to   fresh   vegetables,   and   start   with   ones   that   are   easy   to   prepare,   like  
broccoli  and  zucchini,  and  gradually  work  your  way  into  this  transi=on  over  =me.

So,   Ayurveda,   the   ancient   holis=c   healing   system   of   India,   is   probably   the   most  
complicated  and  advanced  and  well‑established  system  of   therapeu=c  ea=ng.  So,  here  
we  see  a   typical  Ayurvedic  meal.  This  is  from  south  India,  so  served  on   a  banana   leaf,  
how  quaint,  and  you  know,  kind  of  family‑oriented.

But,   we  see  things  that  are  very  complex   remedies.   You  know,  I  know  you've  all  been  to  
an   Indian   restaurant.   So,   when   you  see   these  dishes,  you   know   you  never   get   just  a  
plain  lePuce  salad  or  some  steamed   green  beans.  Everything  has  30  ingredients.  These  
were  medicinal   recipes,  originally,  that  were  made  palatable  by  adding  other  kinds  of  
tasty  food.

 
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So,   you   start   with   your   onions,   garlic,   ginger,   cumin   seed,   whatever   other   medicinal  
things,  biPer  melon,   whatever  it's  going  to  be.  And  then  you  add  tasty  spices  and   other  
tasty  ingredients  to  kind  of  offset  those  tastes.   It's  become   a  very  sophis=cated  system  
that  people  study   an  en=re  career  to  learn  to   bring  to  its  ul=mate.  But  the  idea  is  that  
you're   geQng   in   your   healing   with   every   single   meal   and,   it's   delicious   and   tasty.  
Another  example  of  the  banana  leaf  kind  of  food,  but  these  30‑ingredient   remedies  are  
very,  very  common.

Now,  you  want  to  aPack  this  in  a   systema=c  kind  of   way  so  we   know  that  becoming  a  
master  of  Ayurvedic  cooking   isn't  going  to  happen  overnight.  So,  start  with  these  small  
changes.  Observe  the  possibili=es.  Add  these  things  to  your  food.

And   the  rest  of   the  series  we're  going  to  be  talking  about  ways  that  you  can  add  things  
to  the  kinds  of   food  that  you  typically   eat.  And,   I'm  sure  that   you'll  find  ways   to   add,  
maybe  even  ounces  of  herbs  every  day,  to  your  therapeu=c  food  and  enjoy  the  kinds  of  
things  that  you   like  to  eat.  But,  hidden  in  there  somewhere  are  some   beneficial  herbs  
that  help  your  healing.

Well,  Chinese  medicine  is  not  far  behind  Ayurveda,  and  certainly  you  know  that  you  go  
into   a  Chinese   restaurant   and   you   find   these   mul=‑ingredient   kinds  of   recipes.   This,  
again,  was  a  system  that  was  created   as  a  medicinal  system,   and  it's  very  complex,  like  
Ayurveda.

The  dishes   may  tend  to  seem  a  liPle  simpler,  but  again,  as  we  go   through   this   series,  
we'll  look  at  some  examples  of  Chinese  dishes  that  have  dozens  of  ingredients.

Again,  food  as  medicine,  you're  choosing  the  specific  base  foods  that  you're  ea=ng.  Is  it  
broccoli?   Is  it   bok   choy?   Is   it   ginger?   And   using   them   medicinally.   By   the   way,   we're  
used  to  going   to  Chinese  restaurants  and  ordering   chow   mein  and   fried  rice.  But  the  
people  in  the  Chinese  restaurant,  the  cooks,   the  waiter,  the  owner,  are  all  aware  of  this  
therapeu=c  Chinese  medicine  cuisine  idea.

So,  if  you  really   want   to   seem  like  an   interna=onal   gourmet   sophis=cate,   you   can   ask  
them  how  they   can  help  you  with  your  recipes  in   terms  of  your  healing.  You  might  be  

 
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able  to  say,  "I  feel   a  cold  coming  on.   What  could  we   do  today?"   Or,   "My  diges=on  is  a  
liPle  slow,  how  can  we  work  that  through?"

