Is it healthy to eat ginseng every day? Chinese Medicine Practitioner Lin Qinyi: Are you taking the 8 major health-preserving Chinese medicines correctly?

Health preservation emphasizes that "medicine and food have the same origin", so almost everyone has Chinese medicinal herbs such as angelica, ginseng, wolfberry, and red dates at home. They are not only used to enhance the flavor of dishes, some of them are also regarded as good ingredients for regulating the physical condition, preventing diseases and strengthening the body. However, Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi reminds us that "all medicines are poisonous to some extent", so be careful not to eat or cook them carelessly. Not only will it fail to maintain the effect of the body in the long run, it may also affect your health!

Modern people attach great importance to health preservation, and the trend of "diet therapy" that uses Chinese medicine in cooking has become popular. Therefore, traces of Chinese medicinal materials can often be seen in the refrigerator or cupboard of every household. These commonly used Chinese medicinal materials are mostly angelica, Chuanxiong, wolfberry, red dates and ginseng, each with unique medicinal properties and flavors.

Keep 8 health-preserving Chinese medicines at home. Are you taking them correctly?

Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi reminds us that these commonly available Chinese medicinal herbs are not inedible. If they are only used occasionally or in small amounts to season dishes, in principle, they will not harm your health. However, if you eat them every day in order to deal with or solve a physical problem, then it is absolutely "NO" because even the commonly available Chinese medicinal herbs in the home have their indications and must be diagnosed and evaluated by a professional Chinese medicine practitioner before consumption, so as to avoid indiscriminate consumption and excessive supplementation that may lead to more complicated health problems.

The following are eight common Chinese medicinal herbs that are kept at home, with their health benefits and common edible pitfalls for reference:

1. Angelica:

Angelica sinensis is a well-known blood tonic in the Chinese medicine canon. It can replenish qi and blood and is often used to treat trauma and gynecological diseases. Especially if there are teenage girls in the family, many mothers stew the Four Ingredients Soup consisting of Angelica sinensis, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Rehmannia glutinosa and White Peony Root, or a simple Angelica sinensis duck soup every month to regulate their menstruation and adjust their physical condition.

However, no matter how good the blood tonic is, it is not suitable for everyone to take for a long time! Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi said that angelica is warm and dry in nature, and is suitable for people with weak constitutions who are prone to pale complexion, anemia, low blood pressure, weak limbs, etc. If you have symptoms such as heavy menstrual flow, acne, constipation, mouth sores, bad breath, etc., it means that your constitution is hot. It is not suitable for you to eat angelica for health preservation long-term, so as not to make your body hotter the more you eat.

As for the controversy that "Danggui may induce uterine fibroids" that has been raging on the Internet for a while, the medical community and research generally believe that there is no direct correlation, and even believe that as long as it is used properly, Donggui can help improve and prevent fibroids.

2. Chuanxiong:

Chuanxiong is pungent and warm in nature. In addition to being used in dishes to enhance flavor, it is also a good helper in clinical treatment of migraines, headaches, and colds. It can even be used together with angelica to promote the flow of qi and blood. However, due to its role in promoting the smooth flow of qi and blood, women should not consume it during their menstrual period to avoid hemorrhage. Patients who are taking anticoagulants need to be more cautious to avoid drug interactions that may worsen their original symptoms.

Chuanxiong is pungent and warm in nature. In addition to being used in dishes to enhance flavor, it is also a good helper in clinical treatment of migraines, headaches, and colds.

3. Astragalus:

Astragalus has a sweet taste and is often used by home cooks to make soups, or even brewed directly with hot water as tea. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus can replenish qi and strengthen the exterior, and is a very good qi tonic that can boost vital energy. From the perspective of modern medicine, some animal experiments have found that Astragalus has a good effect in lowering blood sugar and controlling blood pressure.

It should be noted that although Astragalus has the effect of replenishing vitality and enhancing immunity, it is not suitable for people who are in the acute stage of a cold or infection to avoid slowing down the recovery of the disease. This is because the function of Astragalus is to "strengthen the defense line." If you want to quickly repel external evils such as colds and germs, you cannot just passively defend and block them, but also need to be more proactive in attacking and expelling them. If the external pathogens are trapped in the body's defense area, it will easily lead to a situation of "hurting the enemy by one thousand and hurting yourself by eight hundred", making it difficult for the symptoms to heal quickly.

