Ginger Helps Warm Body but Certain People Should Avoid It

Ginger Helps Warm Body but Certain People Should Avoid It
Ginger mixed with lemon can help regulate the sympathetic nervous system and suppress appetite, according to Toshio Moritani, an emeritus professor at Kyoto University, Japan. (Shutterstock)
12/18/2022
Updated:
12/22/2022
Studies find that the cold temperatures of winter come with an increased risk of cardiac issues and aggravate respiratory diseases and pose a threat to human health and safety.

“Ginger Lemon Sparkling Water” has become popular recently in Japan. The drink can warm the body and promote metabolism and weight loss.

The recipe for making ginger lemon sparkling water is very simple. Grind the ginger into a puree, add it and the lemon juice to the sparkling water, and stir well.

Ginger Lemon Sparkling Water Helps Weight Loss

Toshio Moritani, an emeritus professor at Kyoto University in Japan, said that the aroma of lemon and the spicy taste of ginger can increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which functions on the satiety center, which in turn can suppress appetite and play a role in weight loss. The activity of the sympathetic nerve also promotes the fat-burning effect.

When the sympathetic nerves become more active and more responsive, the switching between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is smoother.

Toshio recommends drinking ginger lemon sparkling water before meals to help prevent eating too much.

How Cold Weather Can Be Dangerous

One of the most dangerous things about the cold temperatures in winter is that they come with an increased risk of cardiac issues, such as heart attacks and strokes. Cold can also have harsh effects on the respiratory system and aggravate respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A study published in the journal The Lancet in 2015 analyzed more than 74 million deaths around the world and found that more than 7 percent of deaths were attributed to exposure to cold temperatures.
Antonio Gasparrini, lead author of the study and professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said that “there is conclusive evidence that there is an increased risk for many health outcomes related to cold.”

Ginger Has Warm Effects, Can Relieve Cough

Ginger is a common seasoning and Chinese herbal medicine. Since ancient times, Chinese people have said that eating ginger is part of a healthy diet.
According to the Analects, when Confucius ate, he would eat the ginger from the side dish and wouldn’t throw it away. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and teacher whose message of knowledge, benevolence, loyalty, and virtue were the main guiding philosophy of China for thousands of years. Confucius believed that all people and the society they live in benefit from a lifetime of learning and a moral outlook.
Modern pharmacology finds that ginger contains gingerol, shogaol, zingerone, and other active ingredients that can play an anti-oxidation and anti-cancer effect.

He Xia, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner based in Japan, said in an interview with The Epoch Times that ginger is pungent and warm in nature; it induces sweat, dispels cold, prevents vomiting, and relieves cough. It’s commonly used to treat common cold symptoms, weak and cold stomach, and decreased appetite.

Ginger goes very well with lemon. Lemons contain vitamin C and natural antioxidants that reduce the production of melanin. Vitamin C is also a nutrient involved in the synthesis of collagen, which is essential for maintaining skin elasticity.

TCM practitioners have discovered that most foods have either “cooling” or “warming” characteristics; they categorize many common foods into three thermal natures: cooling foods, warming foods, and balanced, neutral foods.

When you eat cooling foods, they add cooling effects to your body, and eating warm foods will add warming effects to your body. Therefore, warming and cooling foods can be used to balance the body. According to TCM theory, medicines and foods share the same origins, and they both can be used as medicine.

Certain People Should Avoid Ginger

He Xia said that people with different physiques need different methods of weight loss. Ginger can stimulate metabolism, but it isn’t suitable for everyone. For example, people with a yin-deficient physique shouldn’t use ginger.

The ancient Chinese theory of yin-yang is a conceptual framework used for observing and analyzing the material world. The theory permeates all aspects of TCM.

Usually, yang is associated with the functional aspect of an object—for example, moving, ascending, expanding, heat, bright, progressing, active, and hyper-functioning states—and has more energetic qualities. Yin, on the other hand, is associated with the physical form of an object, such as stillness, descending, contracting, cold, dark, degenerating, latent, and under-functioning states. It has less energetic qualities.

Yin and yang are two elements that are opposite and in balance. In TCM, yin is responsible for moistening and cooling the body. When yin is deficient or out of balance, the body shows signs of heating up.

He Xia said that the so-called yin deficiency refers to symptoms such as fever in the hands and feet, sweaty palms, and frequent dry mouth and dry eyes. Because ginger is warm in nature, it’s a hot food, thus people with yin deficiency will aggravate the symptoms of the deficiency if they eat ginger.

Weber Lee is a Taiwan-based reporter for The Epoch Times, mainly focusing on Integrative Medicine, and current affairs related to Taiwan and China.
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