Why was the chicken soup with Codonopsis pilosula fined? You may not know this important truth

Recently, a confinement center in Ningbo was fined for adding Codonopsis pilosula to chicken soup . The center felt very aggrieved: Isn't it very common to add Codonopsis pilosula to chicken soup for confinement? How did I violate the rules? Many netizens also didn't understand: My family does this too. My mother even put Codonopsis pilosula in the soup she made for me!

From the perspective of the management department, the reason is very simple - this matter is illegal. According to relevant regulations, Codonopsis pilosula is not included in the catalog of "medicine and food of the same origin" in my country, and it is not recommended to add medicinal materials to stew soup on a daily basis. In other words, Codonopsis pilosula is different from jujube. It is not a food that is "both food and medicine", but a medicinal material.

Many friends may ask: Isn’t it said that “medicine and food have the same origin”? Why can’t we just add some common medicinal materials?

This involves an important concept: the difference between medicinal materials, ingredients that can be used as both medicine and food, and ordinary food .

The difference is that they have different basic characteristics and are used for different purposes.

As food , it must be highly safe and can be consumed daily by most people without causing obvious adverse changes to the body. Food must have certain nutritional value and certain sensory delicious characteristics.

As for medicines , as the saying goes, "all medicines are poisonous", they are only beneficial to the treatment of some patients, and there are strict quantity restrictions; for other people, they may have adverse effects and disrupt metabolic balance. Medicines do not need to have nutritional value, let alone sensory deliciousness.

Food and medicinal ingredients are somewhere in between the two. They have certain food characteristics, a certain taste and texture, certain nutritional value, and are traditionally used as food, but they still have stronger "medicinal properties" than ordinary foods.

Therefore, food and medicine ingredients are not like rice and Chinese cabbage, which everyone can eat every day. Some people may feel uncomfortable after eating them. Even if they can be eaten, the amount they can eat is limited. For example, lotus seeds and Euryale ferox, although they are food, obviously cannot be eaten in large bowls, but can only be added in small amounts to porridge or soup.

Simply put, as food, the focus is on safety, nutrition and deliciousness. The ability to regulate physiological functions and cure diseases is its secondary function, and this function is relatively weak.

Long-term diet can indeed change the physical condition, but it takes a long time to be effective. People don’t expect to see obvious changes in one day by eating a certain food when they are sick.

Think about it, do we eat Codonopsis for the protein or vitamins? Does it have sensory and delicious properties? Can we eat Codonopsis every day and at will? Traditional medicine believes that it can "replenish Qi", but whether it is necessary to use it and how much to use requires a doctor to determine.

Therefore, it is illegal for a confinement center to use Chinese medicinal materials on breastfeeding mothers without a doctor's prescription, and the fine is not unfair.

Some netizens may say, "The restaurant near my home puts codonopsis in the soup." That is because it has not been found. Even if it is found, it should be punished. Why should we give medicine to diners without knowing their physical constitution?

"My mother also cooked this soup" is even more worthy of reflection. If the mother really knows Chinese medicine, then it is fine. If she does not know, but just heard that a certain herb can "replenish qi" or "replenish blood", and then adds it to the soup and gives it to the child, then it is unsafe. Although the child will not report it, and although no management department will come to fine, this practice should definitely not be encouraged .

No one’s food processing practices are international standards. “How I do it at home” cannot be the criterion for judging safety and harmlessness, let alone a criterion for judging whether something is reasonable and legal.

In fact, many so-called "traditional operations" are not safe. If we follow the regulations of the food industry, most home kitchens cannot meet safety standards. This is also true in the selection of food ingredients.

For example, the country prohibits the addition of borax in food preparation, but some families still use it; the country prohibits the direct use of sodium nitrite (nitrate) in cooking, but some family workshops still use it directly to marinate meat and chicken; the country prohibits the use of yellow lead powder (lead oxide) when making preserved eggs, but a few families still use it. Their reasons are "It has been used this way since ancient times..." "My grandparents have been doing it this way..." "My ancestors have been doing it this way for generations, and nothing has happened..."

The food additives legally used in food processing have all been evaluated for safety, and have undergone various tests such as acute toxicity, subacute toxicity, cumulative toxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, etc., and then they have been given a high level of safety before being used in food in limited quantities. Many people are extremely afraid of such ingredients.

The ingredients used in the "ancient method" at home have clearly been proven by scientific research to pose great safety risks, but as long as they don't "knock people down", they are used illegally without fear.

This is double standards, it is really lamentable.

Let's talk about the use of medicinal herbs in meals. Let's not talk about modern science. According to the thinking of traditional Chinese medicine, healthy people need a balance of yin and yang, cold and heat, and internal organs. It is not possible to promote health by simply eating a medicinal herb. Medicinal diet therapy requires a doctor to give a prescription, and the prescription must be adjusted according to the patient's physical condition. In order to attract diners, laymen in restaurants randomly add Chinese medicinal herbs to meals and soups, which may make some diners with incompatible physical constitutions even more unbalanced, which is harmful rather than beneficial.

Someone asked: "If a mother or mother-in-law adds Codonopsis pilosula to chicken soup for her daughter or daughter-in-law, is it against the law? If I add Codonopsis pilosula to chicken soup myself, is it against the law?"

It is not illegal to add drugs to yourself or your family, but it is not recommended. Even if you use it wrongly, it will only harm your own body. No one will report it, and the relevant departments will not impose penalties for it. But opening a store is to make food for others and make a profit from it, which is different in nature because it may harm other people's bodies, and breaking the law will be punished.

Unfortunately, these situations are often not managed effectively.

To summarize:

1. Do not take any herbs or medicines without a prescription or doctor's advice, even if they are health-care herbs.

2 Food and medicine (herbal medicine) have different purposes and safety . Food is used to provide nutrition and sensory pleasure, and is suitable for most people to eat; medicine (herbal medicine) is used to treat diseases, not for nutrition and deliciousness, and is only suitable for people with certain disease conditions or specific physical conditions who need it. The nature of "food and medicine ingredients" is between the two.

3. Anything with obvious "medicinal properties", including ingredients that can be used as both medicine and food, should not be eaten too much . You should also pay attention to your physical condition and stop eating immediately if you have any adverse reactions.

4. If you use the wrong medicine (herbal medicine) and harm yourself and your family, your family may not report it. However, if you use medicinal materials in violation of regulations in catering institutions, it may affect the health of consumers. Therefore, Chinese laws and regulations prohibit catering institutions from adding medicine (herbal medicine) to food .

Finally, I would like to remind my friends that when dining out, do not rush to eat dishes that claim to "nourish yin and strengthen yang" or "replenish qi and blood". If you want to add various medicinal herbs to your food, it is best to consult a doctor to understand whether the herbs are suitable for you and your family's physical condition, how much is safe to add, and pay attention to observe your body's reactions after eating.

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