4 ‘First-Aid’ Foods You Can Use to Treat Minor Ailments

In a pinch, certain natural foods in our kitchen can offer immediate “first-aid” assistance. This article will introduce handy ways to use common foods such as green onions, ginger, and chives. These delicious recipes can help you eliminate colds, aches, stones, motion sickness, and other minor ailments.

Sun Simiao, an eminent traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner, once said: “A doctor should know the source of the disease, and once known, treat from daily diet first. If food therapy fails, then seek help from medicine.” This means food therapy should be the first-line treatment for a disease, and only when that is exhausted should we seek help from drugs.

TCM advocates, “Medicinal supplements are not as good as dietary supplements.”

Let us take stock of these natural items in the kitchen and their uses and efficacy.

1. Green Onion and Chinese Chive

Green onions, or scallions, can induce sweating, fight colds, clear the nasal cavity, and, according to TCM, clear energy blockages in organs.

In ancient times, a traditional herbal remedy called scallion and fermented soybean soup was used to promote sweating and treat colds. The recipe involved boiling green onions and fermented soybeans into a soup or cooking them with rice to make a porridge.

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Add scallions and ginger to soup or cook in a light porridge. It can quickly relieve nasal congestion, warm the body, and even ease muscle aches caused by colds.

TCM divides natural foods into three categories: cold, hot, and warm. Cold foods can cool the body, while hot foods have the opposite effect. This way, body temperature can be balanced by eating appropriate amounts of cold and hot foods.

Chinese chives are considered hot and have the effect of warming the body. Eating them regularly can enhance physical strength, promote blood circulation, and improve problems such as cold hands and feet, lower abdominal pain, lower back soreness, and delayed menstruation.

2. Water Chestnut

Water chestnuts are known for their “softening” effect, making hard substances softer. In the human body, this could look like dissolving kidney stones or gallstones. A remedy combining water chestnuts with scallion whites is traditionally used to treat stones in the body. In ancient China, people would also rub water chestnuts on stone or bronze seals to soften them, making the carving process easier.

Try making a sweet and sour cabbage stir-fry. My mother often adds a little chili pepper, vinegar, and sugar when making this dish. The key to this dish is controlling the heat so the cabbage gets crispy, not raw or too soft.

4. Ginger

Ginger can treat age spots, dark spots, and nausea. By soaking ginger slices in boiling water for five to 10 minutes and then adding a little honey, you can cure motion sickness and vomiting. If you feel dizzy or vomit while riding in a car or plane, prepare some ginger honey drink or ginger powder in advance to prevent dizziness and vomiting.

While teaching in the United States, I met a man who felt dizzy and nauseous after visiting an amusement park. I recommended a TCM remedy: a decoction made with fresh ginger, Poria mushrooms, and Pinellia. He followed the prescription, boiled the herbs at home, and after drinking it, his symptoms improved. Poria and Pinellia can be purchased at Chinese medicine shops.

Simple TCM and dietary interventions can be handy for minor ailments. Before visiting a doctor for a cold or minor aches and pains, consider turning to your kitchen first.