A Comprehensive Analysis of the Latest 106 Food-Medicine Homology Substances: A Practical Guide from Policy to Application

The concept of “medicine and food sharing a common origin” is attracting increasing attention as traditional dietary culture and modern health principles become deeply intertwined. Relevant national authorities, by continuously refining catalog‑based management, have provided an authoritative framework for the public to scientifically utilize ingredients that offer both nutritional benefits and therapeutic effects. This article systematically reviews the latest 2025 list of medicine–food homologous substances and the associated policy guidelines, helping you gain a comprehensive understanding of the key information in this field.

01. Policy Background and Catalogue Evolution of Substances with Both Medicinal and Dietary Uses

Substances that are both food and medicine—referred to as “food‑medicine substances”—are unique elements of China’s culinary cultural heritage, defined as “substances that have traditionally been used as both food and Chinese medicinal materials.”

In accordance with the provisions of the Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China: “Pharmaceuticals shall not be added to food intended for production and operation; however, substances that are traditionally both food and Chinese medicinal materials may be added.” This provision clarifies the legal status of substances traditionally regarded as both food and medicine, thereby ensuring their appropriate use in the food sector.

As of 2025, the State Council’s health administrative department has issued, in four batches, a list of substances with both medicinal and food properties, totaling 106 items, as follows:

I. The First Batch of Basic Catalogs (Wei Fa Jian Fa [2002] No. 51)

It encompasses 87 substances, laying the foundational framework for the “medicine–food homology” system: cloves, star anise, sword bean, fennel, thistle, Chinese yam, hawthorn, purslane, black rat snake, black plum, papaya, hemp seed, orange blossom, polygonatum, licorice, angelica root, ginkgo nut, hyacinth bean, hyacinth bean flower, longan aril (longan), cassia seeds, lily, nutmeg, cinnamon, emblic myrobalan, fingered citron, sweet and bitter almonds, sea buckthorn, oyster shell, Euryale ferox, Sichuan pepper, adzuki beans, donkey-hide glue, chicken gizzard lining, malt, kelp, jujubes (large jujube, sour jujube, black jujube), monk fruit, apricot kernel, honeysuckle, green olive, fishmint, ginger (fresh ginger, dried ginger), ziziphus seed, goji berry, gardenia, amomum, tamarind, poria, citron, elsholtzia, peach kernel, mulberry leaf, mulberry fruit, tangerine peel, platycodon, cardamom, lotus leaf, radish seed, lotus seed, galangal, bamboo leaf, fermented soybean, chrysanthemum, chicory, mustard seed, polygonatum, perilla, perilla seed, kudzu root, black sesame, black pepper, sophora buds, sophora flowers, dandelion, honey, torreya seeds, sour jujube seed, fresh white grass root, fresh reed root, viper, tangerine peel, peppermint, coix seed, Chinese onion, raspberry, patchouli.

II. Newly Added Catalog in 2019 (Announcement No. 8 of 2019)

Six new substances have been added, further expanding the range of food‑medicine‑common ingredients: Angelica sinensis, Kaempferia galanga, Saffron (also known as “saffron” in spices and seasonings), Amomum tsao-ko, Curcuma longa, and Piper nigrum.

III. Newly Added Catalog for 2023 (Announcement No. 9 of 2023)

Nine additional substances have been added, incorporating more Chinese medicinal materials with a long-standing tradition of widespread consumption: Codonopsis pilosula, Cistanche deserticola, Dendrobium officinale, American ginseng, Astragalus membranaceus, Ganoderma lucidum, Cornus officinalis, Gastrodia elata, and Eucommia ulmoides leaves.

IV. New Catalog for 2024

Four new substances have been added, further enhancing the system of medicinal and food homology: Rehmannia glutinosa, Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus cochinchinensis, and Citrus reticulata Blanco peel.

02, Regulations on the Classification and Management of Relevant Substances

In addition to substances that are both food and medicine, the state implements a categorized management system for the use of traditional Chinese medicinal materials in the food sector, clearly defining the scope of application for each category. Special attention should be paid to the following three lists:

I. List of Traditional Chinese Medicinals Permitted for Use in Health Foods (Selected Common Varieties)

Such substances may not be used directly as ordinary food ingredients; they may only be employed in health foods. These include: ginseng, notoginseng, smilax glabra, ligustrum lucidum fruit, fritillaria bulb, chuanxiong, salvia miltiorrhiza, schisandra berry, gastrodia elata, pseudostellaria heterophylla, morinda officinalis, Aucklandia lappa, adenophora stricta, dendrobium, angelica sinensis, rhodiola rosea, panax quinquefolius, eucommia bark, aloe vera, ophiopogon japonicus, tortoise shell, prepared polygonum multiflorum, acanthopanax senticosus, astragalus membranaceus, ginkgo leaf, and propolis, among others.

