A cold may be a minor illness, but for the elderly, it can be the root cause of physical weakness and a trigger for various ailments. Preventing colds, reducing their frequency, or avoiding them altogether is key to improving quality of life and achieving longevity. An elderly man in his 80s told me that he has been holding a piece of ginger in his mouth every morning for 15 years, and during this time, he has never caught a cold.
Since the Spring Festival of 2003, I have persisted in holding ginger in my mouth every morning. My method is as follows: Every morning, I start by drinking a glass of warm water to moisten my stomach and intestines. Then, I wash and peel the ginger, slicing it as thin as a one-yuan coin, and place 4-5 slices in a bowl. I then pour boiling water over the ginger slices in the bowl for disinfection. I place the ginger slices in my mouth, chewing them slowly, and hold them for 10-30 minutes without swallowing them all at once. Afterwards, I slowly chew the ginger until it's crushed, allowing its aroma to spread throughout my mouth. My experience is that holding ginger must be done consistently in the morning. As the ancients said: "Eating ginger in the morning is better than drinking ginseng soup."
Since I started holding ginger, I have not caught a single cold. Occasionally, if I feel the slightest signs of a cold, drinking a packet of Xiao Chai Chong Jie (a traditional Chinese medicine) resolves it, without needing to have scraping therapy or take medicine.