Eating White Radish in Winter Comes with Rules: What It Should Not Be Eaten With and Which Taboos Are Reliable

As the saying goes, “Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer.” Radish is not only a food suited to winter eating, but also rich in carbohydrates and vitamin C. However, in daily life there are always all kinds of claims that “this and that cannot be eaten together.” So what can white radish not be eaten with? What are its effects and functions? Who should not eat it?

I. Effects and Functions of White Radish

White radish is rich in carbohydrates, lignin, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E, as well as various enzymes, and therefore has the following effects and functions:

1. White radish has the effect of relieving cough and reducing phlegm: According to traditional Chinese medicine records, white radish is pungent, sweet and cool, and enters the lung and stomach meridians. It has a good effect on relieving cough and reducing phlegm, and can make phlegm thinner and easier to cough up. Because radish tends to be cool in nature, in terms of reducing phlegm it mainly clears heat phlegm (sticky yellow phlegm). For those who usually have a lot of phlegm when coughing, with phlegm that is sticky and hard to cough up, it is generally heat phlegm. At this time, eating some white radish can help to some extent with cough and phlegm, and white radish can be shredded and used to make pancakes.

2. White radish has the effect of enhancing body immunity: White radish is rich in vitamin C and zinc, which help enhance the body's immune function and improve disease resistance.

3. White radish has the effect of aiding digestion and increasing appetite: Some studies have found that white radish contains mustard oil and amylase, so it has a pungent taste and can aid digestion, increase appetite, lower lipids and help prevent diseases such as gallstones. People who often have abdominal bloating and difficulty passing stool can mash raw white radish into juice and drink it to help digestion.

[Applications] ① For pharyngitis, tonsillitis, hoarseness and loss of voice, it can be mashed into juice and taken together with ginger juice; ② For nosebleeds, it can be mashed raw into juice and taken warm with a little wine, or the juice can be mashed and dripped into the nose; ③ For hemoptysis, cook it thoroughly with mutton and crucian carp and eat; ④ To prevent colds, it can be boiled and eaten; ⑤ For foot odor, use radish decocted in water to fumigate and wash the feet; ⑥ For chilblains, slice white radish, heat it, and rub the affected area every night before bed until the skin turns red; continuous use gives good results; ⑦ For mouth ulcers, mash into juice, add an appropriate amount of boiled water, and rinse the mouth with it several times a day; ⑧ For nausea and vomiting, chop it finely, fry it with honey, and chew and swallow it little by little.

II. What Can White Radish Not Be Eaten With?

Once we clearly understand the effects of white radish, we can know from its characteristics which foods white radish cannot be eaten with, as follows:

1. White radish with warm-tonic Chinese medicines (dangshen, astragalus, ginseng, American ginseng, prepared rehmannia): affects medicinal efficacy

Many people believe that radish has the effect of neutralizing medicine, so they think that when taking Chinese medicine, one should not eat radish. In fact, this is a misconception and has no scientific basis. However, because white radish has the effects of “lowering qi” and “removing stagnation,” traditional Chinese medicine holds that excessive movement of qi can easily damage qi. Therefore, eating radish can interfere to some extent with the tonic effects of qi-tonifying drugs (such as ginseng and astragalus). So when eating white radish, be sure not to take qi-tonifying drugs.

2. White radish with wood ear fungus: may cause dermatitis

Both white radish and wood ear fungus are cold and cool foods, and wood ear fungus itself contains some allergens. Eating it together with wood ear fungus can affect some people with particularly sensitive constitutions and easily cause allergic dermatitis. People with sensitive constitutions had best not eat them this way.

3. White radish and carrot: breaks down vitamin C

It is circulated online that “carrot contains a decomposing enzyme called ascorbic acid, which will break down the vitamin C in white radish, so the two cannot be eaten together!” In fact, white radish and carrot can be eaten together. Experts explain that it is not only carrot that contains “ascorbic acid decomposing enzyme”; all plants have it, and white radish is no exception. So this claim is not credible. The vitamin C in vegetables is very easily destroyed to begin with. Even if they are not eaten together, carrot and white radish will suffer damage and loss during cutting and cooking when exposed to light, oxygen, heat and so on.

4. White radish cannot be eaten with acidic fruits: induces goiter

Rumor has it that “radish cannot be eaten with acidic fruits such as apples and oranges. If eaten together, the flavonoid substances in the fruit will be converted in the intestines into thiocyanic acid, which inhibits thyroid function and further induces goiter!” Experts explain that judging whether a food is acidic or alkaline is not based on its taste, but on the pH value of its ash after burning. If foods are classified according to acidity and alkalinity, then all plant foods such as fruits and vegetables belong to alkaline foods, so there is no such thing as acidic fruits! It is just that white radish contains a substance called glucosinolate, and people with goiter are not suited to eating it!

5. There are not really many taboos on eating radish

Experts tell us that in daily life, as long as we eat a balanced diet and diversify our foods, that is the basic principle of health. There is no need to worry too much about taboos when eating radish. White radish is rich in vitamins, water and dietary fiber, and eating more of it in winter is also beneficial. Just be careful not to take qi-tonifying drugs when eating white radish, and patients with goiter are not suited to eating radish.

III. Who Is Not Suited to Eating White Radish?

1. White radish is not suited to people with spleen deficiency: Because white radish has the effects of lowering qi and removing stagnation, people with weak spleen and stomach had best not eat white radish often.

2. White radish is not suited to patients with chronic bronchitis or asthma: Because white radish tends to be cool in nature, those with cough and wheezing mainly manifesting as deficiency-cold (white phlegm, thin or frothy phlegm) had best not eat white radish, because if the constitution is relatively weak, eating cool-natured foods will certainly worsen the condition and may even induce an acute asthma attack; people with chronic bronchitis and asthma generally have a constitution dominated by “spleen and kidney deficiency,” so they are also not suited to eating white radish to expel phlegm.

3. White radish is not suited to patients with goiter: White radish is a plant of the cruciferous family. It contains a substance called glucosinolate, and after its cell walls are broken, it is reduced to thiocyanate, so people with goiter are not suited to eating it!

4. White radish is not suited to patients with gastrointestinal diarrhea: White radish has the effects of lowering qi and aiding digestion, and also belongs to cold-natured foods, so if there are symptoms of gastrointestinal diarrhea, it is also not suited to eating white radish.

Conclusion: Through the introduction in this article, everyone is now clear about what white radish cannot be eaten with. In fact, there are not so many taboos in daily life. As long as the diet is balanced and not excessive, and you pay more attention during illness, that is enough. Moreover, white radish is just an ordinary vegetable, and eating a little more of it usually is also good for the body.