And  oTen  they'll  have  folk  knowledge,  or  cooks  are  oTen  trained  in  therapeu=c  Chinese  
medicine,  and  they  oTen  will  have  things  in  the  restaurant  that's  not  on  the  menu.  And  
you'll  see  their  Asian  clientele  oTen  ea=ng  things  you   don't   know   what   they   are.  And  
you  can  ask,  speak  up,  ask  the  waiter.  They'll  love  it,  and  they'll  be  impressed  with  you.

So,  in  both  of   these  systems  food   is  a  paramount  factor.  It's  the  main  thing,  as  we   said,  
that   you   do  consistently   every   single  day.   And  so,  even  having  to  resort  to  herbs  that  
treat  some  symptoms  is  considered  to  be  a  failure  in  Ayurveda  and  Chinese  medicine,  
TCM,  Tradi=onal  Chinese  Medicine.  So,  both  of  these  systems  think  of  preven=on  as  the  
way   to  go  and  we  prevent  geQng  into   trouble  with  food,  but  food   in  the  bigger  sense,  
food  and  medicinal  food,  food  as  medicine,  medicinal  food  consumed   everyday  so  that  
you  stay  healthy.

From  the  perspec=ve  of   these  systems,  if  you  get  sick,  it's  your  problem.  You  broke  the  
laws  of  nature,  whether  you're  aware  of  it  or  not.  And  now  it's  your  job  to  correct  those  
things.  So,  you   can  go  see  your  herbalist.  They  can  help  you  with  things  that  act  quickly,  
but  their  job  is  to  put  you  back   on  the  right  track  and  then  help  you  with  ea=ng   a  good  
food‑as‑medicine   diet   every   day,   so   that   you   stay   on   that   track   of   health   and  
consistency  while  enjoying  your  delicious  food.

So,  we  want  to   ask  some  ques=ons  about  our  meal  as  we  get  into  these  kinds  of  ideas.  
The  first  one  really,  is,   this   food  is  going   to  become   part  of   me.   These  molecules  are  
literally  going   to  become  part   of  my  =ssues.  Is  this  food  going   to  nourish  my   body,  but  
also  my  mind  and  spirit?  Is  this  what  I  want  to  be  part  of  me  for  the  rest  of  my  life=me?

So,  we  want  to  be  concerned,  not  just   about  the   biochemistry  of   the  food,  but  where  
did  it  come  from?  Was  it  produced  ethically?   Was  it  ecologically  sustainable?   All  those  
kinds  of  ideas  about  our  food,  and  how  we  relate  to  the  things  that  we  put  in  our  body.  
We'd  like  them  to  nourish  all  of   us,  so  that  we  can  feel  healthy   in   every  way  from  ea=ng  
that  food.

 
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The  food's  vibra=on,  it's  going  to  become  a  part  of  me.  Was  it   prepared  with  love?  Was  
it  prepared  locally?   Was  it  prepared  with  proper  balance  between  the  tastes?  Is  it  full  of  
nutrients?  Is  it  a  food  that   just  looks  good,  but  is  full  of  just  empty   calories?  Or,  is  it  a  
food  that's  densely  packed  with  nutrient,  health‑giving  nutrients?

So,  we  want  to  ask   those  ques=ons  and  then  plan  these  things   in   advance  so  that  we  
can  enjoy  our  experience  of  ea=ng  and  move  on  toward  health.  So,  ea=ng  not  only  is  an  
opportunity   to  put  molecules  into  our  body,  but  it's  a  =me  to  get  together  with   other  
people,  or  even  to  eat  silently  and  alone.

But,  it  gives  us  that  chance  to  be  quiet  and  grateful  three  =mes  a  day.  At  least,  just  for  a  
moment,   we  can  stop   and  say,   "Thank  you  that   we  have  this  food   that's  nourishing  our  
body."   We   can   take   that   moment  to   be  quiet.   We   can   turn  off   the   TV.   We  can   stop  
surfing  the  Internet  long  enough  for  our  food  to  be  able  to   digest,  and   just  concentrate  
on  ea=ng  that  delicious  healing  food.

So,  ul=mately  we  want  to   start  educa=ng  ourselves  about  making  choices  for  food  that  
we  can  do  consistently  over  this  life=me.  We  want  to  create  great  rou=nes.   You  know,  
human   beings  are  creatures  of   rou=ne,  and  we  like   to   eat  in  the  same  way,  the  same  
food  in  the  same  kinds  of  prepara=ons  day  aTer  day.

