Introduction: The spices in your kitchen are not just for cooking; some can even be used to treat illnesses. Don't believe it? The editor has shared the effects of five spices. When you're feeling unwell and can't get to the hospital, don't forget about the spices in your kitchen! For minor ailments, these spices can be very effective.

1. Sichuan Pepper Powder, for Toothache

"A toothache isn't a disease, but it can feel like it's killing you!" When a toothache strikes and a trip to the hospital isn't convenient, you can try Sichuan pepper powder. Dip the tip of a chopstick in water, then dab some Sichuan pepper powder on it and apply it to the aching tooth to temporarily relieve the pain. Sichuan pepper is pungent and warm in nature, and is primarily used to treat vomiting, wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, and toothache. It has excellent analgesic properties but is also somewhat toxic. Modern pharmacological research shows that Sichuan pepper also has anesthetic and pain-relieving effects, making it particularly suitable for pain caused by cavities and tooth sensitivity. The volatile oil in Sichuan pepper has good antibacterial and germicidal effects, so it can fundamentally treat infectious dental diseases like gingivitis.

Sichuan Pepper Oil with Shredded Radish

2. Black Pepper Powder, for Stomachache

Modern life is often irregular, with unrestrained eating habits, and stomachaches plague many people. For stomach and abdominal cold pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite caused by eating raw or cold food or irregular meals, you can take 5 grams of black pepper powder, grind it, add an appropriate amount of brown sugar, and take it with hot water. Alternatively, use 3 grams of black pepper, place it in a cleaned pork stomach, and stew it to eat. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that black pepper can transform cold phlegm and promote the expulsion of gas, and can treat symptoms like chest and diaphragm distention, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and loss of appetite caused by exposure to cold. Black pepper is an excellent remedy for strengthening and warming the stomach. Pork stomach soup with black pepper can help regulate stomach cold, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, dispelling wind and cold, and warming the middle to relieve pain.

3. Dried Ginger Powder, to Dispel Cold

For a cough from a wind-cold cold, you can use 6 grams of dried ginger powder, add an appropriate amount of hot water, and drink it warm to achieve the effects of warming the lungs, transforming phlegm, and stopping cough. Many people use ginger powder when cooking now, as it can effectively replace fresh ginger. Fresh ginger is pungent and warm in nature, good at dispelling wind-cold, transforming phlegm to stop coughing, as well as warming the middle to stop vomiting and detoxifying. It is often clinically used to treat external wind-cold invasion and stomach cold. Dried ginger is pungent and hot in nature; it can not only transform phlegm to stop coughing but also stop abdominal pain. If you have a stomach ache from exposure to cold and have dried ginger powder at home, you can take a dose with hot water to have a warming effect.

Dried ginger is different from fresh ginger. Fresh ginger induces sweating and is used when external cold invades the body's surface. Dried ginger works internally and is a medicinal herb for warming the interior. Dried ginger powder is generally sold in supermarkets, and one dose is sufficient. At the same time, soaking your feet in hot water will quickly relieve the symptoms of stomach pain.

Brown Sugar and Ginger Powder

4. Cinnamon Powder, for Joint Health

Many elderly people suffer from joint pain, and an increasing number of young women often feel cold pain in their joints. You can use 10 grams of cinnamon powder, stew it with 150 grams of lamb to make a lamb soup, which has the effects of warming the fire to assist yang, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. Cinnamon is a very commonly used medicinal herb; it is pungent and hot in nature, can dispel cold and relieve pain, and has a certain effect on knee joint pain. Lamb also has a warming and nourishing effect, which can also contribute to the result. Cinnamon powder is made from the dried bark and branch bark of cinnamon or *Cinnamomum cassia*, and has the effects of dispelling cold and relieving pain, activating blood to regulate menstruation. It also has the effect of lowering blood sugar and blood lipids.

5. Star Anise Powder, for Relieving Bloating

Many people have experienced abdominal bloating and pain, feeling that minor ailments aren't worth taking medicine for, but common remedies like drinking hot water don't work. You can use 10 grams of star anise powder, take it with hot water to help expel accumulated gas in the intestines and relieve bloating and pain. Star anise is also called "spice" or "big spice"; it has a slightly sweet and stimulating licorice-like flavor. It can regulate qi to relieve pain, warm the middle, and dispel cold, making it a medicinal ingredient in dishes.

Star anise is pungent and warm in nature, with the effects of dispelling cold and relieving pain, regulating qi, and harmonizing the middle. The main component of star anise is anethole oil, which can stimulate the gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of digestive juices, increase gastrointestinal motility, and has the effects of strengthening the stomach and promoting qi circulation. It helps relieve spasms and reduce pain. When you have abdominal bloating and pain, you can take 10 grams of star anise powder with hot water to expel accumulated gas in the intestines and relieve bloating and pain.

Cinnamon Walnut Roll