As an old saying goes, "A man should not go without ginger for a hundred days, nor a woman without sugar for a hundred days." Broadly speaking, ginger is considered a yang-tonifying food that can delay male aging and enhance prostate function. Meanwhile, women may face challenges like insufficient blood and qi for much of their lives, making brown sugar the首选 (first choice) for daily nourishment. However, to fully benefit from these foods, one must consume them scientifically based on their body constitution, age, and the time of day.
Ginger Tonifies Yang
Not Suitable for Those with Yin Deficiency and Excess Fire
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, ginger is considered a yang-tonifying food, which is why it is favored by many men. Taking fresh ginger as an example, it can enhance appetite and delay the aging of the male body. Some surveys have found that many middle-aged and elderly men are often troubled by factors such as a cold gastrointestinal tract and poor appetite, leading to physical weakness. TCM experts often advise these patients to frequently chew fresh ginger slices to stimulate gastric juice secretion and promote digestion. Fresh ginger is not as pungent as "old ginger," making its taste more acceptable, and it is also more moisturizing and less damaging to yin when it enters the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, men in this age group who experience symptoms of poor appetite can consider taking an appropriate amount of ginger orally daily.
In addition to speeding up human metabolism, providing anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and stimulating multiple systems in the body, ginger can also regulate male prostate function and treat prostate diseases and sexual dysfunction. To say that ginger is only beneficial for men is a very narrow understanding of its many benefits. Ginger is widely used in folk medicine because it contains volatile ginger ketone and gingerol, which have functions such as invigorating blood, dispelling cold, eliminating dampness, and promoting sweating. It also has the effects of strengthening the stomach to stop vomiting, removing fishy odors, and reducing edema. This is why there is a saying, "If your home has a little ginger, you won't panic when you have a minor illness."
Sore Throat, Dry Stool
Should Not Use Ginger
For individuals with a damp-heat body constitution, ginger's pungent and warm nature means it should only be used when one has caught a cold, and large amounts can easily damage blood and yin. This is especially true if one also has symptoms of yin deficiency and excess fire, such as a sore throat, dry throat, or dry stool. In such cases, the use of ginger should be paused. Furthermore, it is worth noting that rotten ginger contains a toxic substance called safrole, which is harmful to the liver, so it must never be eaten.
In daily life, we use fresh ginger. In medicine, there are fresh ginger, dried ginger, and processed ginger. Compared to dried ginger, fresh ginger has a more dispersing nature, with strong effects of moving qi, transforming dampness, and promoting sweating. It focuses on moving qi to strengthen the stomach, transforming dampness to stop vomiting, removing fishy odors, and reducing edema. As a medicine, it is generally suitable for use in spring and summer to adapt to the generating and growing qi of spring and summer. Dried ginger has a more tranquil nature, with strong effects of warming yang and dispelling cold. It focuses on warming the middle to strengthen the stomach, warming the kidneys to strengthen yang, and dispelling cold to relieve pain. As a medicine, it is generally suitable for use in autumn and winter to adapt to the astringent qi of autumn and winter.
Brown Sugar
The First Choice for Women to Nourish Blood and Qi
In the proverb "A woman should not go without sugar for a hundred days," the sugar referred to is mainly brown sugar according to TCM nutritional theory. TCM nutrition believes that the warm nature of brown sugar exerts its blood-nourishing effects through "warming to supplement, warming to unblock, and warming to disperse." A nutritional study has found that brown sugar is rich in trace elements, some of which have a strong stimulating effect on the body's blood production.
Women's physiology is based on blood. Because of their unique physiological characteristics such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, which all deplete blood, women's bodies are relatively prone to a state of blood deficiency. Therefore, women's health and wellness should first focus on nourishing blood and qi, and this is where brown sugar can be very useful. Many advertisements for women's health supplements highlight the benefits of invigorating blood and beautifying the skin. This is because only with sufficient blood can one have a rosy complexion, normal menstrual flow, and abundant energy. If one is not good at nourishing blood, problems such as a sallow complexion, pale lips and nails, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, dry hair, numb limbs, light or scanty menstrual flow, delayed periods, a pale tongue with a thin pulse can easily occur. In severe cases of anemia, premature aging can also occur, such as early wrinkles, premature graying of hair, and an early menopause. Compared to choosing expensive health supplements, the simplest and most practical method is to consume brown sugar regularly in daily life.
Those with Frequent "Heat" Should Eat Less
A special reminder is that brown sugar is warm in nature, so people who often suffer from "heat" symptoms, such as a dry mouth and throat, should eat less of it. Drinking brown sugar water after childbirth can replenish calories and increase uterine contractions to promote the discharge of lochia. Mothers who have had a natural delivery can enjoy it after giving birth, while those who have had a C-section need to wait until they have passed gas before eating it, as eating it too early may cause bloating. It is best not to consume more than 50 grams per day.
In addition to this, consuming sugar in moderation has many other benefits for men, women, old, and young. If you feel a sudden drop in blood sugar concentration, a small amount of sugar can serve as an emergency supplement. When hypoglycemic patients feel hungry, they may see black spots before their eyes and feel weak in their limbs. The best solution is to drink a glass of sugar water immediately. Many young white-collar workers who skip breakfast often feel weak limbs, a heavy head, poor concentration, and slowed thinking around noon. If they eat a small amount of sweet food at this time, the body can quickly restore the function of various organs and tissues.