Introduction: Ginger is both nutritious and medicinal, making it a versatile and excellent therapeutic food. Its wide range of uses, serving as both a food and medicine, is unparalleled.
Ginger can cure all diseases, a saying passed down through folklore. Is ginger truly that miraculous? Ginger contains oily volatile oils such as gingerol, zingiberene, phellandrene, and citral, as well as gingerol, resin, starch, and fiber. In hot weather, it can relieve fatigue, promote sweating to cool the body, and has a stimulating effect. It can also solve problems like loss of appetite, insomnia, abdominal bloating, and pain. Ginger also promotes digestion and whets the appetite. In hot weather, it's common for one's appetite to wane. Eating a few slices of ginger before a meal can increase appetite.
Since ginger has pharmacological effects, attention should be paid to its usage and contraindications. The following points should be noted:
1. Do not peel the skin. Some people prefer to peel ginger when eating it, but this prevents ginger from exerting its full effects. Fresh ginger should be washed and then sliced or divided.
2. Those with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat, or suffering from carbuncles, sores, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes, or hemorrhoids should not consume ginger long-term.
3. From a therapeutic perspective, ginger brown sugar water is only suitable for patients with colds due to wind-cold or those who have caught a chill in the rain with a cold stomach and fever. It should not be used for summer heat colds or wind-heat colds, nor for treating heatstroke. Fresh ginger juice can be used to treat vomiting caused by cold exposure, but it is not suitable for other types of vomiting.
4. Do not eat rotten ginger. Rotten ginger produces a highly toxic substance that can cause degeneration and necrosis of liver cells, inducing liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and more. The saying "rotten ginger doesn't rot its flavor" is unscientific.
5. Eating ginger is not a case of "the more, the better." In summer, the weather is hot, and people are prone to dry mouth, irritability, thirst, sore throat, and excessive sweating. Ginger is pungent and warm, belonging to the category of "hot" foods. According to the principle of "treating heat with cold," it should not be eaten in large quantities. Just adding a few slices to dishes or soups is sufficient.
Seniors often have ginger as their companion
Ginger is an indispensable part of health preservation. Now, let's introduce the 6 major health benefits of eating ginger.
Ginger is both nutritious and medicinal, making it a versatile and excellent therapeutic food. Its wide range of uses, serving as both a food and medicine, is unparalleled. Folk sayings like "If your meal isn't fragrant, eat ginger," "Radish at bedtime, ginger upon rising," "Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer," "The holy medicine for vomiting," "Three slices of ginger in the morning are better than ginseng soup," and "Three slices of ginger a day, and you won't need a doctor's prescription" are all vivid and precise summaries of ginger's functions.
Modern scientific research shows that ginger has a complex chemical composition, containing various substances such as gingerol, zingiberene, phellandrene, zingerone, citral, aromatic oil, capsaicin, and diarylheptanoids, giving it diverse biological activities.
1. Antioxidant and tumor-suppressing
The structures of gingerol and diarylheptanoid compounds in ginger have strong antioxidant and free radical-scavenging effects; they also have a tumor-suppressing effect. Eating ginger can fight aging, and seniors who often eat ginger can reduce "age spots."
2. Appetizer and digestion promoter, stimulating appetite
Because the secretion of human saliva and gastric juice decreases, it affects appetite. If you eat a few slices of ginger before a meal, it can stimulate the secretion of saliva, gastric juice, and digestive juices, increase gastrointestinal motility, and enhance appetite. This is the principle behind the common sayings "Eat radish in winter, eat ginger in summer," and "If your meal isn't fragrant, eat ginger."
Appetizer - Turmeric Fried Rice
The higher the temperature, the lower your appetite? Then come and try this mouth-watering turmeric fried rice. This simple and delicious fried rice will have you eating bite after bite.
Ingredients: 2 bowls of white rice, 2 tablespoons each of green peas, diced carrot, diced shiitake mushrooms, diced wood ear mushrooms, diced green pepper, and diced red pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce, and a pinch of salt.
Method: Heat a wok with an appropriate amount of oil. Stir-fry all the vegetables. Add soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Add the white rice and stir-fry over medium heat until the grains are separate. Then add the turmeric powder and stir-fry until evenly distributed. Turn off the heat and enjoy.
Tips: Turmeric powder can be bought in supermarkets. If you don't have it, curry powder can be used as a substitute.
3. Bactericidal and detoxifying
Scientific research has found that ginger can act like certain antibiotics, especially against Salmonella.
In the hot summer, food is easily contaminated by bacteria, which multiply rapidly and can easily cause acute gastroenteritis. Eating a moderate amount of ginger can help prevent and treat this.
Ginger extract has a significant effect in inhibiting skin fungi and killing Trichomonas vaginalis, and can be used to treat various carbuncles and sores.
In addition, ginger water can be used as a gargle to treat bad breath and periodontitis.
4. Prevents motion sickness and stops nausea and vomiting
This refers to "motion sickness syndrome" caused by certain movements.
Studies have shown that ginger powder is effective against the symptoms of motion sickness—headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting—with an efficacy rate of up to 90%, and the effect can last for more than 4 hours.
Folk remedies for preventing motion sickness or seasickness by eating ginger or applying it to the Neiguan acupoint are very effective, earning ginger the title "the holy medicine for vomiting."
5. Promotes blood circulation and dispels cold
When you catch a cold from exposure to cold, drinking some ginger soup can increase blood circulation, warm the whole body, and help expel the cold from the body.
6. Reduces the occurrence of arteriosclerosis
Studies have shown that ginger extract can inhibit platelet aggregation, lower serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein, thereby reducing the occurrence of arteriosclerosis.
Honey Ginger Tea
The main ingredients of honey ginger tea are honey, ginger, and black tea. In addition to the effects of ginger, honey can quickly improve the body's disease resistance for seniors with cardiovascular diseases, high blood lipids, or high blood pressure. It strengthens cardiovascular function, promotes liver detoxification, prevents arteriosclerosis, and improves sleep.
Method: To make honey ginger tea, first cut four or five slices of ginger and place them in a teapot filled with water. Bring to a boil, then add black tea. When it's warm enough to drink, pour out the tea, add an appropriate amount of honey, and you can enjoy your honey ginger tea.
Note: Patients with diarrhea and diabetics should not drink honey ginger tea, as it can worsen diarrhea and raise blood sugar. Moreover, honey ginger tea is suitable for people with a "cold" constitution. People with a "hot" constitution should drink it in moderation, otherwise, it can easily lead to "heatiness," dry stools, and increased internal heat.
Five things to note when eating ginger:
1. Eat ginger in moderation. Eating too much can cause symptoms of "heatiness" such as a dry mouth, sore throat, and constipation.
2. Ginger with its skin on is more effective.
3. Do not eat rotten ginger. Because it produces carcinogens after mold growth, which is harmful to health.
4. Ginger can be eaten in various ways: in soups, congee, stir-fries, stews, braised fish, meat fillings, and as a seasoning. It not only tastes delicious but is also beneficial to health.
5. For medicinal purposes, old ginger is the best. It acts as a stomachic and has effects such as expelling the exterior, dispelling cold, warming the middle, stimulating, promoting sweating, stopping vomiting, and detoxifying.