The Best Season to Eat Ginseng, One of the Three Treasures of Northeast China, and the People Who Should or Should Not Take It
Ginseng is also known as yellow ginseng, earth essence, divine herb, and king of a hundred herbs, and is one of the far-famed “Three Treasures of Northeast China”. The fleshy root of ginseng is a well-known powerful tonic, suitable for regulating blood pressure, restoring heart function, neurasthenia, and physical weakness. So what season is best for eating ginseng? Who is it suitable for?
Ginseng is a perennial herbaceous plant that prefers cool shade. Its leaves have no stomata or palisade tissue and cannot retain water. When the temperature is above 32 degrees, the leaves will be scorched. The canopy density is 0.7-0.8. It usually blooms after 3 years and bears fruit after 5-6 years. The flowering period is May-June, and the fruiting period is June-September. It grows at altitudes of several hundred meters between 33 degrees and 48 degrees north latitude, under mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests dominated by Korean pine or in deciduous broad-leaved forests. It is produced in Northeast China, Korea, South Korea, Japan, and eastern Russia.
What season is best for eating ginseng?
When taking ginseng, be sure to pay attention to seasonal changes.
1. Spring
As the saying goes, “The whole year's work depends on a good start in spring.” When spring arrives, all things grow. It is the best time for tonic supplementation. Dietary supplementation is better than medicinal supplementation, and if you want to supplement through diet therapy, you should also start in spring. There are many varieties of ginseng, but their effects differ greatly, and choosing the wrong one may backfire. The spring climate is rather dry, so American ginseng is more suitable at this time.
2. Summer
Generally speaking, the summer weather is hot, so it is not suitable to eat ginseng. At this time, American ginseng can be brewed as tea. American ginseng is cold in nature, sweet in taste, and slightly bitter. American ginseng is most suitable for patients with deficiency of both qi and yin, or those with vexing heat, thirst, and internal deficient fire. Its characteristics are clearing fire and relieving vexation; it is neither heating nor drying. It can be taken by people who are not suitable for treatment with ginseng or for warming tonic supplementation.
3. Autumn
In autumn, the weather is cool and relatively dry, and it is also a season suitable for people to nourish their bodies. Many people choose ginseng to supplement qi.
4. Winter
Winter is the most suitable season for taking ginseng. For those with a qi deficiency constitution, such as shortness of breath and fatigue, frequent dizziness, low blood pressure, susceptibility to colds, and being afraid of cold and prone to chill in winter, it is most suitable to take ginseng as a tonic at this time.
What kind of people is ginseng suitable for?
China has a long history of eating ginseng, and its miraculous effects have been highly praised. According to historical records, ginseng has the effects on the human body of “tonifying the five internal organs, calming the spirit, stabilizing the soul, stopping palpitations, brightening the eyes, opening the heart, and improving intelligence.” Ginseng is a tonic, mainly for supplementing qi. Young people who eat ginseng have more vigorous energy, greater physical strength, and more vitality; older people eat ginseng mainly to treat illness, with nourishment as a secondary purpose.
The people for whom ginseng is suitable are mainly those with symptoms of qi deficiency, such as pale complexion, weakness and lack of strength, and getting out of breath at the slightest exertion. Another example is patients with anemia, who often also have qi deficiency syndrome, so such patients can also eat ginseng. If a healthy person without disease wants to nourish the body and prevent illness, they can also eat some ginseng, but not in excess, and different types of ginseng should be chosen according to different physical conditions.
1. Generally speaking, elderly and frail people with a cold-deficient constitution can appropriately eat some red ginseng or wild mountain ginseng. If financial conditions do not allow eating wild mountain ginseng, they can also eat some sun-dried ginseng.
2. For tonic supplementation in summer, American ginseng can be chosen.
3. Women who are physically weak after childbirth can eat some red ginseng.
4. For general tonic supplementation, ordinary people can eat some sun-dried ginseng, but not too much.
5. People with a hotter constitution, if they want to eat ginseng, should best choose American ginseng or sun-dried ginseng.
6. For patients with major bleeding, it is best to eat wild mountain ginseng, followed by red ginseng, and then sun-dried ginseng.
What kind of people is ginseng not suitable for?
1. People with a strong allergic constitution. If a rash appears after taking ginseng, it should not be taken. It is even more unsuitable to take it when there is suppurative inflammation.
2. Hypertensive patients with liver yang rising are prone to cerebrovascular accidents after taking it. However, hypertensive patients with a cold-deficient constitution can use ginseng, but the dosage should be small. When systolic pressure is greater than 180 mmHg, patients of any type should not take ginseng.
3. People who are drinking tea or eating radish should not take ginseng. This is because both of these foods have the effect of moving qi, while ginseng greatly tonifies original qi. After supplementation, their effects eliminate its action, which is equivalent to taking it in vain.
4. When having a cold with fever, it is generally not suitable to take ginseng. Because during fever there is severe palpitation, and taking ginseng will increase blood circulation, making the palpitations worse and aggravating the condition.
5. People who develop asthma due to sudden qi congestion, or who have dry throat caused by dry heat, or who have conditions such as vomiting blood or nosebleeds triggered by a momentary impulse, should all avoid ginseng.
6. For edema caused by stagnant damp-heat, edema worsens after taking ginseng. This is because ginseng has an antidiuretic effect. In addition, it should also be used with caution by those with renal insufficiency accompanied by scanty urine.
7. People with insomnia and irritability belonging to an excess pattern should not take ginseng, otherwise sleep will be even worse.
8. Anyone with excess qi, a hot body, a slippery, forceful pulse, and excess heat with difficult urination and defecation should not take ginseng.
In addition, when eating ginseng, be sure to pay attention to seasonal changes. Generally speaking, the weather in autumn and winter is cool, so it is better to take it; while the summer weather is hot, so it is not suitable to eat it. In short, as long as you master the correct method of consumption and precautions, a small amount of ginseng can make us strengthen the body, improve health, and prolong life.