Nowadays, people are living longer, and the topics of diet and healthcare have drawn a lot of attention in recent years. In fact, Chinese sages have long had the wisdom that medicine and food originate from the same source. In terms of disease prevention and treatment, aside from taking medicine, diet therapy can strengthen people’s health. The following is the ginseng diet therapy shared by Chinese Medicine Clinics and Pharmacy of HKU SPACE.

Ginseng can reinforce vital energy, relieve cough and prevent asthma

Ginseng has a sweet and slightly bitter taste and is mild in nature. It is more suitable to take in autumn and winter. Ginseng can reinforce vital energy, invigorate the body’s spleen, benefit the lung, produce saliva, nourish blood, soothe the nerves, nourish the mind and prolong life. It also helps improve symptoms such as physical collapse, cold limbs, loss of appetite, qi deficiency, blood deficiency, thinness and sickness. Ginseng also helps to relieve cough and asthma, when coughing gets more serious in winter, having a few ginseng tablets is healthier than having lozenges which may have additives.

Ginseng is a great tonic but not suitable for everyone. For example, high blood pressure patients - they usually have excessive liver fire and most of them have a hot body constitution. If these people are associated with symptoms such as dizziness, headache, flushed face, hot ears and feeling irritated, then it is not suitable to take ginseng neither in the long term nor in a large amount.

Some foods are incompatible with ginseng

According to restrictions in Chinese medicine, ginseng should not be taken together with Lilu and Wulingzhi. Before taking ginseng we should consult a registered TCM practitioner and choose a suitable variety based on our own body constitution and personal needs. Although codonopsis, false starwort, and American ginseng are also types of ginseng, they do not have the same effect of reinforcing vital energy as ginseng. Instead, they are more used for daily healthcare and cannot replace ginseng.

Our HKU SPACE Chinese Medicine Clinics and Pharmacy practitioners will be delighted to advise you further on the use of Ginseng.