Whether green ginger can be used as a herbal guide depends on whether it is spoiled. If only the skin of the ginger is green, it can usually be used as a herbal guide. If both the skin and the interior of the ginger are green, accompanied by mold or other signs of spoilage, it cannot be used as a herbal guide. A herbal guide is a colloquial term for a drug that can direct the efficacy of other drugs to the affected area or a specific meridian, serving as a guide and enhancing therapeutic efficacy, detoxifying, and improving taste. Herbal guides are used in combination with prepared medicines and are often added separately to the prescription of traditional Chinese medicine to decoct and take with the prepared medicine. Ginger has a pungent taste and slightly warm nature, belonging to the category of drugs that disperse cold-wind. It has the effects of resolving exterior syndrome and dispersing cold, warming the middle and stopping vomiting, and resolving fish and crab poisoning. In clinical practice, ginger decoction is often used as a herbal guide to take with prepared medicines for treating diseases such as cold-wind cold, stomach cold with vomiting, and cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, such as taking Fuzi Lizhong Pill with ginger decoction, which can enhance therapeutic efficacy. Whether green ginger can be used as a herbal guide should be judged based on whether the ginger is spoiled. If only the skin of the ginger is green, it is a normal phenomenon and can be used as a herbal guide as usual. However, if both the skin and interior of the ginger are green, accompanied by mold, dark spots, or other phenomena, it is most likely spoiled. At this time, green ginger cannot be used as a herbal guide to avoid medication risks and harm to health. Patients should follow medical advice when taking medication and not use it blindly. It is also important to observe the morphology of medicinal materials daily, and if they are spoiled, they should not be used.
