With the popularization of traditional Chinese medicine culture, Chinese herbal medicine has gradually become an indispensable health product in our lives. More and more people choose to use Chinese herbal medicine to regulate their bodies. However, many people also easily fall into the misconceptions of using Chinese herbal medicine.
What are the misconceptions of taking Chinese herbal medicine?
1. Using Chinese herbal medicine as a tonic
Many people believe that Chinese herbal medicine can "treat diseases and strengthen the body". In fact, even common Chinese herbal medicine should not be taken randomly.
For example, some people feel weak and fatigued, so they often like to buy Chinese herbal medicine to cook soup and regulate their bodies. However, eating too much can actually cause adverse symptoms in the body.
2. Adding sugar to Chinese herbal medicine
Some people often add sugar to their herbal medicine because the taste is bitter and hard to swallow. Especially when coaxing children to take herbal medicine, many parents do this.
Adding sugar to a pre-mixed herbal medicine is equivalent to adding another herbal medicine, which can change the properties of the herbal medicine, weaken its effectiveness, and even cause precipitation. Therefore, adding sugar to herbal medicine is incorrect.
3. Buying over-the-counter Chinese medicine for "treating diseases"
Many people like to buy over-the-counter Chinese medicine to treat minor ailments such as headaches and fever. However, self-medication can often worsen the condition because it may not be targeted to the specific symptoms.
Why should you avoid certain foods when taking Chinese herbal medicine?
When taking Chinese herbal medicine, it is generally recommended to avoid eating beans, meat, raw and cold foods, and other hard-to-digest foods in order to reduce the burden on the digestive system and prevent it from affecting the patient's recovery speed.
Patients with weak spleen and stomach should especially avoid these foods.
Patients with heat-related diseases should avoid or reduce consumption of alcohol, spicy foods, and meat, as these foods can generate phlegm and heat in the body, worsening the condition. When taking medicine to relieve external symptoms, it is advisable to eat less cold and sour foods that have a constricting effect.
When taking warm tonics, it is recommended to drink less tea, as some teas have a cooling effect on the body and can reduce the effectiveness of the medication in tonifying the spleen and stomach.
It is also not advisable to drink tea before or after taking sedatives or sleep-inducing drugs, and tea should never be used to administer these medications.
Principles of avoiding certain foods when taking Chinese herbal medicine
1. Avoid strong tea
Generally, it is not recommended to drink strong tea when taking Chinese herbal medicine, as the tannic acid in tea can affect the absorption of the effective ingredients in the medicine and reduce its efficacy.
Especially when taking gelatin or Tremella, it is important to avoid taking them with tea, as the tannic acid and alkaloids in tea can create precipitation and affect absorption.
2. Avoid raw and cold foods
Raw and cold foods can irritate the stomach and intestines, affecting the absorption of the medicine. Therefore, when taking Chinese herbal medicine that warms the meridians, dispels cold, or nourishes the spleen and stomach, it is advisable to avoid raw and cold foods.
3. Avoid spicy and greasy foods
Spicy foods with a hot nature can easily consume Qi and create internal heat. When taking Chinese herbal medicine to clear heat and detoxify, cool blood and nourish Yin, it is necessary to avoid spicy foods such as onions, garlic, peppers, lamb, and dog meat.
Greasy foods are sticky and can generate dampness and phlegm, making digestion and absorption difficult and reducing the effectiveness of the medicine. Patients with heavy phlegm-dampness, weak spleen and stomach, hypertension, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and obesity should especially avoid greasy foods.
