Introduction: There is a popular saying in folk medicine, "ginger cures a hundred ailments." This is because ginger contains oily volatile oils such as gingerol, zingiberene, phellandrene, and citral, as well as gingerol, resin, starch, and fiber. Therefore, in hot weather, ginger can have effects such as invigorating the spirit, promoting sweating to lower body temperature, and can alleviate symptoms like fatigue, listlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, abdominal bloating, and pain.
Ginger also has the effect of strengthening the stomach and increasing appetite. In hot weather, the secretion of saliva and gastric juices decreases, which affects a person's appetite. If you consume a few slices of ginger with your meal, it can help increase your appetite.
There are many ways to eat ginger. For example, drinking ginger tea, eating congee with ginger, adding some shredded ginger when stir-frying in hot oil, adding ginger slices when stewing meat or frying fish, or adding minced ginger to the filling of dumplings or wontons. This not only makes the food more delicious but also helps to refresh the stomach and spleen, invigorate the spirit, promote appetite, aid digestion, and help the gastrointestinal tract absorb nutrients.
Shredded Ginger with Pork
However, since ginger has medicinal properties, one should pay attention to its usage and contraindications. The following points should be noted:
1. Do not peel it. Some people like to peel ginger when they eat it, but this prevents ginger from exerting its full effects. Fresh ginger should be washed and then sliced or shredded.
2. Individuals with symptoms of yin deficiency and excessive internal heat, or those suffering from carbuncles, sores, abscesses, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes, or hemorrhoids should not consume ginger long-term.
Ginger Juice with Cowpeas
3. From a therapeutic perspective, ginger brown sugar water is only suitable for patients with wind-cold colds or those who have caught a chill in the rain and have a cold stomach and fever. It should not be used for patients with summer heat colds or wind-heat colds, nor for treating heatstroke. Fresh ginger juice can be used to treat vomiting caused by exposure to cold, 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 others. The saying that "rotten ginger is not rotten in flavor" is unscientific.
5. Eating ginger is not a case of "the more, the better." In the hot summer weather, people are prone to a dry mouth, irritability, thirst, sore throat, and excessive sweating. Ginger is pungent and warm in nature and belongs to the category of "heaty" foods. According to the principle of "treating heat with cold," it should not be consumed in large amounts. Just adding a few slices of ginger when cooking or making soup is sufficient.
Stir-fried Shredded Ginger
Ginger
Ginger beans
Ginger