Introduction: To avoid mung beans being too cooling, you don't have to drink mung bean soup; you can choose another way to eat them, which is to eat mung bean congee. The method is to wash the rice and mung beans separately, and then cook them together in a pot with water to make congee.
1. People with a cold constitution should not drink too much mung bean soup.
People with a cold constitution experience symptoms like cold and weak limbs, cold pain in the waist and legs, and diarrhea with loose stools.
Eating mung beans can worsen these symptoms, and may even trigger conditions such as diarrhea (which can lead to dehydration in severe cases), joint and muscle pain caused by stagnation of qi and blood, and digestive system diseases like chronic gastritis caused by stomach cold and a weak spleen and stomach.
Drinking mung bean soup can prevent heatstroke and treat food poisoning, and it also has a certain therapeutic effect for hot swellings, hot thirst, hot dysentery, and pox. However, it is not suitable for people with a cold constitution, those who are weak, or those who are currently taking medication.
2. People with a weak constitution should not drink too much mung bean soup.
Because the protein content in mung beans is higher than in chicken, large-molecule proteins need to be converted into small-molecule peptides and amino acids with the help of enzymes to be absorbed by the human body. The digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract in such people is poor, and they are prone to diarrhea due to indigestion.
3. Do not drink mung bean soup on an empty stomach.
Do not drink it on an empty stomach, as mung bean soup is cooling in nature and drinking it on an empty stomach is not good for the stomach.
4. Mung bean soup cannot be consumed every day.
It is fine to drink it in moderation. Generally, adults can drink it 2 to 3 times a week, with one bowl each time. For children, it depends on their specific constitution; it is best to consult a doctor first. Generally speaking, when children start eating congee at around 2 to 3 years old, a small amount of mung beans can be added. After the age of 6, they can drink an adult's portion.
5. Excessive consumption of mung bean soup may lead to gastrointestinal diseases.
For the average person, drinking too much mung bean soup can lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as stomach cold and diarrhea. Excessive consumption by women can lead to gynecological symptoms like leukorrhea, abdominal bloating, and menstrual pain.
6. Mung beans cannot be taken with traditional Chinese medicine.
It is often said: "Don't eat mung beans when taking traditional Chinese medicine, lest it neutralize the effects of the medicine." In "Compendium of Materia Medica," it is stated: "Mung beans are sweet and cold in nature, non-toxic... they can neutralize all kinds of poisons from medicinal herbs, cattle and horses, and metals and stones." In folk tradition, boiled mung bean soup is also often used as an emergency measure for drug poisoning. Therefore, the saying that mung beans and traditional Chinese medicine cannot be taken together has been passed down.
Mung beans themselves are a traditional Chinese medicine that can clear heat and resolve toxins. If one suffers from heat-related diseases such as external contraction of wind-heat, carbuncles and erysipelas, or internal invasion of summer heat, mung bean soup can be taken as usual while taking other Chinese medicines, as they have a synergistic effect. If one has symptoms of a weak gastrointestinal tract, limb soreness and fatigue, chills all over the body, cold pain in the waist and legs, or loose stools, mung beans should be avoided. Otherwise, not only will the efficacy of the medicine be reduced, but the condition will also worsen. Therefore, whether one can eat mung beans while taking traditional Chinese medicine cannot be generalized; it should be determined based on the nature of the illness (cold or heat, deficiency or excess) and the properties of the medicine being taken.
Expert Advice: Replace Mung Bean Soup with Mung Bean Congee
To avoid mung beans being too cooling, you don't have to drink mung bean soup; you can choose another way to eat them, which is to eat mung bean congee. The method is to wash the rice and mung beans separately, and then cook them together in a pot with water to make congee. At the same time, if you want to cook mung beans alone as a sweet drink, you must cook them until they are soft to avoid it being too cooling, because mung beans are most cooling when they have just begun to split open.