Does eating ginseng easily cause "heatiness"? Unveiling the 5 major misconceptions about eating ginseng
Introduction: Ginseng is a treasured health supplement, and those with a weak constitution often enjoy simmering ginseng soup. But are you really eating it correctly? The editor will reveal the 5 major misconceptions about eating ginseng. The claims that eating ginseng easily causes "heatiness" and that ginseng chicken soup is the most nourishing are all one-sided. Come and take a look, step out of the dietary误区 of ginseng, and correctly nourish your body!
As a precious traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng has been hailed by Chinese people as an excellent tonic since ancient times and has been widely used. Currently, there are misconceptions about ginseng among the public.
Misconception 1: Eating ginseng causes "heatiness."
"Eating ginseng causes heatiness" is a widely recognized view. In fact, this view is extremely one-sided and the biggest misinterpretation and misunderstanding of ginseng. The main reason many people experience "heatiness" from eating ginseng is due to excessive consumption.
Korea conducted a clinical trial on 160 Koreans and 160 Chinese, with the method being that each person consumed 3 grams of ginseng daily for a total of 4 months. After 4 months, tests showed that these individuals did not experience any "heatiness" symptoms.
However, the medicinal potency of ginseng is strong, especially for cultivated ginseng of many years or wild ginseng. It must not be taken in excess, otherwise the effects will be counterproductive, leading to symptoms like nosebleeds and mouth sores. So, what is the appropriate daily dosage for ginseng?
Fresh ginseng and dried ginseng are different, cultivated ginseng and wild ginseng are different, the weak and the strong are different, the elderly and the young are different, nourishment and treatment are different, mild and severe conditions are different, and eating it once versus eating it daily are different.
The dosage for pure wild ginseng is much less than for cultivated ginseng. For adults, the daily intake of dried wild ginseng should not exceed 0.3 grams. If taken regularly, the amount should be even less, with 0.1 grams generally being sufficient.
Misconception 2: You cannot eat ginseng in the summer
Some people say you cannot eat ginseng in the summer, otherwise you will get "heatiness." This statement is also one-sided. Experts' answer is that
you can also eat ginseng in the summer, but the type and quantity of ginseng consumed will be slightly different from those consumed in winter.
Ginseng products include fresh ginseng, white dried ginseng (raw sun-dried ginseng), red dried ginseng (red ginseng), ginseng hair, ginseng powder, and ginsenoside tablets. There are many types of ginseng that can be eaten in the summer, such as fresh ginseng, raw sun-dried ginseng, ginseng hair, ginseng powder, and ginsenoside tablets. Red ginseng can also be eaten, but the quantity must be controlled. For example: the winter intake of red ginseng is within 5 grams, while in summer it should be controlled within 3 grams.
This point can be flexibly managed according to one's physical condition, different diseases, etc. For instance, people in the south often eat ginseng, and as long as they don't exceed the dosage, they generally don't experience "heatiness." However, people in the northeast often eat ginseng, and even at the same dosage as people in the south, some will experience "heatiness." Specifically, if people in the south take 1.5 grams of ginseng each time, people in the northeast should take 1 gram each time. It can be taken twice a day, or three times in winter.
If you use ginseng to make tea, you can drink it several times a day, but in summer, the daily amount per person should not exceed 3 grams, and in winter, it should not exceed 5 grams.
Misconception 3: Children and young people do not need to eat ginseng
Whether children can eat ginseng depends on the individual. Children who are in good health and have well-developed constitutions do not need to eat ginseng. However, for children who are weak or have certain developmental issues, they can eat ginseng, but the dosage must be strictly controlled.
In the southern regions, during autumn and winter, adults often give their children ginseng soup, which has a good effect in resisting dampness and cold. In ancient Chinese medicine, it was believed that children's conditions like turtle back, pigeon chest, and the "five delays" (delayed standing, walking, hair growth, tooth eruption, and speech) and "five softnesses" (softness of the head, neck, hands and feet, muscles, and mouth) were caused by weakness and could be improved by taking ginseng.
In Korea, babies are fed ginseng honey as early as two or three months old. As long as the dosage is not exceeded, the results are satisfactory without any side effects. Some Korean families even feed ginseng to their newborns shortly after birth.
The purpose of young people eating ginseng is different from that of the elderly. Young people eat ginseng for more energy, stronger physical strength, and greater vitality. The elderly primarily eat ginseng for treatment, with nourishment being secondary. In countries like South Korea and Russia, many young athletes take ginseng to improve their athletic performance.
Misconception 4: Chinese ginseng is not as good as Korean ginseng and American ginseng
The main producing area for Chinese ginseng is the western slope of the Changbai Mountains and its extensions, while the main producing area for Korean ginseng is the eastern and southern extensions of the Changbai Mountains. The geographical environment and climate are not significantly different. Chinese experts have conducted comparative studies on Chinese red ginseng and Korean red ginseng, and the results showed that the content of various indicators in Chinese red ginseng was mostly higher and close to that of Korean red ginseng.
Some believe that American ginseng is more expensive than Chinese ginseng, so its effect must be better. This is not the case. A ginseng research institution in Korea studied the active ingredients of various types of ginseng as follows: Japanese ginseng has 19 types, American ginseng has 28 types, while
Chinese ginseng has 30 types. Chinese experts have discovered that Chinese ginseng contains up to 56 active ingredients.
Misconception 5: Drinking ginseng chicken soup is the best way to nourish
For thousands of years, a popular folk method of nourishment in China has been to simmer ginseng in chicken soup to drink in winter, believing this to be the best method of nourishment. In recent years, experts have concluded that six types of people should not drink chicken soup: those with excessive stomach acid, biliary tract diseases, kidney insufficiency, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and diabetes. There are many ways to eat ginseng: it can be steeped in water, chewed directly, held in the mouth, taken with water, decocted in water, or decocted with other Chinese herbs. All of these methods can provide excellent nourishing effects.