Wines vary, yet their properties and effects share common ground. Generally speaking, wine is warm in nature and pungent in flavor. Its warmth dispels cold, while its pungency promotes dispersion. Thus, wine can unblock meridians, regulate qi and blood, warm yang to expel cold, soothe the liver to relieve depression, and promote emotional well-being. Below, we outline the benefits of moderate drinking, hoping this information proves useful.
While humanity's earliest alcohol consumption cannot be termed "alcoholic wellness," it was closely linked to health preservation. Primitive wine resulted from wild fruits naturally fermenting under suitable conditions. Since many wild fruits possess medicinal properties, this early wine could be considered a natural "health-preserving liquor," offering certain protective and health-promoting effects.
The Yuan Dynasty medical text "Essentials of Dietary Therapy" summarized the effects of alcohol thus: "Wine tastes sweet and pungent, is intensely heating and toxic. It enhances medicinal efficacy, dispels all pathogens, unblocks blood vessels, fortifies the stomach and intestines, and alleviates sorrow. Moderate consumption is beneficial; excessive drinking damages the body and shortens life, corrupts one's nature, and its toxicity is severe. Overindulgence is the root of death."
The key to drinking lies in moderation. Alcohol, present in all alcoholic beverages, possesses antibacterial properties—the so-called "killing of all evils." Thus, during the early stages of certain epidemics, many drinkers would consume a small cup morning and night. People would also steep medicinal herbs like ginseng in wine for patients, leveraging alcohol to "unblock blood vessels" and "enhance the efficacy of medicines," thereby achieving better therapeutic results.Additionally, alcohol aids in warmth retention. Moderate drinking promotes blood circulation and helps restore body temperature—hence why fishermen often carry alcohol when heading out to sea.
Even so, many remain apprehensive—how does one strike the balance between health benefits and harm?
The optimal time for health-promoting drinking is around 6 p.m., coinciding with dinner. This is because alcohol metabolism in the liver requires multiple enzymes and vitamins, and the body produces more of these enzymes during this period, facilitating ethanol breakdown. Furthermore, evening drinking avoids interfering with daily life and work, and for some individuals, it can even aid sleep.Based on individual constitution, generally speaking, the higher the alcohol content, the smaller the serving size should be. For daily total consumption: baijiu (white liquor) should be limited to about 50 milliliters, medicinal wine to about 100 milliliters, huangjiu (yellow wine) also around 100 milliliters, red wine between 150-200 milliliters, and beer to about 500 milliliters.
The above outlines the benefits of moderate drinking. We hope this provides valuable insight. Wishing you good health and happiness.