When people see the word "pepper", they will think of Xinwen and Xinre, such as the Sichuan pepper mentioned earlier and the chili peppers we often eat. Whether it's pepper, chili, or Sichuan pepper, they all have a kind of spicy heat and yang fire. If people with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold eat them, it's a good medicine. But for those with yin deficiency and excessive heat or dampness and heat, eating them can cause various diseases in the organs. Why?
Guangdong people are the most aware that people with damp and hot bodies are prone to hoarseness and discomfort in their throat, swollen and painful teeth, mouth and tongue sores, and even hemorrhoids when they eat pepper or chili peppers.
Why is that?
It turns out that pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers all have the property of dispersing heat, using heat to help heat up, just like adding oil to a fire. Therefore, for those with yin deficiency and excessive heat, those with damp and hot constitution who consume phlegm and dampness from their bodies will experience sore throat and swollen gums.
That's why after they eat spicy food, there is always phlegm in their throat that cannot be coughed up completely, because these pepper and Sichuan peppercorns have a pungent taste that spreads and disperses lung qi, while also bringing up phlegm turbidity.
What's going on with hemorrhoids?
People often experience hemorrhoids after eating Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, alcohol, and meat for social events or dining out. Originally, the lungs were in contact with the large intestine, and when the lungs were hot, they would release heat through the large intestine. At the same time, spicy food would pass through the intestines, like a ball of fire, causing the patient's anus to burn during defecation.
So when treating pharyngitis, esophagitis, or gum swelling and hemorrhoids, if the patient experiences symptoms due to eating Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, or drinking alcohol, they often take one or two doses of Yizi Tang and flexibly apply it to facial diseases, which goes beyond the scope of treating hemorrhoids. This is also a way to make use of ancient prescriptions.
If you look at the ancient books that believe pepper has the disadvantage of causing sores and aiding fire, you will understand why. It does not mean that eating pepper will cause sores on the fire, but rather whether it is used properly or improperly. For people with yin deficiency and excessive heat and dampness, using it properly can naturally cause sores and aid fire. Instead of causing sores and aiding fire, it can help dispel phlegm and cold. It not only does not have the disadvantage of causing sores and aiding fire, but also has the benefit of treating diseases.
Why are there so many patients with pharyngitis and esophagitis now? Everyone, look at the fried foods sold in supermarkets, the popular spicy soup and dishes nationwide, and the congestion caused by alcohol and meat in daily life. The prosperity of the times has created a stagnation in the digestive system.
Therefore, Zhang Congzheng said in his book "Confucian Family Affairs": The disease of choking on the diaphragm may be caused by alcohol, anger, or stomach fire. The doctor did not observe, but boiled ginger over the fire and osmanthus in the soup; Lilac is gone, cardamom follows; Long pepper has not yet arrived, followed by pepper. Although it is said to harmonize with the stomach, the stomach itself is not cold; Although it is called tonifying the stomach, the stomach is not inherently weak. When the three yang have already formed, eating will inevitably cause dampness. Therefore, it is recommended to use small and moisturizing soup pills to prevent dampness.
Especially in the south, patients with pharyngitis, esophagitis, and even nasopharyngeal cancer and esophageal cancer account for the majority in the country. On the one hand, Guangdong is located along the coast and is caused by damp heat; On the other hand, many people nowadays stay up late watching TV, surfing the internet, and playing games, which leads to dark depletion of essence and blood, as well as yin deficiency and excessive fire.
This damp heat combined with yin deficiency and excessive fire can cause men to smoke and drink during social gatherings, while women are prone to sulking or eating fried foods. As a result, the turbid fire immediately heats up, leading to unfavorable throat conditions and stagnant phlegm in the stomach.
In this situation, one should understand health preservation, otherwise using cold medicine will harm the body, using hot medicine will help with the fire, and using both cold and warm medicine is only a temporary solution.
So for these patients, it is recommended that they stay up late and watch TV less, go out to restaurants and socialize less, and eat less spicy barbecue. Once these "three deficiencies" are removed and combined with ordinary herbs, they can have good therapeutic effects.
Here I would like to share with you an experience in treating diseases, which is to build medicine on the basis of health preservation, just like building a house on a solid foundation.
Pepper is a commonly used seasoning that has the ability to stimulate appetite. Before discussing its functions, we need to talk about its drawbacks, but the downside is not pepper, but improper use.
Pepper is produced in tropical and subtropical regions, and Hainan is known for its abundant production of pepper. As we mentioned before, in the southern tropical and subtropical regions, there is ample sunshine and abundant production of warm and aromatic products such as sorghum, patchouli, agarwood, wood fragrance, sand kernels, and pepper, which are good at promoting qi circulation and can also dissolve dampness and turbidity. What are the local characteristics? What kind of medicine is there!
Pepper, which is abundant in Hainan, can be regarded as a genuine medicinal herb. Here, I would like to introduce a dietary therapy that has a very good effect, specifically for treating old cold stomach and stomach pain with watery water. This soup recipe is widely circulated in our local area, and countless patients with stomach cold and stomach pain have been cured and improved. It is pepper stewed pork belly.
A patient who has eaten a large amount of bamboo shoots has developed a stomach ache and is unable to work. What should be done?
This kind of pain cannot be stopped by painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs, because after the cold bamboo shoots injure the stomach, the pain will worsen when the stomach is exposed to cold, and vomiting with water will be severe. Ask him to stew pork belly with pepper, and as soon as he finished eating, he felt the tightness and cold pain in his stomach relax and ease.
The doctor told him, will he dare to overeat next time? He smiled and said, 'The bamboo shoots in the mountains are really delicious.'. The bamboo shoots in the mountains of Lingnan are indeed a unique dish, a true treasure of the mountains, but everyone should know that even the most delicious food should be in moderation. We would like to mention a health rule to everyone, which is to eat well and not eat too much.
In fact, this attitude of being 70% full and content is the true way of health and wellness. Instead of eating high nutrition foods or stewing delicacies, many people have fallen into the misconception of health preservation, mistakenly believing that high nutrition is good for the body, and therefore pursuing various dietary therapies and health products.
If this way of thinking helps you to embark on the path of health, then the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon should be filled with dietary and health remedies throughout, without the need to talk about tranquility and emptiness, or about having less desire.
When it comes to food, ancient people did not eat as well and as much as modern people do. However, ancient people knew that diet was only an aid to health, and health still came from thoughts, attitudes, and your correct knowledge and opinions, rather than accumulating nutrients.
So everyone knows that pepper stewed pork belly is a special dietary therapy for treating stomach cold pain, vomiting, and water intoxication. Don't recklessly create stomach coldness, eat raw and cold fruits, drink cold tea, and learn the healthy way of eating well and not eating too much.
Pepper is a great tool for dispelling coldness in the stomach. According to the book "Medicinal Herbs", pepper is known for its ability to expel phlegm and eliminate coldness. It is good at removing cold phlegm from the middle burner and removing coldness from the stomach. The ancient formula Pepper Lizhong Wan is specifically designed to treat lung and stomach deficiency cold, cough and phlegm.
In the book "Ben Cao Yan Yi", it is mentioned that pepper is used to induce cold in the stomach and expel water. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, pepper warms the stomach and intestines, removes cold and dampness, so a single serving of pepper can effectively remove cold phlegm from the stomach and produce clear water when consumed.
⊙ The content of the article is for clinical reference only. Non TCM professionals are not allowed to test drugs.