[Summer Drinks] Iced drinks can easily cause stomach upset; Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners recommend mung bean water to relieve heat and detoxify.

Under the blazing sun, it's easy to crave iced drinks when going out in the sweltering summer. However, registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing points out that iced drinks don't actually help cool you down; instead, they can harm your spleen and stomach.

Dr. Huang explained that while cold drinks may stimulate the tongue and feel refreshing, they actually irritate the spleen and stomach. In hot weather, the body's Yang energy is excessive, making the internal organs more susceptible to cold, which can lead to indigestion, diarrhea, and, in women, uterine coldness. It is best to drink room-temperature beverages, which help dissipate heat and promote sweating, allowing body temperature to drop naturally without causing too much of a reaction in the digestive system.

In addition, