The Scientific Basis of "Eating Radish in Winter and Ginger in Summer"
Literally, this sentence is actually somewhat puzzling. Winter should be tonic, radish is not advocated, but it says "eat radish in winter"; It's very hot in summer, but it's very hot in Jiang Ye. They say "eat ginger in summer". This is because, in the cold winter, people's skin and muscles are in a state of contraction to ensure the body's blood supply. Moreover, at this stage, people's outdoor activities decrease and indoor activities increase. Most people eat a lot of hot food, such as beef and mutton. This can easily lead to excessive internal heat, which in turn leads to indigestion. Radish is flat and slightly cold, and has the effects of clearing away heat and toxic materials, removing blood stasis, invigorating stomach, promoting digestion, resolving phlegm, relieving cough, promoting qi circulation, promoting fluid production, quenching thirst, tonifying middle energizer and calming nerves. Eating radish this season can help us digest.
The summer climate is hot, and the skin pores are mostly open for heat dissipation, so the yang in the body is not very strong. Eating a lot of cold drinks and fruits will damage the yang in the spleen and stomach, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea. Because ginger contains gingerol and volatile oil (such as gingerol, gingerol, gingerol, citral, etc. ), it often tastes fragrant and spicy. Ginger stimulates the mouth and stomach and promotes the secretion of digestive juice, so it has the function of invigorating the stomach and promoting digestion; After eating ginger, it can accelerate the blood circulation in the body and make the whole body feel warm, so it can sweat and dispel cold. Therefore, in the hot summer, if you can eat ginger in moderation, it will help warm your stomach and dispel cold, prevent diseases and protect your health.
Knowing the characteristics of the natural environment in winter and summer, combined with the homology of medicine and food of radish and ginger, we can easily understand that "eating radish in winter and ginger in summer does not require a doctor to prescribe medicine". The scientific basis of this proverb is actually based on the principle of "those who are hot are cold, and those who are cold are hot" in traditional Chinese medicine to achieve the balance of yin and yang in the human body. For example, we caught a cold in the rain and the old man cooked ginger juice for us to drink; We eat crab, a cool food, dipped in ginger vinegar juice, and so on.
Scientific tonic, follow personal physique.
But after understanding the corresponding principles, we can't copy them completely, because modern society has changed a lot compared with the previous natural environment. Global warming, coupled with the use of air conditioners and refrigerators, has disrupted the normal relationship between the human body and the four seasons. In this case, it is necessary to blindly "eat radish in winter and ginger in summer" according to personal physique and symptoms, rather than simply according to the season. For example, adding radish when eating meat, or using radish as ingredients for some dishes, will not only get angry, but also play a very good nutritional and nourishing role.
In addition, for some people who have taboos on radish and ginger, don't copy them mechanically. For example, people with weak spleen and stomach should not eat more radishes. People with excessive fire due to yin deficiency, red eyes and internal heat, or those with carbuncle, furuncle, pneumonia, lung abscess, tuberculosis, gastric ulcer, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes and hemorrhoids should not eat ginger for a long time.
Only by understanding the scientific truth of proverbs can we correctly understand the scope and scale of their use. "Knowing why, knowing why" can truly achieve the purpose of health preservation.