In  fact,   that's  one  of   the  things  that  we  really  encourage  Americans   to   inves=gate,   is  
that  most  Americans  literally   eat   about   10   foods  day   aTer  day   aTer   day.   It   would  be  
bePer   if   that   were   1000   foods,   or   100  foods,   so   that   we'd   get   the   variety   of   these  
nutrients  like  our  ancestors  did  when   they  were  roaming   around,  picking  these  foods  
from  the  wild.

So,  great  ea=ng  rou=nes,  selec=ng  food,  figuring  out  ways  to  know  where  these  things  
are   available.   Start   snooping   around   in   the   produce   sec=on   of   your   grocery   store.  
Inves=gate  some   ethnic  stores,  the  Chinese   herb   store,  the  Indian  herb  store,  the  food  
store.

So,  we   want  to  concentrate  on  foods  that  are  broadly  healing  over  the  long   term,  that  
have   a   broad   variety   of   nutrients.   They   are   nutrient‑packed,   and   can   give   us   the  
nutrients  that  we  need  consistently,  over  =me.

 
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And  then  use  these  more  powerful  herbal  medicines  as  a  way  to  enhance  those  things,  
and  address  our  specific  needs  for  the  season  of  the  year,  the  =me  of   the  day,  the  =me  
of   our   life,  and   whatever's  going   on  in   our   lives,   so   that   we   can  stay   balanced   rather  
than   addressing   crises.   So   ul=mately,   keeping   your   body   balanced   through   this  
approach  is  what  creates  life‑long  health.

Well,   let's  look   at   a  few   books   that   I   recommend   as  ways   to   get   started   with   these  
ideas.  There   are  many,  many  excellent  books  on  the  market,  but  I  think   these  are  ones  
that  you'll   find   beneficial,   that   you  can   easily   find   in   the   book   store,   and   that   you'll  
appreciate  their  perspec=ves.

So,  this   first   one  "The  Healing  Foods"   by  Houseman   and  Hurley,  just  using,  this  is  the  
Western  approach  to  using  food  for  nutri=onal  healing.  A  great  book  as  a  starter.

Michael  Murray  is  an  author  who  puts  out   excellent,  very  well‑researched  professional  
books.  He's   a  naturopathic   physician  educated   at  Bastyr   University,   and   many   of   his  
books   are   the   encyclopedia   of   something:   "The   Encyclopedia   of   Natural   Medicine,"  
"The  Encyclopedia  of   Nutri=onal  Supplements,"   but  he  wrote   a  great  book   on  healing  
foods,  "The  Encyclopedia  of  Healing  Foods."

His  work  tends  to  be  a  liPle  more  technical.  He  is  a  naturopathic  physician.  So,  for  those  
of   you   who   sort   of   like   the   tome,   here   we   can   see   that   he   is   recommending   food  
prescrip=ons  for   70  common  ailments,  so   a  liPle  more  specifically  oriented  but  a  great  
resource  for  finding  out  which  foods  are  really  going   to  help  put   you  back  on  track  and  
keep  you  there.

This  idea  of  food  as  medicine  since  it's  so  foreign  to  us  we   just  have  to  keep  reminding  
ourselves  that  these  foods  do  have  powerful  healing  proper=es  and  we  can  use  them  to  
create   great   benefit.   We'll   look   at   many   of   them   as  we  con=nue   our   series   here  but  
understand  that  to  treat  acute   disorders  like  Murray's  talking   about  here,  we  need  to  
use   substan=al   quan==es   of   these   things.   So   you   might   find   yourself   ea=ng   several  
servings  a  day  of  a  par=cular  food  to  get  the  kind  of  benefit  that  you  are  looking  for.

Well,  a   classic   by   Paul  Pitchford,  "Healing   with   Whole  Foods".  This  is   a  book  from  the  
Asian   perspec=ve.   Asian  medicine   is  very   advanced  in  terms  of   understanding   food  in  

 
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terms  of  its  energe=cs.  What   does  the  food  do  to  your  body?  Does  it  warm  it  up?  Does  
it  cool  it  down?   Does  it  use  foods  as  diure=cs?  Does  it  support  the  =ssues?   So   a  large  
book.   An  excellent  book   from   the   Asian   perspec=ve   about   how  to   use   food   to   treat  
illnesses  and  how  to  remain  healthy.

