"Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor to write prescriptions," "Keep ginger at home, and minor illnesses won't cause panic," "Eating ginger often in summer promotes longevity and ensures health," "Eating ginger in all four seasons sweeps away all illnesses," "Three slices of ginger in the morning are better than ginseng soup"... These many proverbs all reflect the health benefits of ginger. Since ancient times, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has also had the saying, "ginger cures a hundred illnesses." TCM emphasizes eating radish in winter and ginger in summer. In hot weather, ginger has effects such as stimulation, promoting perspiration to lower body temperature, and refreshing the mind. It can relieve symptoms like fatigue, listlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, bloating, and abdominal pain. Ginger also has the effect of strengthening the stomach and increasing appetite, but ginger is not suitable for everyone; for example, people with a yin-deficient constitution cannot eat ginger.
Increase appetite and prevent stomach diseases
Whether used for steaming fish or cooking, or as a seasoning, ginger is definitely a staple on the table. Its spicy taste can remove fishy odors and gamey smells. Adding ginger to soups can also dispel cold and harmonize the stomach, with a fresh aroma. Director Zhao explains that there is a proverb, "If your meal is not fragrant, eat ginger," which means that when your appetite is poor or your food intake decreases, eating a few slices of ginger or adding a little to your dishes can improve your appetite and increase your food intake. Ginger can also be taken to dispel cold and induce sweating, warm the stomach to stop vomiting, and kill bacteria to relieve pain for conditions like gastric ulcers, deficiency-cold gastritis, enteritis, and wind-cold colds.
Ginger is also a traditional Chinese medicine for treating nausea and vomiting, earning it the reputation of "the holy medicine for vomiting." In summer, especially during the "dog days," bacteria grow and reproduce unusually actively, easily contaminating food and causing acute gastroenteritis. However, eating ginger appropriately can have a preventive and therapeutic effect. Ginger also has the effect of killing oral and intestinal pathogenic bacteria. In summer, people tend to crave coolness and enjoy facing electric fans and air conditioners, which can easily expose them to wind and cold, causing colds. Drinking ginger sugar water at this time will help expel the wind and cold from the body. TCM believes that ginger can "enlighten the spirit," meaning it refreshes the mind and awakens the senses. Therefore, for people who often experience dizziness, palpitations, and chest tightness or nausea, drinking ginger soup is very beneficial. Additionally, ginger is pungent and warm, and has the effect of promoting blood circulation. Eating ginger can also help women resist aging and reduce the occurrence of gallstones.Rotten ginger produces toxins that can cause cancer
There are many ways to eat ginger, such as ginger soup, ginger porridge, adding ginger slices when cooking, or adding a little ginger to dumpling fillings. This not only makes the taste more delicious but also helps to awaken the stomach and spleen, refresh the mind, increase appetite, aid digestion, and help the gastrointestinal tract absorb nutrients.
However, some people like to peel ginger when eating it, which prevents ginger from exerting its full effects. It is sufficient to just wash the ginger clean. Others also believe that "rotten ginger does not lose its flavor," but this idea is not based on science and is very dangerous because rotten ginger produces toxins, which can lead to liver cancer and esophageal cancer in severe cases. Although eating ginger in summer is beneficial to the human body, it should be consumed in moderation. Because the weather is hot, people are prone to dry mouth, irritability, thirst, sore throat, and excessive sweating. Ginger is pungent and warm, and is considered a "hot" food. According to the principle of "cooling the hot," it should not be eaten in large quantities. Just adding a few slices of ginger when cooking or making soup is sufficient.Postpartum women can use ginger water for bathing
TCM believes that ginger is a yang-tonifying food, so since ancient times, there has been a saying in TCM, "A man should not go without ginger for a hundred days." Ginger has the effects of speeding up human metabolism and unblocking meridians, so it is often used for men's health, can play a role in tonifying yang, and also has a certain therapeutic effect on kidney deficiency and impotence.
If men often feel a cold stomach and loss of appetite, they can often hold fresh ginger slices in their mouths to stimulate gastric juice secretion and promote digestion. Dried ginger warms the middle jiao to dispel cold, strengthens the stomach, invigorates blood, and goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit essence, and improve eyesight. When eaten together, they can treat impotence, aversion to cold, cold limbs, lower back pain, soreness in the lower back and knees, and fatigue caused by kidney yang deficiency. Postpartum women, during their "confinement" month, can have ginger vinegar with every meal to help restore their physical condition and with breastfeeding. Additionally, ginger water bathing can prevent rheumatism and headaches. The practice of postpartum women not washing their hair or bathing during their confinement month is very unscientific. Not washing hair for a month in the hot summer is not only unhygienic but can also cause skin inflammation and heat rash. Postpartum women can try using boiled ginger water to wash their hair and body, and even to wash their face and hands, because ginger can dispel cold. Bathing with ginger water can prevent rheumatism and migraines.People with a yin-deficient constitution are prohibited from eating ginger
"Ginger is known for being both a medicine and a food, and regular consumption can strengthen the body, promote health, and extend life. However, people with a yin-deficient constitution absolutely cannot eat it," Director Zhao specially reminds. All things must be eaten in their proper time. Ancient medical books also have the warning, "Do not eat ginger in autumn within a year, and do not eat ginger at night within a day." As summer ends, the weather will slowly cool down. However, the autumn climate is dry, and dryness injures the lungs. Eating pungent ginger again can easily damage the lungs and worsen the body's dehydration and dryness, so ginger is not suitable for autumn. At this time, ginger should not be eaten in excess to avoid absorbing gingerol, which can stimulate the kidneys during the excretion process and cause symptoms such as dry mouth, sore throat, and constipation.
In addition, those with yin deficiency and excess fire, red eyes, and internal heat, or those suffering from carbuncles, sores, abscesses, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, gastric ulcers, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes, or hemorrhoids should not consume ginger for a long time. Especially people with a yin-deficient constitution absolutely cannot eat ginger. Yin deficiency is a "dry-heat" constitution, manifested as hot palms and soles, sweaty palms and a love of drinking water, often having a dry mouth, eyes, nose, and skin, irritability, and poor sleep. Ginger is pungent and warm, and eating it can aggravate the symptoms of yin deficiency.