"A woman should not go without brown sugar for a hundred days," refers to traditional brown sugar. So, what is traditional brown sugar? What is the difference between traditional brown sugar and regular brown sugar? What are the benefits of traditional brown sugar? See the introduction below.
What is traditional brown sugar?
The traditional craft of making traditional brown sugar is very complex. Freshly harvested sugarcane is chopped and crushed. The juice is then filtered to remove impurities such as soil, bacteria, and fibers. It is then simmered over a low flame in a series of 18 interconnected pots. The process involves several steps: juicing, skimming off scum, reducing the water content, filtering, stirring with a ladle, crystallizing, and molding. Different pots have different functions. After undergoing "five presses, three filters, two skimmings, and one settling," it takes about 10-12 hours before the brown sugar can be ladled into molds to cool and set.
Is there a big difference in effect and benefits between traditional brown sugar and regular brown sugar?
Simply put, regular brown sugar uses chemical agents to extract the sugar from sugarcane juice, and other nutrients are lost in the process. Besides its sweetness, it has no other benefits.
Traditional brown sugar, on the other hand, uses a physical method, slowly simmering the sugarcane juice over a wood fire and allowing it to crystallize naturally. This method preserves the nutrients of the sugarcane completely. It not only has a mellow taste but also significant medicinal value and health benefits.
Benefits of traditional brown sugar
Unrefined brown sugar retains most of the nutrients of sugarcane and is also more easily digested and absorbed by the body. Therefore, it can quickly replenish energy and vitality, which is why it is known as "the chocolate of the East." It not only contains carbohydrates that provide energy but also various elements essential for human growth and development, such as riboflavin, carotene, niacin, and trace elements like manganese, zinc, and chromium. In addition, the calcium content of brown sugar is 10 times that of white sugar, and its iron content is 3.6 times that of white sugar.
Dissolving brown sugar in water to make a drink makes its nutrients easier to absorb than eating it directly. It is also more effective for replenishing vital energy, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and warming the stomach. Brown sugar water is the most common and practical health drink made from brown sugar. Postpartum women often experience significant blood loss and high energy expenditure. Drinking brown sugar water for 7-10 days after giving birth can replenish energy and increase blood volume, which is beneficial for postpartum recovery. It also has a significant promoting effect on uterine contractions, recovery, lochia discharge, and milk secretion.
Brown sugar water also helps with smooth menstrual cycles for women. It can warm the body, increase energy, invigorate blood and qi, and improve blood circulation, leading to a smoother menstrual flow. If you feel tired and have a poor complexion after your period, you can drink a cup of brown sugar water with a concentration of about 20% before lunch each day. For more severe symptoms, you can have another cup before dinner. Continuing this for a week can effectively improve your condition.
Best guide for drinking traditional brown sugar
Generally, it is best to drink a moderate amount of traditional brown sugar between 9 and 11 AM. At the same time, avoid drinking it before bed, as it may lead to excessive sugar storage in the body. Over time, this could potentially lead to diabetes, as well as other issues like weight gain and cavities. It is crucial to remember that people with diabetes should not drink it, and it should not be used to take medicine.
Traditional brown sugar can also be eaten with other ingredients, and different combinations have different effects! Soaking traditional brown sugar with Astragalus and red dates can replenish vital energy, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and help enhance physical fitness. Soaking it with longan can calm the mind, help improve sleep, and restore energy. Cooking traditional brown sugar with white fungus, goji berries, red dates, or red beans has a diuretic effect and can help expel uterine waste during menstruation, relieving symptoms like bloating and a tight lower back. Cooking traditional brown sugar with longan and ginger juice has the effect of replenishing vital energy and blood.
Common uses for traditional brown sugar:
Ginger, Sugar, and Scallion Drink:
Take 20 grams of brown sugar, 15 grams of fresh ginger slices, and 3 sections of a 3 cm long scallion. Add the ginger and scallion to about 300 grams of water, bring to a boil, add the brown sugar, and drink it all at once while hot. Cover yourself with a blanket to induce a light sweat. This can treat wind-cold colds, fever, headache, and body aches without sweating.
Tuszi Drink:
Take 60 grams of brown sugar and 50 grams of Tuszi seeds. Crush the Tuszi seeds, add 60 grams of brown sugar, and decoct it to be taken as tea. This can treat sperm abnormalities, low sperm volume, premature ejaculation, and soreness in the lower back and knees caused by kidney deficiency.
Chinese Yam, Longan, and Sanqi Porridge:
Take 100 grams of raw Chinese yam, 20 grams of longan pulp, 6 grams of carbonized ginger, 10 grams of Sanqi powder, and an appropriate amount of brown sugar. First, boil the longan and carbonized ginger for 30 minutes, remove the ginger dregs, then add the Chinese yam powder and Sanqi powder. Simmer together over a low flame to make a porridge, adding brown sugar to taste. This is suitable for patients with blood in the stool due to a deficient and cold spleen and stomach.