01
Sichuan people have a soft spot for chili peppers and peppercorns, and Hainan people can't forget to sprinkle a handful of pepper when cooking soup.
If you think about it carefully, there is really some truth in this.
Where the humidity is heavy, the common people have their own methods to remove dampness.
Hainan has a tropical maritime monsoon climate, with abundant sunshine and abundant rainfall, and food is prone to moisture and moisture.
Pepper has a unique spicy flavor and aroma, which not only adds a tropical flavor to food, but also effectively helps the body expel moisture and plays a role in warming up the body.
Why does pepper have such an effect?
In fact, pepper is a foreign medicine and food homologous product, some people have researched, saying that most of the food with the word "Hu" entered China in the Han Dynasty.
In the "Materia Medica" written by Miao Xiyong in the Ming Dynasty, he said that pepper: "The smell is thick, and the yang in the yang is also." Its main qi is lowered, warmed, and phlegm, except for those who are cold in the viscera, always because the stomach and intestines are taken advantage of by the cold, so that the viscera is not balanced. The phlegm is reversed, the pungent warms the stomach and disperses the wind and cold, the phlegm falls, the viscera is harmonious, and all the evidence is clear. ”
"Anyone who has a cold stomach and vomiting, a lack of clear food and lodging, or cholera and qi reversal, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, or a deficiency of the large intestine, does not melt into the valley, or cold phlegm accumulation, and the limbs are like ice, and kills all fish, meat, turtles, mushrooms and other poisons, it is a good thing."
It can be seen that ancient Chinese medicine still attaches great importance to pepper, believing that pepper has a pungent and hot taste, enters the stomach and large intestine meridian, and has the effect of dissipating cold in warmth, lowering qi and eliminating phlegm.
For those who are due to the lack of yang energy, cold and dampness stop internally, and even cold phlegm, it is better to use.
So, there is a problem here, everyone says that this pepper is cold and damp, and it can only be commonly used by people who lack yang qi and have a cold spleen and stomach, but why is it that in a hot area like Hainan, everyone is used to eating rice noodles and drinking soup with pepper, and these areas are very hot? Why do you use pepper so widely every day?
Talking about the general reasons, there should be three.
The first is that people instinctively realize that dampness is an important pathogenic factor in their lives, and it is better to get rid of it first, and then pay attention to cold and heat. In Sichuan, we saw that basically the whole people eat spicy, but there is no group of people, saying that you are deficient in yin and can't eat spicy. But everyone basically eats, first remove dampness, and then say, if you have yin deficiency and eat uncomfortable, you may take the initiative to reduce the chance of eating spicy, but because the weather is too humid, it is still the main theme of dampness. Everyone in Hainan basically eats pepper, which is roughly the same reason.
Second, when the climate is hot, the body's yang energy is outside, and the body is easy to be cold, so it is also more susceptible to cold, so we will find that in areas with a hot climate, people tend to pay more attention to the warmth of the body.
Third, when the weather is hot, people are more likely to eat a cold diet, so they need to warm the sun to dispel dampness to protect the body. When I was in Hainan, I was startled at first when I saw mangoes sold in the market, cut them into slices, put some chili noodles and pepper, and a little salt on them, and dip them into them.
Modern people have air conditioning, drink cold drinks, and eat cold food, so the spleen and stomach have more chances of being cold, even in the summer when it is very hot, it is an important task to protect the yang energy of the spleen and stomach from being hurt by cold and dampness.
02
People often ask me, what kind of person is suitable for pepper?
For people with a yang-deficient physique, pepper is a great choice.
Pepper is hot and spicy, and has the functions of dissipating cold in warmth, regulating qi and activating blood, and removing smell and flavor.
People with yang deficiency constitution usually show symptoms such as lack of yang qi, sensitivity to cold, tepid hands and feet, fat tongue, thick tongue coating, tooth marks, more saliva on the tongue, and easy tiredness, and the warm nature of pepper can help them improve these symptoms.
For those with yin deficiency and fire, patients with heat syndrome, those with yin and blood deficiency, and pregnant women should avoid taking pepper.
Yin deficiency and fire people have insufficient yin fluid in the body, the tongue is very red, the tongue coating is thin or no tongue coating, irritability, easy to get angry, dry mouth, and the pungent and hot nature of pepper may lead to aggravation of their symptoms;
Patients with heat syndrome also have pepper to help heat up, which may aggravate their condition after taking it;
The use of pepper may aggravate the deficiency of yin and blood in patients with yin and blood deficiency, and the irritation of pepper may cause abnormal uterine contractions and even miscarriage due to the special constitution of pregnant women.
Overall, pepper is a great choice for people with a yang-deficient constitution, but it should be used with caution or avoided for the specific groups of people mentioned above.
03
Then there is another question, that is, the pepper we commonly use now is divided into black pepper and white pepper, some people will ask, what is the difference between black pepper and white pepper?
First of all, they are made differently. Black pepper is made by drying and roasting the unripe pepper fruit directly with the skin on the skin, and the skin is wrinkled, so it is called black peppercorn. White pepper, on the other hand, is made by removing the flesh and peeling of ripe pepper fruits, leaving only the kernels for drying.
Secondly, they also differ in taste and texture. Black pepper has a layer of skin, so its spicy flavor is prominent and can be smelled from a long distance. White pepper, on the other hand, has a relatively more mellow and fragrant flavor because it only has a pit, and it is not as pungent as black pepper.
In addition, they differ in how they are cooked and what they are used for. Black pepper is usually used in sizzling and grilled dishes due to its hard taste and inability to withstand high temperatures, such as beef tenderloin and steak with black pepper on the iron plate, and is more common in Western cuisine. White pepper, on the other hand, has a soft taste and is more suitable for cooking with food, such as stewed soups, meat fillings, etc., and is widely used in Chinese cuisine.
Finally, although they all have the medicinal value of warming and dispelling dampness and invigorating the spleen and stomach, the medicinal value of white pepper is slightly higher, and its function of dissipating cold and strengthening the stomach is stronger, and it tends to be more beneficial to the lungs, spleen, stomach, large intestine, and even the effect of sweating is better;
Pepper is a powerful and effective condiment that can be used in cooking to add rich flavors and smells to dishes, while also having many health benefits. Of course, in view of the high pungency of pepper, it is necessary to use it in an appropriate amount and judge it in combination with your own physical condition.
Source: Health Talk