A   liPle  bit   more  modern  perspec=ve,   James  Duke   is  a   re=red   scien=st   from  the  USDA  
and  he  was  the  official  Department  of  Agriculture  liaison  to  herbal  medicine  systems  all  
over  the  world  in  indigenous  cultures   and  a  good  friend  of   ours,  an   ally  in  the   herbal  
medicine   world.   Dr.   Duke   is   not   a   prac=cing   herbalist.   He's   an   authority   on   herbal  
medicine  and  healing  foods  and  nutri=on.  He's  a  food  and  herbal  scien=st.

So  here  in  this,  his  book,   "A  Guide  to  Healing  Foods"   he  talks  about  80  common  health  
concerns  and  how  to  use  foods  to  treat  them.  Dr.  Duke  is  a  great  advocate  of   using  food  
as  medicine  and  I  know  he  prac=ces  what  he  preaches  and   he  himself  is  in  great  health  
well,  well  into  his  re=rement  aTer  an  extensive,  long  career  as  a  government  scien=st.  
A   good  person  to  get  to  know  and  a  great  author  to  read.  He  has  several  books  out.  This  
is  a  good  star=ng  point.

Dharma  Singh  Khalsa,  personal  friend  of  mine.  "Food  as  Medicine",  This  book  is  liPle  bit  
more  on  the  Ayurvedic  side  and  Dr.  Khalsa  has  looked  at  ways  to  heal  yourself  with  food  
in  every   form  from  juice  to  specifically  craTed  Ayurvedic  recipes  to  dietary  adjustments.  
Anyway,  very   well   laid  out  by   a  very  qualified   medical  doctor  who  specializes  in  brain  
disorders   and   trea=ng   Alzheimer's   and   has   made   some   tremendous   breakthroughs  
using  food  and  medita=on  to  treat  Alzheimer's,  sort  of  known  in  both  areas.   But  a  very  
good,  very  authorita=ve  book  and  an  easy  to  use  book.

One  of   the  trends  we're  seeing   around  the   world  now  and   certainly  beginning  to  show  
up  here   in  America  is  this  food‑as‑medicine  dining  trend.   In  Asia  there  are  many,   many  
restaurants.   This   is  very   common   long   standing   idea   that   are  restaurants,   medicinal  
restaurants  that   you   go  into  for   the  purpose  of   having   delicious  food   but  also  healing  
yourself.

So  you   walk  in,  maybe  there's  a  menu  but  usually  you  just  talk   to  the  maitre‑d'   and  the  
maitre‑d'   says,   "How  are  you  doing   today?"   And  you  say,  "I   have  a  headache  or   I'm  a  

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

liPle  cons=pated  or  I  feel  a  cold   coming  on."   Then  maitre‑d'   says,  "Say  no  more."  And  
the  maitre‑d'   and  the  herbalist  and  chefs  on  that  staff   are  trained  to  look  at  you,  talk  to  
you  and  prepare  a  meal  that  enhances  your  health.

These  are  all  delicious,  here's  an  example  from  Singapore  that's  set  up  in  that   way.  This  
par=cular  restaurant  actually   has  a  health   diagnosis  by  an  in‑house  Chinese  physician,  a  
Chinese  doctor   on  staff  to  do  a  complete  analysis  with  the  pulse  and  tongue  and  talking  
to  you  about  your  symptoms  and  then  the  Chinese  physician  orders  up  the  dinner.

Here's  the   physician's  herb  sec=on  in   this  restaurant.  So  you  can   see  all  the  kinds  of  
things  that  they  use.  Many  of  the  herbs  that  we  see  here  we  actually  will  talk   about  a  
bit  later  but  hundreds  of   herbs  on   site  to  be  able  to  cook  into  your  meal  and   a  help  you  
heal  while  you  enjoy  your  delicious  dinner.  It's   a  great   concept.  This   idea  is  just  barely  
beginning   to  land  on  American  shores  and  there  might  be  a  half  a  dozen  of  these  kinds  
of  restaurants  in  America.

