in traditional chinese medicine hot or cold foods are classified as such based on
Chinese food therapy Although the precepts of Chinese food therapy are neither systematic nor identical in all times and places, some basic concepts can be isolated.[24] One central tenet is that "medicine and food share a common origin", and that food materials can therefore be used to prevent or treat medical disorders.[25] Like medicinal drugs, food items are classified as "heating" (热; 熱; rè) or "cooling" (凉; 涼; liáng).[26] In popular understanding, "heating" or "hot" food is typically "high-calorie, subjected to high heat in cooking, spicy or bitter, or 'hot' in color (red, orange)", and includes red meat, innards, baked and deep-fried goods, and alcohol.[24] They are to be avoided in the summer and can be used to treat "cold" illnesses like excessive pallor, watery feces, fatigue, chills, and low body temperature caused by a number of possible causes, including anemia. Green vegetables are the most typical "cooling" or "cold" food, which is "low-calorie, watery, soothing or sour in taste, or 'cool' in color (whitish, green)". They are recommended for "hot" conditions: rashes, dryness or redness of skin, heartburns, and other "symptoms similar to those of a burn", but also sore throat, swollen gums, and constipation.[24]
Thai basil Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) has multiple cultivars, of which Thai basil, O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora, is one variety. Thai basil itself has multiple cultivars. One cultivar commonly grown in the United States is 'Siam Queen'. Thai basil may sometimes be called anise basil or licorice basil, in reference to its anise- and licorice-like scent and taste, but it is different from the Western strains bearing these same names.[2]:92 Occasionally, Thai basil may also be called cinnamon basil, which is also its literal name in Vietnamese, but cinnamon basil typically refers to a separate cultivar of basil. The genus name Ocimum is derived from the Greek word meaning "to smell",[3] which is appropriate for most members of the plant family Lamiaceae, also known as the mint family.[4] With over 40 cultivars of basil, this abundance of flavors, aromas, and colors leads to confusion when identifying specific cultivars.[1]