Everyone must be very familiar with ginger. Ginger refers to the rhizome of the Zingiber genus of plants. Ginger is also known as fresh ginger, old ginger, and purple ginger, among others. The "gingerol" contained in ginger can stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing gastrointestinal congestion and enhancing digestion. In hot weather, ginger has effects such as refreshing the mind, promoting sweating to lower body temperature, and can alleviate symptoms like fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia, abdominal bloating, and pain.
There are many ways to eat ginger. For example, drinking ginger soup, eating congee with ginger, adding some shredded ginger when stir-frying in hot oil, adding ginger slices when stewing meat or frying fish, and adding minced ginger when making dumplings or wonton fillings. This not only makes the food more delicious but also helps to refresh the stomach, whet the appetite, promote digestion, and aid the gastrointestinal tract in absorbing nutrients. However, since ginger has medicinal properties, some of its uses and contraindications should be noted. The following points should be paid attention to:
1. Do not peel it. Some people like to peel ginger when they eat it, but doing so prevents ginger from exerting its full effects. Fresh ginger can be washed and then sliced or shredded.
2. Those who suffer from yin deficiency with excessive fire, internal heat with red eyes, or have conditions such as carbuncles, sores, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes, or hemorrhoids should not consume ginger long-term.
3. From a therapeutic perspective, ginger brown sugar water is only suitable for patients with wind-cold colds or those who have caught a cold in the rain and have a cold stomach and fever. It should not be used for summer heat colds or wind-heat colds, nor for treating heatstroke. Fresh ginger juice can be used to treat vomiting caused by exposure to cold, but it is not suitable for other types of vomiting.
4. Do not eat rotten ginger. Rotten ginger produces a highly toxic substance that can cause degeneration and necrosis of liver cells, inducing liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and others. The saying that "rotten ginger doesn't lose its flavor" is not scientific.
5. Eating ginger is not a case of "the more, the better." In the hot summer weather, people are prone to a dry mouth, irritability, thirst, sore throat, and excessive sweating. Ginger is pungent and warm in nature, belonging to the category of "heaty" foods. According to the principle of "treating heat with cold," it should not be eaten in excess. Adding a few slices of ginger when cooking or making soup is sufficient.