I've   been   to   some   restaurants   like   this,   or   at   least   sort   of   beginning   to   go   in   that  
direc=on  in  San  Francisco  where  of   course   there's  a  large  Asian   popula=on  with  great  
Chinese  restaurants.  So  I'd  recommend  that.

But  to  start  here's  one   located   in  Bellevue,  Washington,  that's  a  suburb  of  SeaPle,   The  
LiPle  Hot  Pot  that's   exactly  designed  for  this  kind   of  idea  in  mind.  And  you  can  choose  
your   specific  kinds  of   foods   based   on   the  menu  or  discussion  with  the  proprietors.   So  
it's  the  beginning   of   bringing   this   idea   of   therapeu=c   food  to   the  Pacific   North‑west  
where  again   we  have  a  large  Asian  popula=on  and  people  that  are  very  knowledgeable  
about  herbal  medicine.

One  of  their  signature  items  is  this  spicy   soup  that  they  say  contains  a  secret  blend  of  
36   herbs.   So   Longan,   Goji   Berries   and   Codonopsis   are   absolutely   just   standard  
workhorse  herbs,  the  pillar  of  Chinese  medicine  that  they  cook  into  their  foods.  So  this  
is  a  soup  designed  to  be   immune  enhancing  and  stamina  enhancing  for  anybody  that  
comes  in.  You  want  to  start  there,  just  order  their  secret,  spicy  soup  with  36  herbs.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

So  you  see  Chinese  medicine  formulas  can  get  prePy   complicated  also  and  then  there  is  
a  plethora  of  other  things  that  you  can  add.  So  ul=mately  our  goal  is  to  choose  quality,  
fresh  foods  that  match  our  par=cular  body  style  and  body  chemistry  and  our  par=cular  
needs,   our   age,   the   energe=cs   of   our   body.   Understand   the   biochemistry   of   these  
foods,  understand  the  energe=cs,  understand  the  availability,  the  seasonality  and  make  
these  choices  with   these  quality  fresh   foods  that  enhance  our  health,  support  health  
and  balance  throughout  our  life.

We   talked   about   Americans   concentra=ng   on   too   few   foods   and   especially   wheat.  
Wheat   is  eaten   for  breakfast,   lunch   and   dinner   and   we  eat   wheat,   wheat   and   more  
wheat  in  America.  Not  that  there  is  anything  in  and  of   itself   wrong  with  wheat  per   se.  
I'm  sure  it's  a  nourishing  food  that  many  people  tolerate  well  but  it's  the  most  common  
food  allergy  in  America.   So  we'd  like  to  encourage   ourselves  to   use  an   assortment  of  
nourishing  foods.

I  recommend  that  people  start  with   at  least  10  different  vegetables,   10  fruits  and  10  
grains  that  will  enhance  their  health.   And  that's  prePy   easy   to  come  up  with   a  list  of  
those  things  and  then  you  just  got  to  the  produce  department  and  make  sure  that  each  
=me   you're  shopping   you   get  10   different   types  of   vegetables.  Instead  of   spinach   and  
broccoli  for  every  meal  you  have  red  cabbage  like  we  see  here,  you  have  asparagus,  you  
have  tomatoes.   So  as  we  get   more  sophis=cated   we  can   begin  to  match  those  to  our  
par=cular  needs  a  liPle  more.  But   a  great  start  is  to  make  sure  that  you're   ea=ng   from  
the  wide  color  palePe  of  the  foods  that  are  available  to  us.

The   next   step   then   in   taking   this   assortment   of   healing   foods  is   to   develop   regular  
habits  and   adjust  your  kitchen  and  your  lifestyle  and  your  procedures   so  that  you   can  
eat  at   the   same   =me  each   day.   You   might  have   a  vegetable   soup   for   breakfast.   You  
know   that   sugar   sweetened   cereal   isn't   the   only   thing   we   can  eat   for   breakfast   and  
bacon  and  eggs  also.  There  are  alterna=ves.  So  you  might  have  this  vegetable  soup  but  
it  might  have  different  vegetables  in  it  each  day  depending  on  the  season  of  the  year   or  
what's  available.  It  might  be  your  kind  of  standard  10  vegetables  soup  or  whatever  you  
enjoy  and  that  keeps  you  healthy.

