A kind of medicinal bread is popular among young people in China, which incorporates traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) elements.
Soft and buttery with a creamy filling, the bread tastes like an ordinary milk bun at first — until a subtle herbal accent emerged.
The loaves are sold at a bakery affiliated with a traditional Chinese medicine hospital in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, and are fortified with several TCM ingredients such as Chinese angelica, tuckahoe and goji berries.
“It tasted pretty good and the price was reasonable. More importantly, I could tell it actually contained genuine TCM additives, so I will definitely buy some again,” a customer said.
There is similar bakery in Tianjin. The medicinal food workshop at a hospital has introduced products such as the lotus leaf heat-relieving bread, containing Astragalus membranaceus (Huang Qi), and toast of Ophiopogon japonicus, all made with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
Bread infused with TCM ingredients is on display at a bakery in Tianjin.
Media reports show that hospitals in the southwestern province of Guizhou — as well as Tongrentang, a leading TCM brand — are all selling TCM-infused bread products and winning the hearts of customers.
Public Health Awareness Grows
The marrying of modern food with TCM ingredients has gained traction in recent years. Catering businesses have tapped into the trend with TCM-infused ice cream and beverages like milk tea to satisfy younger palates seeking unique flavors.
A number of hospitals have jumped onto the bandwagon and their creations have turned out to be a big hit. Many young people in China are flocking to hospitals to purchase such unique type of Chinese-style foods.
Wang Yi, director of the diet therapy and nutrition department at Beijing-based Guang’anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said these TCM-infused foods build on a TCM practice known as yao shan (药膳), or medicated diet, where ingredients serve both nutritional and medicinal purposes.
According to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, medicated diets have been incorporated into over 400 TCM treatment protocols, 50 TCM nursing guidelines and 20 TCM preventive medicine guidelines.
Wang said that as public health awareness grows in China, medicated foods are gaining wider recognition.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by CNS, China Daily, Global Times.
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