In winter, fermented glutinous rice (also called Laozao) tangyuan, fermented glutinous rice with eggs, are all good choices for breakfast. Recently, a 4-year-old child named Xiao Jing caught a cold, and his grandmother wanted to use fermented glutinous rice to help him dispel the cold. Unexpectedly, after drinking Laozao, Xiao Jing's "internal heat" got worse, and he even had a nosebleed.
A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician said that recently, many patients who got "internal heat" from eating fermented glutinous rice have come for treatment, including men, women, and children of all ages.
Fermented glutinous rice is rich in carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It is beneficial for strengthening the spleen and nourishing the lungs, making it suitable for pregnant women and people with a "yang deficiency" and "cold constitution." However, fermented glutinous rice is made from glutinous rice or rice that has been fermented by yeast. It is high in calories and can generate "dampness-heat." If a person with a "hyperactive yang" constitution and excessive internal heat consumes it, they are very likely to get "internal heat." This manifests as nosebleeds, constipation, a feeling of fever all over the body, etc. If one has a cold, the condition will worsen.
A TCM physician explained that after getting "internal heat," one can take heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs, such as honeysuckle, forsythia, cicada slough, isatis root, mulberry leaf, and chrysanthemum. "Besides fermented glutinous rice, mutton, dog meat, spicy hot pot, cordyceps, and deer antler are also foods that can easily cause 'internal heat.' Everyone should nourish their bodies according to their own constitution."