"Winter supplementation", is it better to choose dietary supplements or medicinal supplements?

Both are possible, the key depends on personal constitution:

Spring birth, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter storage. Winter is the season for hiding essence. Due to the cold climate, the human body has higher requirements for energy and nutrients. Moreover, the human body’s metabolism slows down at this time, and the gastrointestinal absorption function is good. The ingested nutrients are easily absorbed and the utilization rate is high. Therefore, it can improve the body's disease resistance, and can also store the active ingredients in the tonic in the body, laying the foundation for next spring and even the whole year's health. Therefore, there are folk sayings such as "Take supplements this year and fight tigers next year" and "Sanjiu Tonic". There is a saying that after one winter, there will be no pain in the coming year. Therefore, if you take supplements at this time, you can get good nourishing effects.

Tonic supplements in winter can be divided into two types: medicinal supplements and dietary supplements.

Medicinal Tonic

Commonly used traditional Chinese medicines for medicinal tonic include: qi-tonifying ones, such as ginseng, astragalus, dangshen, atractylodes, etc., which are suitable for insufficient qi, pale complexion, shortness of breath and fatigue, and spleen deficiency. People with diarrhea; those that nourish yin and nourish blood, such as rehmannia glutinosa, donkey-hide gelatin, angelica root, wolfberry, etc., are suitable for people with symptoms such as pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, pale lips, low hemoglobin, and low menstrual flow in women. Deer antler is also a commonly used supplement in winter. It is suitable for patients with yang deficiency who are afraid of the cold, lukewarm limbs, backache and polyuria, or male impotence.

However, it should be pointed out that tonics are not available casually. Targeted tonics should be selected according to different symptoms such as qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yang deficiency, yin deficiency, etc., in order to achieve good results. For example, ginseng has the effects of tonifying qi, strengthening the heart, producing body fluids, quenching thirst, and calming the nerves. Patients with qi deficiency may suffer from physical weakness, limb weakness, mental fatigue, palpitation, shortness of breath, old age, frailty, or general weakness after overwork, or It can be taken for dizziness and weakness caused by chronic diseases. For example, donkey-hide gelatin has the effect of nourishing yin and nourishing blood, which is especially suitable for people with blood deficiency. Everyone should choose the supplement according to their own physical condition. You can also go to the hospital and ask a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to diagnose the type of deficiency syndrome, and then choose the corresponding tonic to make sure the supplement is appropriate and beneficial. Here are some medicinal meals for you:

Spleen-invigorating eight-treasure porridge

Ingredients: equal parts of gorgon fruit, yam, poria, lotus meat, coix seed, white lentils, dangshen, and atractylodes, rice 500g.

Preparation method: Boil the medicine in water first, filter the residue, then add washed rice and cook.

Function: Replenishing qi, nourishing the stomach and promoting body fluids.

raw rehmannia porridge

Ingredients: 30 grams of dried raw rehmannia glutinosa (or 50 ml of raw rehmannia glutinosa juice), 100 grams of rice, appropriate amount of ginger juice.

Preparation method: Clean the raw rehmannia glutinosa, put it into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water, soak for 5-10 minutes, decoct in water to extract the juice, add rice to make porridge, or squeeze about 50 ml of fresh rehmannia glutinosa into juice , when the porridge is cooked, add it to the porridge, add ginger juice, and boil it for one or two times.

Function: Nourishing yin and promoting fluid production.

Food supplements

As the saying goes: "Medicinal supplements are not as good as dietary supplements." Food supplements are particularly important in winter maintenance. Here are several dietary remedies recommended:

1. Black sesame porridge

Ingredients: 25 grams of black sesame seeds and 50 grams of japonica rice.

Method: Fry the black sesame seeds and grind them into powder and set aside. Wash the japonica rice and cook the black sesame seeds in the pot. After boiling over high heat, use a slow fire to cook into porridge.

Efficacy: Replenishes liver and kidneys, nourishes the five internal organs. Note: This recipe is more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people with weak constitutions, and has the effect of preventing premature aging.

2. Tomatoes and lotus roots with granulated sugar

Ingredients: 2 tomatoes, 1 lotus root section, appropriate amount of sugar.

Method: Peel the tomatoes, boil the lotus roots in boiling water (3 to 5 minutes), put them both into a plate, and sprinkle with sugar.

Effects: Strengthen the spleen and appetite, produce body fluids and quench thirst.

Of course, the cold winter cannot be spent on meals, but proper exercise is also required. Since winter is the season for hiding essence, strenuous exercise should be avoided. Therefore, in terms of exercise, you can choose gentler exercises, such as jogging, Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga and other gentler exercises.