For a long time, ginger has been a rare health food. Its nutritional value can be listed in a long list, such as antibacterial and disease prevention, appetizing and strengthening the spleen, and it can also increase appetite, stop vomiting and expel cold. But such a good food also has negative news, such as "ginger causes cancer" and "eating ginger at night is as bad as arsenic." Is this a rumor or a fact?
Is eating ginger a cause of cancer?
Since ancient times, there have been folk proverbs about ginger, such as "Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor to write a prescription," "Eat ginger in all four seasons, and all illnesses will be swept away," and "Eating three slices of ginger in the morning is better than ginseng soup." It can be seen that the health benefits of ginger have been deeply rooted in people's minds. Traditional medicine also believes that ginger can enhance blood circulation, stimulate gastric juice secretion, excite the intestines, promote digestion, and strengthen the stomach and increase appetite. Moreover, ginger can kill oral and intestinal pathogenic bacteria, and gargling with ginger soup can treat bad breath and periodontitis. However, some people on the Internet say that eating ginger can cause cancer. Why is this? After checking, there are three main reasons:
Reason 1: Safrole in ginger
Research by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that safrole can cause liver cancer. When 0.04% to 1% safrole was added to the feed of mice, liver cancer was detected in less than 2 years. Later, experts also confirmed the process of safrole-induced cancer: safrole is first metabolized in mice into phenethyl alcohol, then activated into acetate or sulfate, becoming the final carcinogen.
Reason 2: Eating too much
Although ginger does contain the carcinogenic safrole, as long as it is consumed in moderation, it will be metabolized by the human body and will not affect health. If consumed in excess, too much safrole will accumulate, and the body will not be able to metabolize it in time, which will increase the risk of cancer. Moreover, ginger is a spicy food. Eating too much will not only lead to excessive gastric acid secretion and bloating, but also affect the effects of certain anticoagulant drugs, and even affect liver and kidney function, causing great harm to human health.
Reason 3: Eating "toxic" ginger
There is a type of light yellow ginger on the market that looks very fresh. Because of its bright color, it is more easily accepted by people. However, research shows that this ginger is exactly the "toxic" ginger that has been fumigated with sulfur. Some unscrupulous merchants will fumigate poor-quality ginger with sulfur to make it smooth and tender "fresh" ginger. Sulfur is a toxic chemical substance. Long-term consumption of ginger containing sulfur will seriously affect human liver and kidney function. Therefore, when buying ginger, you must be more careful.
How to identify toxic ginger? Ginger fumigated with sulfur is generally very clean, smooth and tender; the ginger skin is easy to peel off, and the color of the ginger flesh is very different from the ginger skin; ginger that smells of sulfur is also toxic ginger.
In addition, rotten ginger is also one of the main causes of cancer. The safrole in rotten ginger is higher, and after ginger rots, it will also produce toxins. In severe cases, it can lead to liver cancer and esophageal cancer. Therefore, never believe in the unscientific statement that "rotten ginger does not have a rotten smell."
Why can't you eat ginger at night?
Normally, the ingredients in ginger do not change whether it is eaten in the morning or at night. Why is there a saying that "eating ginger at night is as bad as arsenic"?
In fact, the reason why you cannot eat ginger at night has nothing to do with ginger itself, but is caused by the changes in the human body. In the early morning, the stomach's qi needs to be lifted. Eating a little ginger at this time can strengthen the spleen and stomach, and promote the digestion and absorption of food. But at night, the body's yang qi sinks, and yin qi rises. You should eat more foods that clear heat, lower qi, and aid digestion, which is more conducive to nighttime rest. However, ginger is warm in nature. Eating it will raise the yang qi, affecting nighttime rest. Moreover, eating pungent and warm ginger at night can easily generate internal heat, and over time, symptoms of "internal heat" will appear.