What can't you eat while taking Chinese medicine?

After a Chinese medicine doctor prescribes a Chinese medicine prescription for a patient, he or she will always advise of some dietary taboos. This is because some foods can affect the efficacy and absorption of the medicine. Therefore, when taking Chinese medicine, be sure to take it according to the doctor's instructions. For example, if you eat greasy food after taking Chinese medicine, this type of food is usually high in calories and fat, which affects the health of the stomach and intestines and cannot exert the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine, which is just like not eating it. Especially patients with stomach diseases must pay attention to their diet. When taking Chinese medicine, do not eat raw, cold or irritating foods, as they may counteract the medicinal effects of the medicine and fail to cure the disease but may make it worse.

1. It is not advisable to eat radish when taking traditional Chinese medicine (except for taking qi-regulating and phlegm-resolving medicines), because radish has the effects of digesting food and breaking up qi. Especially when taking tonic Chinese medicines such as ginseng, eating radish will reduce the effect of the tonic and make it lose its tonic effect and fail to achieve the therapeutic purpose.

2. Patients with digestive tract diseases such as hepatitis and chronic gastroenteritis should avoid taking garlic when taking spleen-strengthening, stomach-warming and stomach-regulating medicines. Garlic contains allicin, which can stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa and cause congestion of the mucosa. The Chinese medicine they take will not be able to effectively play its therapeutic role.

3. You cannot eat chili peppers when taking Chinese medicine, especially when you have a fever. It is even more inappropriate to eat chili peppers when taking medicines that clear heat and cool blood or nourish yin and reduce inflammation. Chili peppers can reduce the efficacy of the medicine, making the treatment ineffective or weakening the efficacy.

Chinese medicine is very difficult to swallow and is very bitter. Many people like to add sugar to season medicines because of their bitter taste. In fact, this is not a good idea. It will not only reduce the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine, but in serious cases it will also change the medicinal properties, thus causing side effects on the body. It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. Although Chinese medicine tastes bad, it is only effective in curing diseases when taken without adding sugar.