 
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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

One  thing  is  for  sure,  we  need   to  include  herbs  everyday  in   our  diet  and  here's  a  street  
scene  from  Hong  Kong,  an  herbal  tea  company  that's   open  right  to  the  street.  People  
come  in,   they  enjoy  their  complimentary   tea,  they   can  come  in  and   have  a  tea  made  
specifically  for  them  and  you  can  see  Hong  Kong   business  people   here  who   use  this  as  
their   tea  break,  their  lunch  break.   They're  out  taking  a  walk,  they're  on  errands,   they  
stop  by  and  grab  these  herbs.

The  average  Chinese  person  today  regardless  of  rural,  urban,  their  occupa=on  whatever  
consumes   two   ounces   of   herbal   material   cooked   into   tea.   99   percent   of   Chinese  
herbalism  is  administered  as  tea  so  people  drink  these  teas,  or  soups  would  be  a  bePer  
thing  to  call  them,  to  enhance  their  health  every  single  day.

If  we  took  those  two  ounces  of  herbal  medicine,  ground  it  to  powder  and   packed  it  into  
the   largest   size   capsule   that  we   usually   use.   That   would   be   a  100   capsules  per   day.  
PrePy  daun=ng  for   people  to  take  and  definitely  expensive  but  easy  to  drink  in  the  form  
of   a   tea   or   a   soup.   So   in   a   place,   a   store   like   this   in   Hong   Kong   people   could   get  
everything   from   delicious   tasty   beverage   for   their   aTernoon   break   to   their   serious  
herbal  medicine  to  treat  whatever  condi=on  they  have  and  everything  in  between.

So  we're  not  quite  as  developed  as  this  here.   You're  going  to   have  to  prepare  your  own  
but  I  prepare  an  herbal  soup  made  from  Chinese  herbs  every  single  day   for  myself   and  
drink  an  ounce  of   herbs  everyday   without   fail   as  tea  and  then   the  rest  are  in  various  
forms  like  capsules,  food,  =nctures  whatever  I'm  doing.

So   ul=mately   the  ques=on   is,  "What's  right  for  me?  As  an   individual  how   am   I  going  to  
make  these  choices?"  We're  not  concerned  about  what's  going  to  benefit  other   people,  
we  want  to  know  for  our  family  how  can  we  make  adjustments  that  are  going  to  allow  
us  to  enhance  our  health,  be  prac=cal,  be  doable,  be  available,  be  consistent  and  make  
some  progress  in  health  and  healing?

You   want  to  be  able  to   a  year  from  now  look  back  and  say,  "I  made  some  great  changes  
in  my  life  and  I  sleep  bePer,  I  awaken  feeling  more  refreshed,  my  diges=on  feels  great,  
my  bowel  habits  are  fine,  my  sexual  life  is  wonderful  and  I've  adjusted  that  right  for  me.  
I've  threaded  that  needle  in   my   par=cular  life  to  figure  out  how  I  can  get  to  that  goal  

 
©2011  [Link]  LLC,  All  rights  reserved.  Culinary  Herbalism  with  K.P.  Khalsa.  This  page  may  not  be  copied,  sold,  or  reproduced.

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 Session  1:  Introduc0on                                                                                    Transcripts

and  make  it  work  for  me  personally  in  a  way  that  I   can  do  everyday  that's   consistent  
and  prac=cal."

You  know  when  people  come  into  my   kitchen  they   oTen  don't  see   many  of  the  things  
that  they're  used  to  seeing  and  they  see  some  things  that  are  new  to  them.  But  that's  a  
result   of   almost   40   years   of   inves=ga=ng   these   kinds  of   ideas   and   puQng   together  
things  so   that  we   know  we  have  those  things  there.  We  want  to  make  vegetable   soup  
for  dinner,  we  know   we're  going  to  be  have  the  vegetables,  we  know  we  want  to  cook  a  
specific  Chinese  herb  into  that  soup  we  know  it's  going  to  be  there  because  we  made  a  
point  to  have  that  on  hand.

So  it's  going   to  take  a  while   for  these   things  to   come  together.  Slowly   but   surely   you  
replace  some  of  the  things  that  are  not  health  enhancing   with  the   things  that  are  and  
you'll  be  able   to   answer   this  ques=on,  "What's  right   for  me?"   Thanks  very  much.  See  
you  in  session  two.

 
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