If you are someone like me who feels queasy just by walking into a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) pharmacy in China and seeing the medicines on the shelves that include lion bones and bear bile and other weird and unidentifiable things, keep reading. There is a food therapy concept within TCM that is accessible for Westerners to comprehend and attempt. While I’ll leave the treating of major ailments to the TCM professionals, I’ve put together a list of foods that women can eat to beautify themselves.These foods aren’t nearly as sexy as what men should eat for better sex (a list that includes among other things tiger penises, snakes, and lamb kidneys), but they are easier to find and definitely easier to stomach.

Chinese medicine operates upon the philosophy of balance between Yin and Yang and is closely linked with food. Foods are divided into one of two categories: “cold” (Yin) and “hot” (Yang) foods. Many raw vegetables and fruits are classified as cold foods and believed to slow the body’s internal processes while calorie-rich foods are thought to stimulate the body’s organs and blood flow. If there is something wrong with you, you need to look at your self as a whole and consider what you eat. The outside of your body (i.e. your skin, hair, eyes) is a reflection of the health and balance within your body.

Even if you’re skeptical of TCM, having an understanding of the role it plays in peoples’ lives in China today and the philosophy behind it provides a valuable insight into Chinese culture. And a medical practice that has been around for thousands of years must have some validity, right?

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1) Bigger breasts
According to TCM, soy foods such as tofu and soymilk boost breast health. The isoflavones contained in soybeans effect estrogen levels in women and can lead to larger, firmer breasts.

Having a healthy liver also affects your breasts. A sickly liver will cause your breasts to sag. Make sure you are eating lots of white turnips, oranges, and oysters which promote the circulation of qi to your liver and throughout your body. Food therapy may not make you look like Pamela Anderson, but the word on the street is that you will achieve noticeable results.

2) Whiter skin
A hotel I recently stayed at in sunny Hainan Island, had complimentary “skin whitening soap” in the shower for me to use—no thanks! The reason I had in fact come to Hainan was for fun in the sun and a tan. However, many women in Asian cultures prefer their skin to be as white a possible and there are hundreds of cosmetic creams and tonics available for that sole purpose. If you want whiter skin, you should increase your intake of vitamin C-rich foods like jujubes, tomatoes, chilies, peas, and fresh leafy green vegetables.

3) Reduce wrinkles
Tomatoes contain lycopene which is thought to restore the skin’s smoothness, youthfulness and clarity and help combat wrinkles. Eating tomatoes in any form is desirable and will help, however cooking the tomatoes first will increase the amount of lycopene absorbed by your body. Tomato soup is a good example of a lycopen-rich food.

4) Lose weight
Here’s something you’ve probably never heard before: If you want to lose weight, skip the salad. Chinese medicine views the body’s digestive system as a furnace. Eating raw vegetables and foods classified as “cold” like salads only slow down the furnace and make the body burn fewer calories. Instead, eat “hot” foods that have been cooked, like cabbage, celery, brussel sprouts, fish, hot peppers and ginger. These will speed up your matabolism and get you in bikini-shape.Drinking lots of pu’er tea also helps. It aids in digestion, flushes fat from the body and is a diuretic.

5) Thicker, shinier hair
According to TCM, hair loss and dull hair is caused by a Yin deficiency. A good way to start remedying this is by eating oatmeal topped with 2 tablespoons of walnuts and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds once or twice a day. You can also add honey, mulberries and grapes to the oatmeal to nourish the hair.

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6) Get rid of pimples and acne
Many forms of acne and pimples are thought to be caused by too much heat within the body. Food that heats up your body can over-stimulate your hormones and also create rashes on your skin. To get clearer skin, work more calming Yin foods into your diet like eggplant, lotus root, mango, duck, and watermelon.

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Keywords: Beauty foods China beautifying foods Chinese medicine foods that beautify women Chinese medicine beauty foods