Ginger is a common culinary spice, but when processed, it also serves as a medicinal herb. It possesses properties that clear heat and detoxify the body.Ginger has earned high praise in folk wisdom, such as: "Eat radishes in winter, ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor's prescription." It offers numerous dietary benefits and is indispensable for men. As the saying goes, "A man cannot go a day without ginger." Ginger boosts yang energy, regulates prostate function, treats prostate diseases, and addresses sexual dysfunction. Thus, it's commonly used in men's health. However, some men should avoid ginger.
Benefits of ginger for men:
Benefits of fresh ginger: Boosts appetite, slows aging
Middle-aged and elderly men often experience weakness due to cold stomach and poor appetite. Regularly sucking on fresh ginger slices stimulates gastric juice secretion and aids digestion.
Fresh ginger lacks the intense drying properties of dried ginger, offering moisturizing effects without harming yin. Each morning, slice four to five thin pieces of fresh ginger. After drinking a cup of warm water, place the ginger slices in your mouth and chew slowly, allowing the ginger's aroma to permeate your oral cavity, spread to your stomach and intestines, and rise through your nostrils.
Benefits of dried ginger: Treating kidney deficiency and impotence
Dried ginger warms the middle burner, dispels cold, strengthens the stomach, and invigorates blood circulation. Goji berries nourish the liver and kidneys, enrich essence, and improve vision. This medicinal dish treats impotence, aversion to cold, cold limbs, lower back pain, weakness in the lower back and knees, and fatigue caused by kidney yang deficiency.However, ginger is a pungent and warming food suitable only for cold-related conditions. Use sparingly to avoid damaging blood and yin. If accompanied by sore throat, dry throat, or constipation, avoid ginger to prevent exacerbating symptoms.
Take one male carp (approx. 500g), 10g dried ginger, and 10g goji berries.Remove the fish sac (the white, jelly-like substance in the male carp's abdomen) and simmer it with the dried ginger and goji berries. Bring to a boil, then season with cooking wine, salt, and MSG to taste. Consume on an empty stomach every other day for five consecutive days.
Different Ways to Consume Ginger:
Fresh Ginger: Anti-emetic, Cold Relief, Motion Sickness Prevention
Ginger possesses pungent and warm properties with mild diaphoretic effects. It warms the stomach, dispels cold, harmonizes the middle burner, and alleviates nausea.
Ginger juice is remarkably effective against vomiting, earning it the reputation as the "sacred medicine for nausea." Ginger also possesses certain detoxifying effects against poisoning from raw pinellia, raw aconite, and fish/crab toxins. For symptoms like numbness and swelling of the throat and tongue from aconite or pinellia poisoning, or persistent hiccups making eating difficult, take about 10 grams of ginger, blend into juice with a mixer, and drink it down—it's easy to swallow.
Ginger and Brown Sugar Decoction Ginger dispels wind and cold, making it suitable for mild colds. Boil 15 grams of diced ginger into a decoction, add brown sugar, and drink. This often induces sweating to resolve symptoms. During cold weather when colds are common, drinking a cup in the morning can prevent wind-cold colds. Note: This decoction is only suitable for wind-cold colds or stomach cold after rain exposure; it should not be used for summer-heat colds or wind-heat colds.
Salt-Vinegar Ginger Decoction With the widespread use of air conditioning, many people develop "air-conditioning sickness," where shoulders and lower backs suffer from wind, cold, and dampness. Middle-aged and elderly individuals are particularly prone to recurrent frozen shoulder.In such cases, prepare hot ginger soup. Add a pinch of salt and vinegar to the soup, then soak a towel in it—do not wring it out completely dry—and apply it to the affected area. Repeat several times. This helps relax tense muscles, soothe tendons, and promote blood circulation, significantly alleviating pain.
Dried Ginger: Dispels Cold, Relieves Cough
Dried ginger possesses pungent and hot properties, primarily functioning to warm the middle burner, dispel cold, warm the lungs, and transform phlegm. It is highly effective against illnesses caused by cold pathogens. However, it is unsuitable for those who frequently experience dry mouth and throat or suffer from yin deficiency with internal heat.
Dried ginger is not commonly used in daily cooking. Due to its pungent and hot nature, it may increase internal heat, so consulting a physician before use is advisable. Typically used in small quantities, 5-10 grams can be added when simmering mutton or beef soup. This makes it a good dietary remedy for those with cold hands and feet who frequently cough up clear phlegm.