For thousands of years, people looked to nature for remedies to relieve suffering from various ailments. Perhaps it was more of a well-planned biological design that ancient healers could rely on the plant’s appearance for clues to its medicinal properties, as some plant foods resemble the body parts they benefit.

Dioscorides, who practiced medicine in ancient Rome, was believed to have said in 65 A.D.: “The Herb Scorpius resembles the tail of the Scorpion and is good against his biting.”

By the medieval period, the general idea that “a like could bring good benefit to what it looked like,” or something that resembled something would be suitable for that ailment, was a widespread belief, with many thinking that the divine intentionally made these signatures in the leaves, flowers, or roots to help cure the ailments of mankind.

This concept of relying on the plant’s appearance for clues to its medicinal properties has existed since ancient times in cultures worldwide, including Native American herbalism, Indian Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, Greek medicine, and African herbalism.

Understanding this synchronicity gives us an intuitive approach to using “food as medicine” and illustrates how our food choices relate to our health and well-being.

Below are a few examples of the most-researched foods that look like the body parts they benefit.

Well-Researched Foods and Their Corresponding Body Parts

Walnut: Brain

Walnuts not only look like our brains; a recent six-month randomized controlled trial in The Lancet found that eating 30 grams of them a day improved intelligence and attention in the adolescent groups compared to controls.

Other research published in Nutrients validated walnuts’ benefits for memory and cognition, suggesting the nut protects against oxidative stress and inflammation. The antioxidants in walnuts may play a crucial role in combating age-related cognitive decline and could lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Sweet Potato: Pancreas

Sweet potatoes resemble the shape of a human pancreas, the organ that secretes insulin and digestive enzymes that help stabilize blood sugar levels and digest fats.

Remarkably, research in animals shows that the low-carbohydrate nutrients found in sweet potatoes, such as potassium, beta-carotene, and vitamin B6, naturally help regulate glucose, reducing the workload of the pancreas.

Avocado: Uterus

The shape of an avocado resembles the female uterus, and research from the University of California–Los Angeles found they do indeed enhance the reproductive system. An avocado tree blossom takes about nine months to fully mature into a fruit.

Avocados are full of monounsaturated fats and help with hormone production. These healthy fats are the building blocks needed to make the sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. They are also a good natural source of folate (folic acid), which supports DNA replication for pregnancy and can reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

Tomato: Heart

When cut open, tomatoes resemble the four chambers of the heart. Their well-studied benefits on decreasing cardiovascular diseases, published in Food Chemistry, are noted to be due to their high lycopene content.

When tomatoes are eaten with a healthy fat such as olive oil or avocado, 2021 research says the amount of lycopene delivered to the body can increase significantly, as lycopene is a fat-soluble compound.

Ginger: Stomach

Although ginger varies in shape, it is generally similar in shape to the human stomach. The digestive organs, especially the stomach and intestines, are where ginger’s most beneficial actions occur. Ginger has been used medicinally for thousands of years, primarily for nausea and vomiting relief.

A systematic review in Nutrients pointed out that its antiemetic (anti-vomiting) action has been used for pregnancy nausea, motion sickness, relieving side effects of chemotherapy, and reducing colorectal cancer risk. The major compounds gingerol, shogaol, zingiberene, and zingerone are thought to be responsible for ginger’s benefits.

Kidney Bean: Kidneys

Kidney beans likely got their name from their kidney shape, which also points to which organs they benefit. These beans are a rich source of fiber and help lower cholesterol.

In a cholesterol intervention study published in Lipids, rats fed a diet made from kidney beans for four weeks had significantly higher levels of a cholesterol-lowering enzyme called cholesterol 7-alpha-hydroxylase than rats fed a cellulose diet. Other 2024 research attributed kidney beans’ benefits to their powerful antioxidants, such as glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione-S-transferase, which help improve liver and kidney function.

Olive: Ovaries

You may never look at an olive the same way again after hearing how much it resembles an ovary.

Yet the female reproductive system is exactly what olives and olive oil support. An older Italian study found that women whose diets included a lot of olive oil had a 32 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer. The reasons are unclear, but the oil’s healthy fats may help suppress genes predisposed to cancer.

Additionally, a large review published in Nutrients found that olive oil offers other benefits for women’s health, especially in fighting breast cancer and postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Carrot: Eyes

Carrots, when sliced, look like the human iris and pupil, which are precisely the body parts they support.

The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin serve as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that protect the eyes against oxidative vision loss, according to a large 2021 research review. The antioxidants help lower inflammation in any part of the body that has tiny, intricate blood vessels (including the eyes), so they can reduce oxidative damage that could occur.

Carrots are also high in beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A, known for helping maintain good vision. Beta-carotene helps prevent a variety of eye-related problems, including blindness, age-related macular degeneration, and progressive eye disease that can lead to night blindness.

Ginseng: Nerves

Ginseng is an herb that looks like and supports the central nervous system due to its various brain benefits.

Ginsenosides and other active constituents from ginseng were shown in a 2021 review to have neuroprotective properties and work as cognitive performance and memory enhancers, improving brain cell growth and enhancing neuron survival.

Celery: Bones

Celery is a popular vegetable used traditionally in China, and its resemblance to human bones suggests it may nourish the skeleton.

Multiple studies published in the Journal of Functional Foods have found that celery contains apigenin and luteolin, two types of flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can effectively inhibit bone cell breakdown and guard against bone loss to prevent osteoporosis. One study found that apigenin, a single compound in celery, could promote bone regeneration.

By paying attention to the shape, color, and variety of the foods you eat, you can better meet your body’s nutritional needs.