Biochemical Evidence behind the Traditional Chinese Yin Yang Theory in Fruits

摘要

According to the theory of "balance", known in ancient Chinese philosophy as Yin Yang, traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) divides fruits into distinct natures: cold, cool, e-ven, warm and hot. Cold and cool belong to Yin; warm and hot belong to Yang; even is somewhere between Yin and Yang. This categorization describes not the temperature but the fruits intrinsic medicinal function. "Cold or cool" fruits are used to boost the Yin, good for conditions such as feeling overheated, thirsty, constipated or in the presence of dark urine, etc, while "warm or hot" fruits can strengthen the Yang, good for conditions such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. While this theory may appear ridiculous, but these have been the guidelines which have helped generations of Chinese to the present day cope with a variety of physical conditions, often with miraculous results. The purpose of this study is to discover a biochemical explanation for this traditional Chinese medicine practice. To accomplish this, 25 fruits were selected and divided according to their respective natures. The data of eight components of the fruits was analyzed by the Step Multi-variate Discriminate Method. Results indicated that the mineral content could be used as the biochemical parameter for discriminating the fruits natures, which had 96% correct rates of back substitution. The further analysis indicated that copper, iron and magnesium are the major factors for discriminating Yin Yang in fruits, which had 100% correct rates of back substitution. And a mathematic model was established to discriminate Yin Yang in fruits.