The human circulatory system is the organ system consisting of the heart and blood vessels (artery, capillary and vein) that conveys blood throughout a living organism. It also carries nutrients, oxygen and hormones to tissues and cells, and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes.
   If the circulatory system is either weak or diseased, one has several discomfort, such as palpitating heart, uneasiness, easily startling, sleeping difficulty, memory failure, choking and delirium. In severe cases, such symptoms as unconsciousness, hemorrhage and pain in the chest may occur.
   For this reason, it is of great significance for health promotion and longevity to protect the circulatory system and ensure its satisfactory functions through a balanced diet.
   Counted as typical Koryo medicinal ingredients good for protecting and strengthening the system are Angelicae gigas, Salvia miltiorrhiza, hawthorn, Solomon's seal, Liriope platyphylla Wang et Tang, Cnidium officinale Mak, tuckahoe, seeds of thuja, Prunella asiatica Nak, Gastrodia elata, seeds of Zizyphus jujube Mill, lotus pip, Astragalus membranaceus, fruit of Schizandra chinensis, yam, jujube, fruit of matrimony vine, fermented soybean and cinnabar.
   And potato, oyster, blue crab, roe deer, chicken, quail, clam, tomato, hearts of animals, soybean, Garnoderma, buckwheat, Lentinus edodes, Tremella mesenterica and other materials are widely used to prepare health-promoting dishes.
   Since those dishes should be conducive to protecting not only the heart and blood vessels but also the stomach and intestines, kidney and endocrine organs and improving their functions, rational combinations of Koryo medicines and food materials are required in preparing them.