01 Uncle Wang's health story
"Health care must be enjoyable, but also quiet and void. "A retired worker named Uncle Wang (not his real name) spent half a year in a quiet old street practicing wellness. Perhaps, as the "Yellow Emperor's Neijing" said: "The way of health preservation, medicine is not as good as pleasure, and happiness is better than peace." "On the road of modern people's pursuit of health, how should they choose a health regimen that suits them?
Let's take an in-depth look at the health story of Uncle Wang (pseudonym), and draw the essence of ancient health wisdom from it. Uncle Wang (not his real name) was a hard-working mechanical engineer who retired to find that his health was not ideal. The doctor told him that his blood pressure and blood sugar were high, which made him deeply worried. By chance, Uncle Wang (pseudonym) heard that soaking in water with astragalus can lower blood pressure and blood sugar. So, he began to insist on soaking astragalus every day to drink.
Every morning, he personally went to the Chinese medicine shop near the community, selected dried astragalus, carefully cleaned it, and put it in a thermos cup to soak in water. This life lasted for half a year, and he felt a noticeable change in his body. I have doubled my energy, I no longer feel tired in the morning, and my complexion has changed from pale to rosy. This made him look forward to the health effects of astragalus.
Uncle Wang (pseudonym), accompanied by astragalus, has experienced a dual transformation of body and spirit. However, joy is also mixed with worry. He noticed an unstable drop in blood sugar and blood pressure, and experienced dizziness and palpitations. The hospital physical examination showed a slight abnormality in liver function and a decrease in kidney function. Doctors pointed out that long-term consumption of astragalus in large quantities may lead to an increase in the burden on the liver and kidneys and affect health.
This makes us think deeply that the way of health preservation is not once and for all, but requires scientific management and continuous adjustment. Astragalus membranaceus as a Chinese herbal medicine does have rich health benefits, but over-reliance can also bring potential risks. Health care needs to be treated with caution, not only to respect tradition, but also to combine the scientific advice of modern medicine to achieve the maximum benefit of health preservation.
02 The efficacy and role of astragalus
Astragalus, as one of the representatives of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is believed to have the effects of enhancing immunity, toxin, and anti-fatigue. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica", the description of Astragalus membranaceus points out: "The main treatment is weakness and weakness, weak branch pulsation, anorexia and infertility in children, all kinds of diseases, women's blood closure, absolute child, impotence in men, and self-sweating." ”
1. Suitable and contraindicated groups of astragalus
As a kind of Chinese herbal medicine, the application scope of Astragalus membranaceus has certain limitations. First of all, the suitable population mainly includes people who are weak and weak, and this kind of population often manifests symptoms such as physical overdraft and qi deficiency, and the qi tonifying effect of astragalus can effectively help them recover their physical strength. Astragalus membranaceus and anorexia in children are also suitable for astragalus, and its conditioning effect on spleen and stomach function is considered to be effective.
However, we also need to pay attention to the contraindications, among which those who have the initial onset of sores and the hot poison after ulceration should be cautious about using astragalus. In these cases, astragalus may contribute to the dampness and heat in the body, leading to worsening symptoms. Therefore, for readers with symptoms of a specific disease, it is best to consult a doctor's advice before using astragalus to ensure safe and effective use.
2. Foods that should not be eaten together
Although astragalus is rich in medicinal value, it also needs to be cautious when pairing it with food. It should not be eaten with radishes, mung beans and other foods. Radish is cold in nature and has the effect of lowering qi, which is the opposite of the qi-replenishing effect of astragalus. Therefore, when eating together, they may cancel each other out and reduce the efficacy of the drug. Mung bean is cool, while astragalus is warm, and eating the two together may also lead to a weakening of the efficacy. Therefore, when choosing food, you should pay attention to the combination to ensure that you can bring out the best effect of astragalus.
3. Interpret the efficacy of astragalus from a scientific perspective
Astragalus has multiple effects such as enhancing immunity, supporting toxins and building muscles, and anti-fatigue. From the perspective of modern medicine, the total glycosides of astragalus in astragalus can regulate blood sugar in the body, improve the body's antioxidant capacity, and thus enhance immunity. In addition, flavonoid-rich astragalus has an antihistamine effect, which helps to reduce inflammation and sterilization, and toxin and build muscle. Astragalus polysaccharides have been shown to significantly enhance the contractility of skeletal muscles and exert anti-fatigue effects.
These effects have not only been widely recognized in ancient times, but have also been deeply verified by modern scientific research. Relevant research reports and medical journal papers have proved the positive effects of astragalus in immune regulation, antioxidant and anti-fatigue. This provides scientific support for the application of astragalus as a health ingredient.
03 Dietary recommendations for astragalus
As an herb, astragalus can not only be drunk by soaking in water, but can also be paired with some foods to enhance its conditioning effect. Here are three dietary recommendations that are suitable for pairing with astragalus:
Astragalus date tea
- Ingredients: astragalus, red dates, honey
- Preparation: Wash the appropriate amount of astragalus and red dates, put them in a thermos flask, add hot water, wait for a while, and then add an appropriate amount of honey and stir well. Drinking it every morning on an empty stomach helps to boost physical strength and improve immunity.
Astragalus yam porridge
- Ingredients: Astragalus, yam, glutinous rice
- Preparation: Wash and slice the astragalus and yam, and wash the glutinous rice. Put all the ingredients into the rice cooker, add an appropriate amount of water, and cook into porridge. Eating a bowl every day helps to replenish qi and nourish blood and improve physical fitness.
Chicken soup stewed with astragalus
- Ingredients: astragalus, local chicken, wolfberry, ginger slices
- Preparation: Wash the local chicken, cut it into pieces, put it in a stew pot with astragalus, wolfberry and ginger slices, and add an appropriate amount of water. Simmer for a few hours until the chicken is cooked through. Consuming it once a week can help to nourish the kidneys and improve immunity.
Combined with the experience of Uncle Wang (pseudonym), we deeply realize that health preservation is not a simple dietary supplement, but also requires scientific management and individualized adjustment. Physical health is a complex system engineering, which requires us to constantly absorb new knowledge from modern science while preserving the fine traditions of traditional health preservation. Only in this way can we achieve balance and health in our bodies.
On the road of health preservation in the future, let us work together, keep learning, continue to explore, treat health care with a scientific attitude, and create a healthy and happy life for ourselves. The way of health preservation has a long history, and I hope that each of us can have a healthy and beautiful life under the guidance of this thousand-year-old precept.