The Five Elements Cookbook: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine with Recipes for Everyday Healing Hardcover – February 14, 2023

So I’m really not one for reviews, but I had to write one. If I tried to find the words to describe just how much this cookbook has been lighting me up, I’d be here all day. It’s truly reignited my interest in cooking. Zoey has managed to create a work of art - it’s rich with information, yet so accessible to a newcomer like myself. The recipes are easy to follow and deeply nourishing. And of course, visually, the presentation is just beautiful… I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It can simply be an introduction to some new, delicious dishes… or an invitation to deepen our relationship with our bodies & the natural world around us ~ through the daily ritual of meals. What could be better… my deep gratitude to the chef & author ~ bravo, Zoey! We look forward to your next creation, whatever that may be!

I LOVE this book. Not only does it have tons of recipes but it gives you a great sense of what TCM is all about, it’s a fantastic resource for that alone. I also frequently use the reference pages in the back that detail the properties of all different foods and herbs. Can’t speak highly enough about this book!

It's much more than just a cookbook. Zoey Gong does an excellent job of teaching a crash course on the principles and theory of TCM, some of the most common herbs in TCM and their contribution to your health, the benefits of TCM including personal examples of having seen and studied the difference between both the Eastern and Western view of healing, AND sample recipes, AND encouragement to find local recipes that will would for you."...It's okay if you love spicy fried chicken and cannot give it up. Based on food therapy, you can drink a Cooling and Dampness-reducing herbal tea, like Chrysanthemum and Coix Seed, to counteract the Heat and oil from the chicken, and consciously add more Cooling, watery foods to your diet..."

It takes focus but it really does help heal your body over time. Ive noticed a huge change in my skin, energy and overall positive optimistic outlook on life get much better!

Really informative cookbook for learning basic Chinese medicine concepts and food therapy. I wouldn't say the recipes here are remarkably easy, since often you need to prep things the day before, but the food is very good. I often notice that my belly, digestion, and well-being are improved after eating these recipes based on what is appropriate for the season and my constitution. Everything is tasty too. Everything in the book is dairy-free, since the author cannot eat dairy. There are plenty of vegetarian options, although the book has meat recipes as well.

Wonderful concise and so informative.

I am a TCM and acupuncture student and am particularly interested in the study of East Asian Herbs. I made two recipes in this book for my herb class tasting and they were both delicious! Not to mention extremely nourishing. You can feel the difference. I can't wait to try more.

After reading about this book in Food & Wine magazine I instantly preordered it. I am fairly new to the world of TCM however I do know a little about Ayurvedic cooking and would consider myself a skilled home chef. I devoured the contents of this book in a few hours. It gives a great overview of TCM history and practices. It also breaks down many of the herbs used in the practice. I have yet to make any of the recipes but they all look delicious and don’t look like they would give me any issues. The ingredients are traditional, so if you live in a remote place this book may be tricky. But here in California we have easy access to many Asian markets (my local farmers market even has an Asian vendor who has many of the vegetables mentioned). Can’t wait to cook some of the recipes and see if someone of the herbs recommended help with a few health issues I have :)