| Summary: | 碩士 === 佛光大學 === 文化資產與創意學系 === 98 === According to the records in Shennong’s Herbal Classic, the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. has been the part of traditional Chinese medicine that could act as a tonic for liver and kidney, strengthen muscle and bone, benefits waist and knees and eliminate pain. Through the reorganization of literature, the aims of this study was to understand the traditional theory of medicinal properties of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and food therapy for keeping good health with Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and further to analyze the modern medicinal properties of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and its efficacy in health protection. It was also the goal of this study that with the results of fieldwork, it could provide the busy modern people with the information about how to use “food therapy of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.” to preserve health, prevent the diseases, promote physical health and raise the quality of life.
We found that the ancient people inferred that the Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. has efficacy of strengthening sinews and bones because the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. contains sericin and its shape like the muscle and bone of human body. So, the Chinese cultural conception of “preservation of health with nurturing one part of human body by eating the similar part or shape of other plants or animals” has been fully demonstrated in this case. The traditional Chinese pharmacology concluded the efficacy of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. comes from the thread of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and more threads represent better quality. Modern medical science proved that the real efficacy not came from the thread of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. but other water solubles. The chemical composition of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. contains lignans, cyclic enol ethers, chlorogenic acid, vitamins, amino acids, volatile oil. Modern pharmacological studies have also shown that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. have function of lowering blood pressure, sedation, diuretic and boosting metabolism. It is interesting that the results of modern experiments found that the chemical ingredients contained in the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. were basically similar to the bark and part of its efficacy was even better than bark. Replacing the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. with the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. as modern healthy products is current and future trends.
“Medicine and food having the same origin” are traditional Chinese concept of preservation of health and preservation of health by food therapy has become part of people’s life. The interviews and various surveys in this research found most of people in Taiwan have accepted the idea of food therapy of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. for keeping good health and it was usually used for women in the first month after procreation as herbal recipes and treating back and leg numbness as food therapeutic medicine. But The uses of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. as therapeutic food for preservation of health in Taiwan stay in traditional Chinese herbal tonic phase without in-depth research and clinical experiment on the new health functions of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.. However, in Japan, the products of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. are exported to Southeast Asia, America and Europe that the technology and the change of culture had enrich further the contents of preservation of health with Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and the creative products of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and affected the idea of people on health. From the role of medicine, natural health product, medical raw materials, feed to gutta-percha, products of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. have formed an overall pattern of compressive development and utilization. We hope that one day the cultural assets of preservation of health with Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. in Taiwan could be extended to the world stage.
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