Ginger is a common cooking ingredient, and it seems that almost no dish is complete without it. There are quite a few proverbs about ginger, such as "Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer" and "Don't eat ginger in autumn for a year." So, is there a basis for not eating ginger in autumn?
Why is it said, "Don't eat ginger in autumn for a year"?
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that although ginger has the effect of dispelling cold and warming the body, it is a pungent and stimulating food with a "hot" nature. Eating too much can easily lead to "heatiness" (internal heat). Coupled with the dry and autumn weather, eating too much ginger can harm the lungs and worsen symptoms of dehydration, leading to increased body dryness. Therefore, the saying "don't eat ginger in autumn" has some truth to it.
However, this does not mean that you cannot consume any ginger in autumn. As long as we control the amount of ginger intake, it will not have a significant impact on the body. If you catch a cold from the cold in autumn, drinking ginger soup can also help warm the stomach and lungs, relieve coughs, and dispel cold.
Within a day, it is not advisable to eat ginger at night.
Regarding ginger, besides controlling the intake in autumn, it should also be controlled at night. There is an old Chinese saying: "Eating ginger in the morning is better than taking ginseng soup; eating ginger at night is like eating arsenic." Although this statement is an exaggeration, eating ginger at night can indeed have certain adverse effects on the body. Because the evening is a time for rest, the body's "yin" energy is conserved. Ginger, on the other hand, is a "dispersing" substance. Eating it at night can easily deplete the body's energy and lead to "heatiness".
Diseases that ginger can treat
1. Treats stomach cold pain
Take an appropriate amount of fresh ginger, wash it, and cut it into thin slices. Roll the slices in granulated sugar, then place them in hot vegetable oil (about 60-70% heat). When the ginger slices darken in color, flip them lightly and fry for a moment before taking them out. Take 2 slices each time, 3 times a day. It is best to eat them warm. 8 days constitute one course of treatment.
2. Treats cold hands and feet
Take 15 grams of ginger, 50 grams of lamb, 6 grams of cinnamon bark, and 18 red dates. Make a soup and drink it in two divided doses, one dose per day. For mild cases, it usually takes 3-5 days to see an effect. For severe cases, it takes 20 days.
3. Treats chilblains
Take 15 grams of ginger and 15 grams of red chili, and 30 grams of white radish. Decoct these in water and wash the affected area for 20 minutes each time, once in the morning and once at night. Generally, it takes 3-5 consecutive days of washing to see an effect.
4. Treats wind-cold cold
Take 5 slices of ginger and 30 grams of perilla leaf. Decoct in water and drink.
5. Treats wind-cold cough
Take 50 grams of fresh ginger (cut into dices or shreds). Beat 1-2 eggs into a bowl and mix well. Pour a little oil into a pan and heat it. Briefly stir-fry the ginger shreds in the oil, then pour in the egg mixture and stir-fry until cooked. Eat it while it's hot. Once a day. Generally, it takes 3-5 consecutive days of use to see an effect.
5 types of people should not eat ginger in autumn
If you have a "cold" body constitution and often have symptoms of cold hands and feet, eating ginger in autumn can help dispel cold. However, if you have one of the following body constitutions, you should eat less ginger in autumn.
1. People with "yin deficiency" constitution
People who often have symptoms like sweaty and hot palms and soles, dry mouth, dry eyes, irritability, and dry skin should avoid eating ginger in autumn, as it can worsen these symptoms.
2. Patients with hepatitis
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that eating ginger can cause liver fire to flare up, so patients with hepatitis should avoid eating ginger.
3. People who abuse alcohol
Ginger and strong liquor are both "hot" foods. Eating them together in autumn may lead to an accumulation of heat in the body.
4. People with hair loss
People who often lose hair are often patients with kidney yin deficiency. Ginger is "warm" in nature. People with hair loss who consume large amounts of it will worsen their kidney yin deficiency, which in turn can make hair loss more severe.
5. People with severe internal heat
People with conditions such as lung heat with a dry cough, stomach heat with vomiting, bad breath, hemorrhoids, liver fire flaring up, and irritability should avoid eating ginger in autumn.