Introduction: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that ginger is pungent in taste and warm in nature. It has effects such as inducing sweat, stopping vomiting, eliminating phlegm, aiding digestion, and promoting secretion. It can prevent and treat wind-cold colds, vomiting, and coughing.
1. Scallion
Scallions contain protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, carotene, calcium, magnesium, and iron. They can stimulate the nervous system, increase appetite, promote blood circulation, and induce sweating. The pungent odor of scallions has a sterilizing effect. Eating raw scallions can promote digestion, disinfect and sterilize, and prevent intestinal infectious diseases. They are also beneficial for insomnia, gastrointestinal diseases, vitamin C deficiency, scalds, and burns.
Scallions also have anti-allergic effects. For those allergic to fish, cleaned scallions can be placed inside the fish and then cooked or pan-fried. For those allergic to shrimp, scallions can be stir-fried together with the shrimp.
2. Ginger
Ginger also has anti-aging effects. Its pungent components can inhibit the production of lipoperoxide, providing an anti-aging effect. Free radicals in the human body are a factor of aging. If they are overly active, they can cause premature aging. Gingerol in ginger can effectively control free radicals. The large amounts of gingerol and shogaol in ginger can inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, reduce the content of mucoprotein in bile, and maintain the balance of various substances in bile. This prevents the formation of stones caused by excessive mucoprotein combining with calcium ions and bilirubin in bile. Ginger also has a choleretic effect, preventing and stopping the formation of gallstones, which is beneficial for patients with cholecystitis.
In addition to containing ginger ketone, gingerol, and gingerenol, ginger also contains protein, sugar, fat, and rich iron salts. It can be used for colds, headaches, nasal congestion, and vomiting, and can dispel cold from the stomach. TCM believes that ginger is pungent in taste and warm in nature, with effects such as inducing sweat, stopping vomiting, eliminating phlegm, aiding digestion, and promoting secretion. It can prevent wind-cold colds, vomiting, and coughing. Therefore, when you have a cold, eating a few slices of ginger or drinking ginger brown sugar water can promote blood circulation, warm the body, induce sweating, and alleviate cold symptoms.
3. Garlic
Garlic contains protein, fat, sugar, volatile oil, vitamins, trace elements, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It also contains allicin and alliin. It can eliminate fat deposited in blood vessels, help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and has a certain effect in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and hyperlipidemia. Garlic not only reduces arterial plaque and prevents arteriosclerosis but also has a certain effect in preventing myocardial infarction. Garlic can also dissolve blood stasis in the body, prevent the accumulation of harmful substances on the inner walls of blood vessels, and prevent thrombosis.
4. Chili Pepper
Chili peppers contain protein, sugar, organic acids, vitamins, and inorganic salts such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium. TCM believes that chili peppers have the effect of warming the middle jiao to dispel cold. They are beneficial for those with aversion to cold, stomach pain, and poor appetite, and can remove cold-dampness from the stomach and neutralize acid to relieve pain. Capsaicin in chili peppers can increase gastric juice secretion, increase appetite, aid digestion, and has a significant inhibitory effect on certain bacteria, such as *Bacillus subtilis*. External application of chili peppers can dilate local blood vessels, promote blood circulation, and has a significant effect on rheumatic pain and lumbar muscle strain.
5. Soy Sauce
Soy sauce contains protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, amino acids, and more. The amino acids in soy sauce are essential for human growth and development. The various beneficial enzymes, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria in soy sauce promote digestion and absorption. Adding a moderate amount of soy sauce when cooking can increase iron intake, which is beneficial for the hematopoietic system. Soy sauce has a strong killing effect on pathogenic bacteria such as typhoid bacillus, staphylococcus, and dysentery bacillus. Soy sauce contains more than 300 aromatic components, some of which have anti-cancer effects.
6. Vinegar
Vinegar contains acetic acid, water, carbohydrates, ash, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and various amino acids. In addition to its seasoning function, vinegar can also inhibit and kill bacteria. TCM believes that vinegar has the effects of dispelling stasis, stopping bleeding, detoxifying, and killing insects. Vinegar can also be used for weight loss because its high amino acid content can promote the breakdown of fat in the body and accelerate the metabolism of carbohydrates, thereby aiding weight loss. Soaking peanuts in vinegar for 7 days and eating 10 grains twice a day (morning and evening) can lower blood pressure, soften blood vessels, reduce cholesterol, and help prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Boiling peanuts or soybeans in vinegar also has the effect of lowering blood pressure and lipids. Mixing vinegar with rock sugar and dissolving it, then taking one tablespoon after meals, has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, and obesity. Vinegar also has anti-aging effects. The high amino acid content in vinegar can effectively inhibit human aging and prevent age-related diseases, accelerate metabolism, and provide anti-aging benefits.