As the saying goes, "Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor to write prescriptions." White radish is a seasonal vegetable in winter and also a great ingredient for wellness. People skillfully pair white radish with other foods to create simple folk remedies that can treat and alleviate common winter ailments; everyone should give them a try.
Stewed with Rock Sugar to Relieve Coughs
Remedy: Mash 500 grams of white radish to extract its juice, add a small amount of rock sugar, stew it, then let it cool to a warm temperature before drinking. Take it twice a day, 60 ml each time, to treat coughs.
Commentary: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers the lungs to be a "delicate organ," the first to be invaded by external pathogens, and requires special care after the Start of Winter. White radish is cooling in nature, with a sweet and pungent flavor, and targets the Lung and Stomach meridians. It is particularly suitable for those with heat in the lungs and stomach, excessive phlegm, sticky phlegm that is difficult to expel, bloating and food stagnation, indigestion, and difficult urination or bowel movements. To achieve the maximum cough-relieving effect, white radish should be paired with rock sugar. In TCM, rock sugar moistens the lungs, relieves coughs, transforms phlegm, and clears heat. The combination works together to promote the descent of qi, aid digestion, eliminate phlegm, moisten the lungs, harmonize the middle jiao to stop coughs, and promote urination and bowel movements. Therefore, the above remedy is effective for coughs.
It should be noted that although white radish is excellent for moistening the lungs and stopping coughs, its cooling nature makes it unsuitable for large consumption by those with a deficient and cold spleen and stomach, chronic gastritis, stomach ulcers, or those with loose stools.
Rock Sugar and White Radish Juice
Boiled with Green Olives to Soothe the Throat
Remedy: Boil 500 grams of white radish and 10 green olives, and drink the liquid as tea to treat sore throat.
Commentary: As the common saying goes, "In November, radish is better than ginseng." In winter, the climate is dry, especially in the north where indoor heating makes rooms hot and dry. This season, people also love hot pot, which adds to the dryness, often leading to symptoms of a dry, sore throat. Green olives are known as the "fruit for the lungs and stomach" and can be used both as medicine and in food therapy. Green olives are neutral in nature, with a sweet and sour flavor, and target the Lung and Stomach meridians. They have effects such as clearing the lungs, soothing the throat, promoting the production of body fluids, and detoxifying. When white radish and green olives are boiled and consumed as tea, they can relieve a sore throat caused by excessive heat in the lungs and stomach. In addition to this food remedy, you can also drink tea made from flowers like globeflower, chrysanthemum, butterfly pea, and Ophiopogon japonicus, which can clear and soothe the throat, moisten the lungs and stop coughs, alleviate sore throat, and also offer some protection against smog.
Normally, it is important to maintain a suitable temperature and humidity at home. Dry air, as well as environments that are too cold or too hot, can affect the defense mechanism of the pharyngeal mucosa and cause abnormal sensations in the throat. Furthermore, pay attention to oral hygiene by brushing your teeth in the morning, evening, and after meals; correct bad habits like mouth breathing; eat a light, easily digestible diet, reducing spicy and irritating foods like ginger, garlic, and chili; quit smoking and alcohol; and engage in regular exercise to prevent respiratory infections.
Added with Scallion and Ginger to Prevent Colds
Remedy: Slice white radish thinly and stew it with rock sugar, scallion roots, and ginger slices in water to make a soup to drink, which can prevent colds.
Commentary: Scallion roots are usually discarded when cooking, but they are actually a very important medicinal herb that can dispel wind-cold, reduce inflammation, and kill bacteria. Scallion roots and ginger have a pungent and dispersing nature, which can induce sweating. Slicing white radish thinly and stewing it with rock sugar, scallion roots, and ginger slices into a soup is highly effective for the early treatment of a wind-cold cold. But remember, it is only for treating wind-cold colds; it is not only ineffective for wind-heat colds but can also worsen the condition.
So, what is the difference between wind-cold colds and wind-heat colds? A wind-cold cold is caused by the invasion of wind-cold pathogens, leading to a failure of lung qi to disperse. Symptoms include an aversion to cold, mild fever, no sweating, headache and body aches, nasal congestion with a clear runny nose, coughing with thin white sputum, no thirst or a preference for hot drinks, and a thin white tongue coating. Treatment should focus on using acrid and warm herbs to release the exterior. A wind-heat cold, on the other hand, is caused by wind-heat pathogens attacking the body, leading to a disharmony of lung qi. Symptoms include high fever, a mild aversion to wind, a heavy head, sweating, a sore throat, coughing with sticky or yellow sputum, nasal congestion with a yellow runny nose, thirst with a preference for drinks, and a thin yellow tongue coating. Treatment should focus on using acrid and cool herbs to release the exterior. Therefore, one remedy cannot suit everyone, and treatment should be based on different clinical manifestations through syndrome differentiation.
Boiled White Radish