4. Red dates and wolfberries:

Red dates replenish qi and blood, and can keep your complexion rosy and radiant; wolfberries nourish the liver and kidneys, and can protect the eyes and relieve tinnitus. Both are fruit-type medicines with mild properties, and because of their pleasing red color, they are often used as "makeup artists" for dishes and desserts.

However, while red dates and wolfberries are good for your health, they also have the problem of being "greasy". People with a phlegm-damp constitution, who are prone to diarrhea or who often suffer from loss of appetite should not eat too much of them to avoid increasing the burden on the spleen and stomach's digestion. In addition, when purchasing red dates and wolfberries, you should also pay attention to whether there are pesticide residues, dyeing, or excessive sulfur fumigation caused by improper processing, so as to avoid harming your body by eating too much.

5. Ginseng:

Ginseng is known as the "king of medicines" in the Chinese medicine canon. It has the effects of replenishing vital energy, replenishing qi and blood, calming the mind and improving intelligence, strengthening the body and prolonging life. It has a wide range of uses. In addition to being prescribed by clinical Chinese medicine practitioners, people also often use it to make tea and stew chicken soup. People believe that eating more will improve health, especially when recovering from a serious illness, they must eat ginseng to replenish vital energy.

Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi said that ginseng replenishes qi and is suitable for use when you are tired, after menstruation, or when qi deficiency causes indigestion and lack of energy. However, since ginseng's qi-replenishing effect is so strong, in order to avoid possible adverse effects, patients with the three highs are advised not to consume it in large quantities on a regular basis. Even for pink ginseng, which has milder medicinal properties than Korean ginseng and Oriental ginseng, it is not recommended for long-term consumption.

If the patient is just recovering from a serious illness and has a weak constitution, do not take any supplements on your own during recuperation. It is recommended that you seek treatment from a professional Chinese medicine practitioner. In addition, patients who are taking anticoagulants due to illness should pay special attention, as some anticoagulant drugs will interact with ginseng. It is recommended to consult a doctor before consumption.

Ginseng is known as the "king of medicines" in the Chinese medicine canon. It has the effects of replenishing vital energy, replenishing qi and blood, calming the mind and improving intelligence, and strengthening the body and prolonging life.

6. Hawthorn:

Hawthorn has the function of helping digestion, eliminating accumulation and lowering blood lipids. It is a good helper to reduce the burden on the body after eating too much meat and fish. However, because hawthorn can easily irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa while helping digestion and removing fat, people with gastroesophageal reflux or indigestion should never eat it alone or on an empty stomach in large quantities.

In addition, some people regard hawthorn as a "weight loss magic weapon" that helps eliminate excess fat, and eat it three times a day. Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi reminds us that although hawthorn can lower blood lipids, it tastes sour and sweet. If you don’t know how to avoid it at the right time, be careful as it will stimulate your appetite the more you eat, and you will get fatter!

7. Job’s tears:

Job's tears has the effects of diuresis, swelling reduction, spleen strengthening and diarrhea relief. It is also one of the favorite foods for women for whitening. Chinese people often cook it with mung beans to make "mung bean and job's tears soup" and eat it in summer, which is refreshing and nourishing; or boil it with the four medicinal ingredients in the "Four Gods Soup" (yam, water chestnut, lotus seeds, and poria), which can be nourishing for the whole family. However, be careful. If you are a pregnant woman, it is recommended to avoid adding coix seed to any dish as it may lead to low amniotic fluid and possible risk of miscarriage.

Job's tears have the effects of diuresis, swelling reduction, spleen strengthening and diarrhea relief, and are one of women's favorite foods for whitening.

【Health Tips】:

In addition to the above-mentioned Chinese medicinal herbs that are commonly used in cooking and should be used with caution, Chinese medicine practitioner Lin Qinyi specifically reminds people not to take Chinese herbal medicines or folk remedies of unknown origin indiscriminately. She said that taking anti-cancer folk remedies of unknown origin and ingredients is the most dangerous to your health, so don't be fooled; many people suffer from muscle and bone pain, and go to pharmacies to buy Chinese herbal medicines such as Guilu Erxian Jiao and Xingqi San for consumption, but because these prescriptions may contain ingredients that affect blood pressure and anticoagulant function, it is recommended to consult a Chinese medicine practitioner before consumption to avoid hurting your body instead of taking care of your muscles and bones.