Eating radish at 8 or 9 PM ensures a very peaceful sleep all night and well-formed stools the next day. Therefore, eating radish before bed is indeed a good thing. The reason for eating ginger upon waking is to utilize its generative nature. Waking up is a time for the body to generate and rise, and ginger can provide an extra boost in this regard.
Four Proverbs About Ginger That You Must Know
1. Eating ginger in the morning is better than taking ginseng soup.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has the concept that "medicine and food share the same source." Among the many things under this concept, ginger cannot be overlooked. Ginger has a wide range of uses; it can be a condiment in the kitchen and a medicine when necessary. If anyone in the family, old or young, catches a cold, drinking a bowl of ginger soup right away to induce sweating and expel the external cold will solve the problem. For a cold stomach and poor appetite, drinking ginger and red date tea for two days will warm the stomach. For daily health maintenance, ginger should be eaten at breakfast, which is why "eating ginger in the morning is better than taking ginseng soup."
Eating ginger in the morning has the best health benefits because ginger is most effective at promoting the Yang energy of the Yangming meridian. The morning is precisely when Qi and blood flow through the Yangming meridian. Eating ginger at this time can generate stomach Qi and promote digestion. Moreover, ginger's pungent and warm nature can accelerate blood circulation and has a refreshing effect.
So, how should you eat it? The best way is to prepare a dish of pickled ginger and eat it with rice porridge for breakfast. The pickled young ginger has a crisp and tender texture, with a sweet, sour, and spicy flavor. Combined with the delicate fragrance of the porridge, it is very delicious.
2. Eating ginger at noon damages the lungs.
Do not eat ginger after noon, as it can easily harm the lungs. Chinese health practices emphasize harmony with the natural cycles of the day. The Yang energy of nature peaks at noon, and after reaching its zenith, it begins to decline. In the afternoon, Yin energy begins to rise, and Yang energy starts to recede. Since ginger promotes Yang energy, it is not suitable to eat it in the afternoon.
At high noon, the Qi and blood of the Heart meridian are at their strongest. Eating ginger at this time is like adding fuel to the fire for someone who already has an excess of Heart fire, causing it to burn even more fiercely. When Heart fire is excessive, the lungs will suffer, leading to symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and phlegm-heat. Those with a constitution of Yin deficiency and fire excess must remember this point.
3. Eating ginger at night leads to an early grave.
Ginger promotes Yang energy, but at night, the body should be nourishing Yin and conserving Yang energy. Eating ginger is counterproductive and goes against the natural cycle. Eating ginger at night has three major drawbacks:
First, it excites the body, making it difficult to fall asleep. Second, it stimulates the nerves and affects heart function. Third, it causes internal heat to accumulate, depleting Lung Yin and damaging Kidney water.
These points alone are not enough to explain the harm of "eating ginger at night." The most critical reason is: some people like to drink alcohol in the evening. If they eat ginger dishes with alcohol, it is extremely harmful!
Ginger and wine consumed together will rot the heart over a hundred days. Both ginger and wine are very "hot" substances. Ginger uses the potency of wine to enter the meridians, while wine uses the nature of ginger to enter the organs. Having ginger with wine at night is like taking a chronic poison. Over time, it will damage all the internal organs.
4. Peel it or not? It depends on the situation.
In modern recipes, whenever ginger is used, it often says: "peel the ginger." In fact, ginger peel is by no means something that can be ignored; it is a medicinal herb in itself. Whether to eat it peeled or with its skin on depends on the specific situation. Just remember one point: the skin and flesh of a plant are a pair of Yin and Yang. Ginger flesh is hot in nature, so ginger peel is cool. Ginger flesh promotes sweating, so ginger peel stops sweating. When suffering from wind-cold, drinking ginger soup to induce sweating, it is naturally better to peel the ginger. For daily drinking of ginger and red date tea to dispel cold, do not peel it. When cooking with ginger in general, it should be eaten with the skin on to avoid an imbalance in its properties.