Our editorial standards
FiveFlavor.com publishes food and wellness content rooted in Chinese food tradition — the Five Flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty) and the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Our goal is to make this time-tested wisdom useful in a modern Western kitchen, never to replace medical care.
How we create content
Every recipe and herb entry is written by our editorial team and grounded in two kinds of sources:
- Traditional texts — classical materia medica and food-therapy references, including the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) tradition and their modern scholarly editions.
- Modern research — peer-reviewed studies and public health sources such as the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) traditional-medicine strategy documents.
Review process
Content that touches on traditional uses, herbs, or well-being is reviewed for accuracy and safety by our Editorial Advisor, a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) and NCCAOM board-certified practitioner. Pages carrying that review display a “Reviewed by” badge.
What we will never do
- Claim that food or herbs diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
- Frame traditional use as proven medical fact.
- Recommend a herb or food as a substitute for prescribed medication.
Corrections & independence
If we find an error, we correct it promptly and note the change. Affiliate relationships never influence what we publish; sponsored or affiliate content is always disclosed. If you spot something that looks wrong, write to us via the Contact page.