What are the benefits and drawbacks of eating candied ginger in sweet and sour sauce?

Eating candied vinegar-pickled ginger has benefits such as increasing appetite, relieving nausea, promoting blood circulation and dispelling cold, killing bacteria, and regulating menstruation. However, excessive consumption may lead to adverse effects including heatiness, increased bodily burden, stomach pain, diarrhea, and even induce threatened miscarriage. Therefore, it should be consumed in moderation. Detailed analysis is as follows:

I. Benefits

1. Stimulates Appetite
The ginger in candied vinegar-pickled ginger mildly stimulates the oral and gastric mucosa, promoting secretion of digestive juices, enhancing appetite, increasing intestinal tension and motility, thereby improving poor appetite.

2. Antiemetic (Relieves Nausea)
Candied vinegar-pickled ginger is pungent in flavor and slightly warm in nature. It not only helps relieve surface cold, warm the middle-jiao and stop vomiting, resolve phlegm and relieve cough, but also helps prevent motion sickness such as car or seasickness.

3. Promotes Blood Circulation and Dispels Cold
Candied vinegar-pickled ginger can improve blood circulation and stimulate the respiratory and vasomotor centers. It effectively promotes blood flow, dispels cold, warms the lungs, resolves phlegm, stops coughing, and helps prevent and treat colds.

4. Antibacterial Properties
Due to its rich acetic acid content, candied vinegar-pickled ginger can inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria and viruses, thus helping to kill pathogens and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections.

5. Regulates Menstruation
Thanks to its warming and blood-activating properties, candied vinegar-pickled ginger is particularly effective in treating menstrual irregularities caused by cold exposure.

II. Drawbacks

1. Causes Heatiness (Internal Heat)
Candied vinegar-pickled ginger is a spicy and stimulating food. Long-term consumption may cause internal heat, leading to symptoms such as nosebleeds and sore throat.

2. Increases Bodily Burden
Although candied vinegar-pickled ginger contains certain nutrients, excessive intake may increase the body's metabolic burden and lead to indigestion.

3. Stomach Pain
Pickled ginger stimulates gastric juice secretion. However, prolonged and excessive consumption may result in over-secretion of gastric acid, corroding the gastric mucosa and causing stomach pain.

4. Diarrhea
Excessive consumption may impair normal digestive function, hinder proper digestion and absorption in the intestines, and easily lead to diarrhea.

5. May Trigger Threatened Miscarriage
If pregnant women consume candied vinegar-pickled ginger regularly, it may stimulate uterine contractions, increase fetal movement, and in severe cases, even lead to threatened miscarriage.

In daily life, it's important to maintain a diverse diet. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables—such as spinach, apples, and grapes—can help enhance immune function.