When the weather is cold, eating goji berries for health is the most common practice, especially for women. However, it should be reminded that eating goji berries for health is not suitable for everyone, and it is also necessary to pay attention to dietary taboos.
Chewing a few goji berries before bed has great benefits
The reasons for dry mouth in the elderly at night are complex. Not drinking water before bed, snoring, and breathing with the mouth open during sleep can all cause it. In addition, diseases such as diabetes, chronic bronchitis, hyperthyroidism, and chronic pharyngitis can also cause dry mouth at night.
Goji berries have a certain effect in treating dry mouth at night. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dry mouth at night is mostly caused by the deficiency of liver and kidney yin, which prevents fluids from rising to nourish the upper body. Goji berries are sweet in taste and neutral in nature, with the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, benefiting essence and brightening the eyes, promoting the production of body fluids, and calming the mind. They can be used to treat symptoms such as dizziness, excessive tearing, coughing due to deficiency, and dry mouth and throat from wasting thirst. Goji berries are particularly effective in treating dry mouth caused by yin deficiency and fluid damage. The famous modern Chinese physician Zhang Xichun once suffered from nocturnal thirst, where drinking water did not quench it. He then "chewed one or two liang of goji berries before bed," and his symptoms were relieved. Goji berries can nourish the yin of the liver and kidneys, produce fluids, and calm the mind. Chewing goji berries before bed can not only relieve dry mouth at night but also help with sleep. The general dosage is to chew 10-30 grams before bed. Studies have shown that goji berries have anti-aging, anti-fatigue, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects. Therefore, regular consumption of goji berries is beneficial for diabetic
Who should not eat goji berries
Those with a cold or fever: Goji berries are considered a hot-natured food and medicine. A cold or fever itself involves a weakened body and internal heat, so eating goji berries or drinking them as a tea during a cold or fever can worsen the condition.
Patients with various inflammations: For people suffering from various inflammations, whether taking goji berries orally or drinking them as a tea, will make the inflammation more severe and may even induce other adverse symptoms.
Patients with diarrhea: In the "Ben Jing Shu," it is mentioned: "If the spleen and stomach are weak and there is frequent diarrhea, do not use it." Patients with diarrhea due to a weak constitution will experience accelerated symptoms after eating goji berries, affecting the body's functions, so goji berries should not be consumed during diarrhea.
Patients with high blood pressure or diabetes: Patients with high blood pressure who consume goji berries may experience unstable blood pressure. Goji berries themselves are high in sugar, so diabetic patients should not eat them either.
Those with weak or poor gastrointestinal function: Taking goji berries raw or as a tea can cause indigestion, loss of appetite, a feeling of fullness in the stomach, and acid regurgitation in people with weak or poor gastrointestinal function, which is especially more pronounced in the summer.
Those with excessive sexual desire: There is a folk saying, "If you are traveling a thousand miles, do not eat goji berries." Goji berries have the function of enhancing sexual excitement, so people who are usually overly excited will become even more excited after consuming them, which may lead to a series of physical discomforts.
Those with a "hot" constitution: While goji berries are nourishing, they also have a warming effect on the body. Therefore, people with internal damp-heat and phlegm-dampness obstruction, characterized by high blood pressure, an irritable and quick-tempered personality, a ruddy complexion from eating a lot of meat, as well as those with a cold, fever, inflammation, or diarrhea, should best avoid them. Otherwise, not only will the health benefits not be achieved, but the condition may worsen.
Those with a weak spleen and stomach: In "Ben Hui Yan," it is mentioned: "If the spleen and stomach have cold phlegm and obstruction, with frequent diarrhea, do not use it." For people with a weak spleen, frequently drinking goji berry tea can easily lead to an exacerbation of cold phlegm obstruction in the spleen and stomach, resulting in indigestion. People with a constitution of excessive yin, such as those who are overweight, have a greasy tongue coating, feel cold, have no desire to drink, and those with a weak spleen and stomach due to cold, cannot eat goji berries! Secondly, people with a weak spleen and stomach should not eat goji berries in the hot summer, as it may lead to a decreased appetite, a feeling of fullness in the epigastric region, or acid regurgitation.