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Eggplant belongs to the category of cold-natured foods; this distinguishes the cold and hot properties among melons, vegetables, and fruits.
Regarding fruit products, such as longan, lychee, jujube, maltose, granulated sugar, white sugar, lotus seeds, grapes, honey, walnuts, bayberries, papaya, olives, green peaches, plums, and chestnuts, they are of warm nature; Torreya seeds, Polygonatum rhizome, loquat, green plums, and peanuts are of neutral nature; pears, water caltrops, lotus roots, orange pulp, water chestnuts (Eleocharis tuberosa), lily bulbs, sugarcane, ginkgo nuts, dried persimmons, and persimmon frost are of cold nature; however, raw plums have a warm nature, and excessive consumption generates phlegm and aids heat pathogens; raw peaches have a dry nature, and excessive consumption aids heat and generates toxicity. This distinguishes the cold and hot properties among fruits.
Regarding poultry and beast meats, such as chicken, duck, partridge, francolinin, dog meat, mutton, beef, venison, deer tendon, and cat meat, they are extremely warm in nature; swallows, turtle doves, goose meat, stork meat, wild duck meat, bamboo chickens, and pork are extremely neutral in nature; rabbit meat, elk meat, and elk tendon are extremely cold in nature; however, although partridge, chicken, and francolinin are warm, they may inevitably cause wind-stirring and toxin-accumulating harm; although pork is neutral, excessive consumption may inevitably lead to phlegm generation. This distinguishes the cold and hot properties among poultry and beasts.
Other than fish, turtles, tortoises, shellfish, and insects: Crucian carp, silver carp, hilsa shad, sea shrimp, and eel are all of warm nature; common carp, shark, abalone, loach, paper fish (a type of small fish), and cuttlefish are all of neutral nature; snakehead fish, eel, pond frogs, crabs, soft-shell turtle meat, tortoise meat, river snails, and clam meat are all of cold nature; however, shrimp meat is dry in nature and may inevitably cause wind-stirring and fire-assisting changes; turtles and crabs are cold in nature and slightly toxic, and may inevitably cause qi-dispersion and blood-breaking risks. This distinguishes the cold and hot properties among fish, turtles, shellfish, and insects. Furthermore, among these flavors, those with pungent aromas and strong odors aid fire and dissipate qi; those with heavy tastes and sweetness aid warmth and generate phlegm; those with soft and slippery textures promote bowel movement and relieve constipation; those with hard and tough textures are difficult to digest; if not cooked thoroughly, ingestion leads to qi stagnation. One must carefully examine whether these foods match the deficiency or excess patterns of the patient's condition to achieve health preservation benefits, which surpasses taking numerous medicines.
The above are the general principles of tonification methods. The following are the symptoms indicating the need for tonification:
Symptoms requiring Qi tonification: sallow complexion, faint voice, weakness in the four limbs, shortness of breath and lack of strength, panting after exertion, epigastric fullness with excessive phlegm, indigestion with acid regurgitation, dizziness with spontaneous sweating, diarrhea, cough with shortness of breath, white and tender tongue coating, or pale red and moist tongue.
Symptoms requiring Blood tonification: pale face and lips, dizziness and vertigo, restless sleep, five-palm heat with thirst, mental restlessness, depletion of body fluids, forgetfulness and palpitations, dry intestines with difficult defecation, dry mouth and tongue, mouth and tongue ulcers, tender red and dry tongue coating, crimson base with floating white coating, or crimson and dry tongue.
Symptoms requiring Yin tonification: emaciation, deafness and vertigo, blurred vision, mental fatigue and somnolence, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, bone joint pain, seminal emission during dreams, heel pain; salty-tasting expectoration, night sweats and hemoptysis, blood-streaked sputum, cough and wheezing; floating deficiency fire with red eyes and malar flush, extreme thirst and irritability, crimson tongue without coating, or black and dry tongue without prickles; thirst persists and fever worsens after taking cooling herbs; vexatious heat intensifies after taking purgatives; tongue coating grows longer or becomes more cracked and prickle-like after purgatives; urination becomes more obstructed after using diuretics; bone and joint pain throughout the body becomes immovable after using dispersing herbs.
Symptoms requiring Yang tonification: profuse cold sweat, body coldness persisting for days after sweating, loss of appetite, abdominal distension and pain, clear and frequent urination, loose stools with undigested food, water overflowing to form phlegm resembling white foam; vomiting and epigastric fullness worsen with clearing and descending herbs; diarrhea worsens with purgative herbs; even cold extremities, abdominal pain with flushed face, pale red and swollen-tender tongue, or slightly white and thick-coated tongue.