II. List of Traditional Chinese Medicines Prohibited in Health Foods (Due to Significant Toxicity or Adverse Effects)

Due to safety concerns, the following substances are strictly prohibited from being used in health foods: Aconitum carmichaelii, Cannabis sativa, Semen Euphorbiae, Aconitum kusnezoffii, Strychnos nux‑vomica, Hyoscyamus niger, Croton tiglium, mercury, Euphorbia kansui, raw Arisaema erubescens, raw Pinellia ternata, Baijiangdan, Aristolochia fangchi, cinnabar, poppy husks (poppy shells), Taxus chinensis, red lead, Strophanthus gratus, pufferfish, Rhododendron molle, arsenic trioxide (including arsenic oxide), Aconitum sinense, Tripterygium wilfordii, Veratrum, and toad venom, among others.

III. Clarification of the List of Products Not Classified as Ordinary Food

The following substances may not be used as ordinary food ingredients and require special attention: American ginseng (Note: It was added to the Catalogue of Substances with Both Food and Medicinal Uses in 2023; this classification reflects the situation prior to that policy adjustment, and the current status is governed by the latest catalogue), cod liver oil, Ganoderma lucidum (red‑gilled variety), purple‑gilled Ganoderma, cordyceps sinensis, lotus seed hearts, lavender, soybean isoflavones, Ganoderma spore powder, deer antler, turtle shell, and others.

IV. List of Foods Clearly Classified as Ordinary Foods

Such substances may be used directly as ordinary foods. Common examples include: white‑haired silver dew plum, yellow gelatin, trehalose, five‑fingered hairy peach, burdock root, sea buckthorn leaves, corn silk, rose flowers (double‑petal red roses), grass jelly herb (xiancao), tamarind, prickly pear, silkworm pupae, spirulina, konjac, buckwheat pollen, pine pollen, and cauliflower pollen, among others.

03, Classification of Food Properties in Traditional Medicine

Throughout history, materia medica texts have systematically documented the health‑promoting and therapeutic effects of foods, which can be categorized according to their functions, providing a useful reference for everyday dietary regulation:

I. Foods with Health-Promoting Effects

•Enhancing Hearing: lotus seeds, Chinese yam, water chestnuts, honey, and more

• Improving eyesight: Chinese yam, goji berries, pork liver, lamb liver, abalone, and more.

• Hair Growth and Nourishment: White sesame seeds, chives seeds, walnut kernels, abalone

•For darkening hair and beard: black sesame, walnut kernels, and barley.

• Beauty-enhancing ingredients: goji berries, cherries, lychees, Chinese yam, and milk

• Dental health: Sichuan pepper, water celery, and lettuce stems

• Weight management (reducing obesity): Water chestnuts, lotus leaves, oats

• Enhancing Intelligence (Brain Health): Walnuts, Grapes, Longan, Chinese Yam, Black Sesame Seeds

• Calming the Shen (promoting sleep): lotus seeds, sour jujube, lily bulbs, longan, and oyster meat

• Strengthen bones and muscles: chestnuts, sour jujubes, and loaches

  II. Foods with Therapeutic Effects

•Dispelling wind-cold (for wind-cold common cold): ginger, scallions, mustard greens, cilantro

•Dispelling wind-heat (wind-heat common cold): tea leaves, fermented soybeans, star fruit

•Clearing heat and draining fire (for excessive internal heat): bitter melon, lily bulbs, watermelon, century eggs

•Clearing heat and generating fluids (dry-heat injury to body fluids): sugarcane, tomato, apple, melon

• Strengthening the Spleen and Harmonizing the Stomach (Spleen-Stomach Disharmony): pumpkin, Chinese yam, jujubes, glutinous rice, and pig stomach

• Relieves cough and eases asthma (coughing and wheezing): lily, pear, loquat, almond, ginkgo nuts

• Diuretic effects (edema, difficulty urinating): corn, adzuki beans, winter melon, carp

• Relieve constipation: spinach, bananas, honey, bamboo shoots

• Tonifying Qi (for Qi deficiency): Chinese yam, jujubes, chicken, beef, and crucian carp

• Tonifying the blood (for blood deficiency): mulberries, spinach, lamb, pork liver, and soft-shelled turtle

• Tonifying Yang (for Yang Deficiency): walnut kernels, Chinese chives, lamb, dog meat, and sea shrimp

• Nourishing Yin (for Yin deficiency): white fungus, milk, soft-shelled turtle, cuttlefish, pork skin

Practical Tips

1. Follow traditional consumption methods The use of substances with both medicinal and food properties should conform to traditional dietary practices and avoid excessive processing or overuse.

2. Pay attention to individual differences: Some substances (such as donkey-hide gelatin and honey) may trigger allergic reactions, and special populations—including pregnant women, infants and young children, and individuals with chronic illnesses—should consume them with caution.

3. Monitor policy developments: The catalog of foods with both medicinal and food uses is subject to ongoing updates; producers and operators must refer to the most recent official announcements to ensure compliant use.

  By scientifically understanding substances that embody the principle of “food and medicine sharing a common origin,” we can both preserve traditional dietary wisdom and contribute to modern healthy living. Only through thoughtful combination and moderate consumption can their optimal “synergy between food and medicine” be realized.

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