It is well known that ginger soup is the nemesis of the common cold, especially after getting caught in the rain or being exposed to cold wind. A bowl of ginger soup can prevent a cold. But can you drink ginger soup for any type of cold? Actually, it's not the case. Different types of colds require different treatment methods. Let me introduce a few dietary therapy methods for colds, and I will answer the question of whether ginger soup can treat a cold at the end.
1. Wind-cold type cold:
The main symptoms of wind-cold type cold are heavy nasal congestion, frequent sneezing, clear runny nose, cough, thin and white phlegm, obvious aversion to cold, no sweating, and feeling of body soreness. Fever is generally absent, and if there is a fever, it is usually mild.
1. Ginger drink: Take 30g of ginger and 30g of brown sugar. Boil and divide into 3 servings.
2. Ginger and vegetable stem drink: Take 1 Chinese cabbage stem, 1 radish root, cut into thick slices, add 3 slices of ginger and 50g of brown sugar. Add an appropriate amount of water, boil for 3-5 minutes, and drink it hot.
2. Wind-heat type cold:
The main symptoms of wind-heat type cold are thick and yellow nasal discharge, obvious fever, even high fever, sweating, sore throat, cough, thick and yellow phlegm, and thin yellow coating on the tongue.
1. Mulberry leaf and peppermint drink: Take 5g of mulberry leaves, 5g of chrysanthemum flowers, 3g of peppermint, and 30g of bitter bamboo leaves. Wash the herbs with water, put them in a teapot, and steep with boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink it anytime.
2. Honeysuckle and peppermint drink: Take 30g of honeysuckle, 1 log of peppermint, and 60g of fresh reed root. Boil honeysuckle and reed root with 500mL of water for 15 minutes, then add peppermint and boil for another 3 minutes. Filter, add an appropriate amount of white sugar, and drink it warm. Take it 3-4 times a day.
3. Summer-dampness type cold:
The main symptoms of summer-dampness type cold are fever, dizziness, body aches, fatigue, chest tightness, nausea, and other symptoms.
Summer-dampness clearing tea: Take 20g of fresh hyacinth bean flowers, 20g of fresh lotus leaves, and 20g of fresh rose flowers. Cut the lotus leaves into thin strips, put them with hyacinth bean flowers and rose flowers in a container, add 500mL of water, simmer to make a concentrated solution, add an appropriate amount of rock sugar, and drink it as a substitute for tea.
4. Exterior cold and interior heat type cold:
The main symptoms of exterior cold and interior heat type cold, also known as "cold outside and hot inside," are chills, fever, cough, wheezing, thick and sticky phlegm, restlessness, and headache.
1. Cabbage and mung bean drink: Take 1 cabbage head and 30g of mung bean sprouts. Slice the cabbage head, and simmer it with mung bean sprouts. Drink the liquid.
2. Green dragon and white tiger drink: Take 30g of white radish and 2 green olives. Slice the white radish, and boil it with green olives to make a soup. Drink it as tea.
In summary, for wind-cold type colds, warm and pungent herbs should be used to expel the cold from the lungs. For wind-heat type colds, herbs with a pungent and cool nature should be used. For summer-dampness type colds, herbs that clear heat and dampness should be used. Therefore, it can be seen that ginger soup is only suitable for wind-cold type colds and is not suitable for wind-heat type, summer-dampness type, and exterior cold and interior heat type colds.
