Sichuan pepper is the most common condiment in life, but it is also a good medicine for treating many minor ailments.
Main value of Sichuan pepper
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan pepper is considered warm in nature and pungent in taste. It has the effects of warming the middle jiao to dispel cold, strengthening the stomach to eliminate dampness, relieving pain, killing parasites, detoxifying, regulating qi, stopping itching, and removing fishy odors. It can be used to treat conditions such as indigestion, fluid retention, hiccup, vomiting, joint and muscle pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness, cold pain in the epigastric and abdominal regions, diarrhea, dysentery, roundworms, and pruritus vulvae.
Effects and Uses of Sichuan Pepper
Sterilization and Disinfection
Sichuan pepper has effects such as sterilizing, disinfecting, relieving pain and itching, and reducing swelling. It is very effective against many types of bacteria, especially those on the skin surface. It is mostly used by boiling it into Sichuan pepper water.
Treating Toothache
Put one or two tablespoons of baijiu (white liquor) into the boiled Sichuan pepper water. Use a clean cotton swab to soak in the water and apply it to the aching tooth, then bite down. The pain will be relieved quickly. However, this does not address the cause of the toothache, and timely medical attention is still necessary.
Treating Menstrual Pain
Many women have a "cold" uterus, leading to menstrual pain. You can boil Sichuan pepper and ginger in water to drink. This dispels cold and promotes menstrual blood flow, and abdominal pain will also be relieved.
Treating Scabies
For scabies caused by the contagious scabies mite, you can soak a towel in the prepared Sichuan pepper water, then apply it to the itchy areas all over the body. After application, apply lotion to prevent the Sichuan pepper water from irritating the skin.
Common Folk Remedies with Sichuan Pepper:
Sichuan Pepper Vinegar for Pain Relief
Ingredients: 20 grains of Sichuan pepper, 200 ml of vinegar. Add 20 ml of water and a little sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove the Sichuan pepper. Let it cool slightly and take it orally once. For children, reduce the dosage accordingly. If symptoms do not completely disappear after taking the remedy, you can take another dose after 4 hours.
Treating Roundworm-Related Partial Bowel Obstruction (Early Stage)
Ingredients: 9-12 grams of Sichuan pepper, 100-200 ml of sesame oil. Heat the sesame oil in a pan, add the Sichuan pepper, and fry until slightly browned, then remove. Let the Sichuan pepper oil cool slightly and take it orally once. For children, reduce the dosage accordingly. If symptoms do not completely disappear after taking the remedy, you can take another dose after 4 hours. If the obstruction has lasted too long, poisoning symptoms are severe, or there is intestinal necrosis or appendiceal roundworms, this remedy should not be taken.
Stopping Lactation
Ingredients: 6-15 grams of Sichuan pepper. Use 400-500 ml of water, soak, then boil and reduce to 250 ml. Then add 50-100 grams of brown sugar and drink it all at once on the day of weaning. Take once a day; it usually takes about 1-3 doses to stop lactation. According to clinical observation, in most lactating women, milk production decreases significantly 6 hours after taking the remedy, and breast swelling disappears or the pain is relieved on the second day.
Treating Menstrual Pain
Because Sichuan pepper is warm in nature, it can also treat menstrual pain. The method is: use 10 grams of Sichuan pepper and 3 grams of Sichuan peppercorns. Grind them into a fine powder, mix with baijiu (white liquor) to form a paste, apply to the navel, and seal with a pain-relieving plaster. Apply once daily. This method is most suitable for menstrual pain caused by cold stagnation and qi stagnation.