Although ginger has many benefits, there are quite a few things to note when eating it! Why is it said that one should not eat ginger in autumn? What are the taboos associated with eating ginger in autumn? Let's take a look at the taboos of eating ginger in autumn together!
Why can't you eat ginger in autumn? What are the reasons?
The reason ginger is not recommended for consumption in autumn is that ginger is a spicy food and belongs to the "hot" nature category. During cooking, it loses a lot of moisture, and eating it can easily lead to "internal heat" (上火). At the same time, the autumn climate is dry, and the "dryness" can easily harm the lungs. If one then eats spicy ginger, it is more likely to damage the lungs, exacerbate body water loss and dryness, and worsen the harm caused by autumn dryness. Therefore, it is generally advisable to eat less ginger or avoid it altogether in autumn.
Which groups of people are not suitable for eating ginger?
1. People with Yin deficiency constitution
Yin deficiency is a constitution of "internal heat and dryness," characterized by hot palms and soles, sweaty palms, a love for drinking water, frequent dryness of the mouth, eyes, nose, and skin, irritability, and poor sleep. Ginger's nature is pungent and warm, and for people with Yin deficiency, eating ginger will worsen their symptoms.
2. Those with severe internal heat
People suffering from diseases such as lung-heat dry cough, stomach-heat vomiting, bad breath, hemorrhoids, or festering sores should not consume ginger. If it is a "heat-related" illness, ginger must be taken with cooling herbs to neutralize its warm nature.
3. Patients with hepatitis
Because eating ginger often can cause liver fire to flare up. To counteract the liver fire caused by ginger, one can choose foods that soothe the liver and regulate Qi, such as drinking tea made from hawthorn and chrysanthemum. This can eliminate the dryness caused by ginger without harming the body.
4. Patients with hepatitis. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that eating ginger can cause liver fire to become旺盛 (flourish), so patients with hepatitis should avoid eating ginger. If one must eat ginger, it can be paired with foods that soothe the liver and regulate Qi, such as hawthorn and chrysanthemum, to neutralize the dryness caused by ginger.
5. Those with hair loss. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that hair is closely related to the kidneys. The elderly often have insufficient kidney essence and deficient kidney Yin, and when the hair does not receive adequate nourishment, it leads to hair loss. Ginger's nature is warm, and people with hair loss who consume large amounts of it will worsen their kidney Yin deficiency, which in turn can make hair loss more severe.