Why Should Spicy Foods Be Avoided When Taking Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Avoiding spicy food while taking traditional Chinese medicine is due to the fact that spicy seasonings can not only weaken the efficacy of the medicine, but also potentially worsen the condition, cause "heatiness" and inflammation, reduce immunity, or cause bleeding. The prohibition of spicy food generally applies throughout the entire course of medication, and after the condition improves and medication is gradually discontinued, individuals should select seasonings based on their own physical condition. During medication, it is not only necessary to use less of these seasonings when cooking, but also to pay attention to whether they have been added to purchased foods and try to consume less of them. In addition to the familiar green and red peppers, fresh and dried chili peppers, peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, mustard, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, raw onions, and raw garlic, all belong to the category of "spicy" seasonings. They all have the nature of being pungent and hot or pungent and warm, and consuming them appropriately is beneficial for health. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the concept of "medicinal and dietary homology," meaning that these seasonings also have certain medicinal properties. For example, ginger is used to make ginger soup to treat colds. Tonics, heat-clearing medicines, tranquilizers, and blood-cooling medicines are often used to treat conditions such as deficiency syndromes, febrile diseases, blood heat, insomnia, ulcers, and constipation, and it is necessary to avoid spicy food when taking these medicines. For example, commonly used traditional Chinese patent medicines such as Agui Yangxue Oral Liquid for tonifying deficiency, heat-clearing medicines like Redtoxin Tablets, Xiaoyanling Tablets, Yinhuang Buccal Tablets, and Lonicera Japonica Syrup, as well as Shedan Chuanbei Pipa Paste for relieving cough and reducing phlegm, Yimucao Extract for regulating blood and menstruation, and Naoxin Baowan and Yixin Ningshen Pian for nourishing the heart and tranquilizing the mind, all clearly state in their instructions that spicy food should be avoided.