This presentation discusses the Chinese five-spice blend, its history, composition, properties, and uses. The five-spice blend originated from traditional Chinese medicine theories of yin-yang and five elements. It contains star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, and Szechuan peppercorns. Studies show the blend has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential anticancer effects from its various compounds. It adds a distinctive licorice-like flavor and numbing sensation to foods and is commonly used to season roast pork, duck, soups, and more.

1. SPICE AS MEDICINE:
CHINESE
FIVE-SPICE BLEND
FOR
FLAVOR AND HEALTH
By
Kevin KF Ng, MD, PhD.
Former Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
University of Miami, Mimi, FL., USA
A Slide Presentation for HealthCare Providers Feb 2022
Email: kevinng68@gmail.com

2. Presentation Outline
▪ History of Chinese five-spice blend
▪ The Yin-Yang and Five-Element theories
▪ What is the Chinese five-spice blend?
▪ Components of the five-spice blend
▪ Properties of the five-spice blend
▪ Scientific studies of five-spice blend
▪ Culinary Use of five-spice blend

3. HISTORY
• YIN – YANG CONCEPT
• FIVE-ELEMENT THEORY
• FLAVOR

4. What is the Chinese Five-Spice blend or powder
▪ A mixture of 1 dried flower, 3 seeds and 1 bark.
▪ These 5 spices are macerated or blended into powder

5. Evolution of the Five-Spice:
From the yin-yang concept to five–element theory thence
to taste and flavor
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/yin-and-yang-meaning

6. The theory behind the yin-yang symbol.
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/yin-and-yang-meaning

7. The application of Yin-Yang concept to Organs in the body
https://www.mosherhealth.com/mosher-health-system/chinese-medicine/yin-yang
YIN
YANG

8. Transformation of Yin-Yang concept to Five Element theory
©DRKEVINKFNG

9. What are the Components of the Five Elements ?
Wood
Metal
Water
Earth
Fire
“Qi”
• Interdependent
• Flow of “Qi”
• Continuous
• State of balance

10. Five Element and the Energy Chart
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/428897564483461815/visual-search/?imageSignature=4d3ae44dfd7701745333cbea7f81965f

11. Applications of the Chinese Five-Element Theory
▪ Traditional Chinese medicine
▪ Acupuncture
▪ Feng Sui
▪ Organs of the body
▪ Tastes
▪ Others
control

12. Application of Yin-Yang and Five-Element theory to
Organs of the body
QiQi
Yin
Yang
Stomach
Yin
Yang
Yin
Yang
Yin
Yang
Yin
Yang

13. Application of Five-Element theory to Tastes

14. ● ORIGIN OF THE FIVE SPICE
● COMPOSITION OF FIVE-SPICE

15. The Origin of the Chinese Five Spice Blend
▪ Sheng Nong , the Father of Chinese Medicine tasted
cinnamon around 2700 BC.
▪ In 1596 BC, Li Shi Chen documented cinnamon in his book
Ben Cao Kang Mu.
▪ Chinese five-spice powder may have originally been used
medicinally to balance yin and yang
▪ Five is considered to be a number associated with healing
properties
▪ The five- spice blend probably resulted from a search in the
400 BC China for a “wonder powder” that synthesized the
flavor of the fives spices.
▪ For cooking, the theory is that five-spice encompasses a
balance of the main flavors, with interesting interplays
between cool (yin) and warm (yang).
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gordon-ramsays-five-
spice-powder-recipe#what-is-the-origin-of-chinese-five-spice

16. Ingredients in the Chinese Five-spice Blend
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-chinese-five-spice-powder-ingredients-
spiced-include-cinnamon-star-anise-peppercorn-fennel-seeds-cloves-image40723374

17. Traditional five spices and their alternatives
Traditional Five spices
▪ Star anise
▪ Clove
▪ Cinnamon
▪ Fennel seeds
▪ Szechuan peppercorn
Supplemental or alternative spices
▪ ginger root
▪ galangal.
▪ turmeric
▪ black pepper
▪ licorice
▪ nutmeg
▪ cumin
▪ cardamom
▪ orange peel
Traditional blend: equal parts

18. Major bioactive compounds in Chinese Five-Spice (2015)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272193354_Evaluation_
of_antioxidant_capacity_of_Chinese_five-spice_ingredients

19. Major bioactive compounds in the Chinese Five-Spice

20. Number of Bioactive compounds (>300) in the Chinese Five-Spice
>287
>36

21. Effects of bioactive compounds on taste and aroma
in Chinese Five-Spice
Flavor

22. Inconsistency of aroma and flavor in Chinese Five-Spice

23. TASTE AND FLAVOR OF FIVE-SPICE

24. What is taste?
▪ Taste is a sensation produced by taste cells in the buds.
▪ There are 4 basic taste: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.
▪ Umami was recognized as a fifth taste in 1990.
https://owlcation.com/stem/Did-you-know-that-spicy-is-not-a-taste

25. Structure of taste bud and its afferent nerves
https://owlcation.com/stem/Did-you-know-that-spicy-is-not-a-taste

26. New type of taste cell discovered in taste buds (2020)
https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/239621.php
Most taste cells selectively respond to a specific
stimulus type while broadly responsive cells
respond to multiple taste qualities.

27. Receptors for bitter and sweet taste (2002)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii
/S0959438802003458

28. Tastes of individual components of
Chinese Five-spices

29. Mechanism of Tingling numbness caused by
Szechuan peppercorn
▪ Numbness is a transient loss of sensation
caused by hydroxy-α-sanshool.
▪ Hydroxy-α-sanshool acts on potassium
channels inhibiting the propagation of nerve
signals along the fiber that responds to
touch.
Free
nerve endings

30. What is Flavor?
Adapted from http://winesutra.in/tag/flavor/#.XcnJKFdKiUk

31. Flavor of Chinese Five-Spice blend
▪ Five-spice powder has a distinct licorice-like
flavor due to star anise, with sweet and warm
flavors from the cinnamon and fennel.
▪ Cloves add a cooling sensation while the
Szechuan peppercorns add a numbing and
peppery note.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/five-spice-powder-695081

32. Neural pathway for taste and tingling numbness
caused by Szechuan pepper
https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/2020/10/11/a-magic-in-the-tongue-from-substance-to-taste/
Free nerve endings

33. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

34. Number of articles on “Chinese five spices” in PubMed from
1996 to 2021
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=chinese+five+spice+

35. Pharmacological activities of the Chinese Five-spice powder
▪ Chinese five-spice powder is a mixture of ground spices, traditionally equal parts of
cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns.
▪ Reported pharmacological activities:
▪ Antimicrobial
▪ Antioxidant
▪ Anti-inflammatory
▪ Immuno-modulatory
▪ Anticancer
▪ Hypoglycemic
▪ Hypolipidemic
▪ Sensory receptor activation

36. • COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
• COMMON USAGE

37. Dried spices of the Chinese Five-Spice Powder
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/469781804881183001/

38. Commercial Chinese five-spice powder
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=chinese+five%3Dspice+raw+ingredients&ref=nb_sb_noss

39. Common use of Chinese five-spice powder
Five-spice
powder
Roast pork
Peking duck
Soup
Stir-fry
Fried rice
curries
Cakes Deserts

40. Delicious cuisines prepared with five-spice powder

41. Summary

42. ANY QUESTION?
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