The ginger we usually eat is often used in Chinese medicine, and doctors often advise: "Go home and slice a few pieces of ginger." Because ginger is a common condiment, many people don't pay much attention to it, feeling it can be left out or not. In fact, ginger is often given important responsibilities in Chinese medicine because it can strengthen the spleen, warm the stomach, and expel dampness, and it also has the meaning of protecting the body.
The reason ginger is called "jiang" is also because it has the meaning of guarding the frontiers and protecting the territory. "Jiang" is the same as "jiang" (border). Because it is warm-natured, it can resist cold pathogenic factors, so it is a line of defense for the body. This line of defense is the most easily broken through by cold. Chinese medicine has the sayings, "Eat radish in winter and eat ginger in summer," and "Radish at bedtime, ginger upon rising." These are all to let ginger guard the exterior. In summer, it's hot, people eat more cold food, and stay in air-conditioned rooms for long periods, so there are many cases of colds and exposure to cold, which is completely opposite to the past when insulation was poor and there were no air conditioners. Therefore, you should actually eat more ginger in summer.
Any food we eat must be warmed to body temperature, reaching 36°C, before it is digested in the body. Only then can digestive enzymes start to work; otherwise, they will not function. A typical symptom of a person with dampness is a heavy body, feeling lethargic, a unclear mind, poor appetite, not wanting to eat anything, and even feeling nauseous. Moreover, their tongue coating is very greasy. This requires the help of hot-natured herbs and foods to help expel the dampness. Ginger is warm-natured, but not as hot as hot-natured herbs, making it just right for this situation. It can both nourish the spleen and stomach, and dry dampness. It should be a daily necessity on the table for people with spleen deficiency.