The food that a 95-year-old master of traditional Chinese medicine has relied on throughout his life

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The food that a 95-year-old master of traditional Chinese medicine cannot do without throughout his life: In the field of traditional Chinese medicine in Beijing, there is a highly respected elder who is still treating patients at the age of 95; he is currently the oldest doctor practicing medicine there. He is the renowned traditional Chinese medicine expert Lu Zhizheng. Mr. Lu told the reporter that he has a habit that he has maintained for over 40 years, and that is eating ginger. When discussing health preservation methods with students, Teacher Lu emphasized the most the \"foundation of postnatal health\" – the spleen and stomach. Dr. Lu places great emphasis on regulating the spleen and stomach in order to treat illnesses and save lives; he also practices what he preaches when it comes to his own health maintenance. Mr. Lu has a habit that he has maintained for over 40 years: eating ginger. 　　 Ginger is not only a seasoning used in our daily lives but also an effective medicine. Ginger has a pungent taste and a slightly warm nature; it acts on the spleen, stomach, and lungs. It has the effects of inducing sweating to relieve exterior symptoms, warming the middle jiao to stop vomiting, warming the lungs to relieve coughs, and detoxifying. It can be used to treat colds caused by wind-cold, stomach pain due to cold, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as poisoning from fish or crabs. Its most notable function is regulating the spleen and stomach. 　　 According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the spleen and stomach encompass the entire digestive system of the body; their function is to transform the nutrients from food into qi and blood, which are then distributed throughout the body, thereby enabling the various organs to function properly. Once the spleen and stomach become weak, the digestion and absorption of nutrients are impaired, affecting the entire body. For this very reason, traditional Chinese medicine considers the spleen and stomach to be the \"foundation of acquired health\" in humans. Ginger helps to strengthen the function of the spleen and stomach, thereby ensuring sufficient production of qi and blood, allowing the body to remain in good health. Since the 1970s, ginger has been an essential part of the Lu family’s daily breakfast. Lu Xishan, Lu Lao’s son and the inheritor of the family’s academic traditions, told a reporter from Life Times that his family usually buys several pounds of ginger at a time; it is first pickled in salt and then soaked in vinegar, with some sugar added sometimes depending on taste. When eating it, cut it into ginger strips or ginger shreds, and the whole family eats it together during breakfast. Mr. Lu explained that ginger has a dispersing effect; it can protect against wind and cold, prevent colds, aid digestion, and also promote bile secretion ； Vinegar helps promote blood circulation, relieves pain, and also reduces the spiciness of ginger, resulting in the best flavor. Lu Lao’s admiration for Jiang stems from the inspiration of many ancient people. Confucius was not only a great thinker but also an expert in maintaining good health. In many of his writings he mentioned the importance of continuing to consume ginger, and this was the secret to his long life. Furthermore, ginger is included in most of the prescriptions in Zhang Zhongjing’s ancient medical treatise, ‘Treatise on Febrile Diseases’. The Song Dynasty text “Dongpo Zaji” recounts that an elderly monk in the Jingci Temple of Qiantang in Hangzhou, who was over 80 years old, had a face that appeared youthful; he said that he had been taking ginger for 40 years, which was why he did not age. Although ginger is an excellent health tonic, there are certain ways in which it should be consumed. Specifically, pay attention to the following points: 1. Do not eat at night. The ancients said, “Within a year, do not eat ginger in autumn.” ； On any given day, do not eat ginger at night. ”Mr. Lu said that after a day of busy activities, one needs rest at night; yin energy tends to gather inward. Ginger is a substance that helps disperse such energy, and eating ginger at night can easily deplete one’s vital energy, so it is not advisable to consume ginger at night. 2. Do not eat in autumn. As the saying goes, “Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer, and you won’t need a doctor’s prescription.” Summer is the best time of the year to consume ginger. In autumn, the climate is dry, and this dryness can harm the lungs; consuming spicy ginger further damages the lungs, so it is not advisable to eat ginger during autumn. 3. Certain special groups should not consume it. Furthermore, for those with yin deficiency and excessive fire, as well as internal heat – those who usually experience hotness in the palms and soles of their feet, sweating in the palms, a tendency to drink plenty of water, frequent dryness in the mouth, eyes, nose, and skin, irritability, and poor sleep – consuming ginger can exacerbate the symptoms of yin deficiency; therefore, it is not advisable to eat ginger for extended periods of time. Patients suffering from furuncles, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, diabetes, and hemorrhoids should also avoid eating ginger. Making clever use of ginger for treating illnesses: 1. For cases of wind-cold invasion, nasal congestion, clear nasal discharge, headache and fever, or feeling cold after being exposed to rain and abdominal pain, 25 grams of fresh ginger can be chopped up and mixed with brown sugar; this mixture should then be steeped in boiling water and consumed. 2. For chronic gastritis, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting, 15 grams of fresh ginger and 15 grams of orange peel can be used, boiled in water and taken three times a day. 3. For elderly people with chronic cough, no fever, and white phlegm, juice can be extracted from fresh ginger; take half a teaspoon of this ginger juice mixed with one teaspoon of brown sugar, once in the morning and once in the evening. 4. For joint pain and coldness in the joints, use half each of fresh ginger and green onions, chop them up, heat them, wrap them in a cloth, and apply them to the affected area.