The concept of “Food and Medicine Homology” originated from the theory of ancient Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM), which emphasizes the close association and interconnection between food and medicine, i.e. food as the supplement of medicine and vice versa to achieve health and longevity of human beings. The establishment of this theory has been a prolonged process. The ideas of TCM-based food health promotion and therapy, and food and medicine homology have been recorded as early as the “Huang Di Nei Jing” “Jin Kui Yao Lue” and other acient medicinal books. After long-term research and development of diet and human health, accumulation of myriad data have demonstrated that some “foods” can not only satisfy satiety, but also possess various biological functions such as health preservation, wellness promotion, disease prevention and even treatment. As such, Foods with this function is defined as “food and medicine homology”.
However, medicines are substances used to prevent, treat diseases, or to purposefully regulate physiological functions. Foods refer to substances that can be consumed by humans to supply energy and nutrition needed by the body, but they cannot be used to treat diseases. How to define substances with modern scientific connotations of “food and medicine homology” is a scientific problem that must be clarified. Professor Bin Cong, an Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering Member, proposed the definition of “food and medicine homology” i.e. a substance which integrates pharmacological and nutritional functions into one entity, among which the medicinal components should have no detrimental effects on the body and also can be consumed for a long time.
The journal of Food & Medicine Homology (FMH) is dedicated to the integration of medicine, life science, pharmacy, food science and nutrition, focusing on the scientific mechanisms of pharmacological substances and disease-preventing nutrients in “food and medicine homology”. It provides theoretical basis for the development of products with nutritional, health-promoting, therapeutical and medicinal functions. The establishment of the journal aims to promote and lead the development of disciplines with cutting-edge scientific research, and advocate the profound and comprehensive concept of “medicine and food homology” in China and the world. Based on this concept, FMH will be the important communication platform for science, biotechnology and functional food industry to promote and establish standards for biofunctional substances in “food and medicine homology”, protect human health, advance the development of the healthy food related industry, and contribute to the preservation of TCM culture.
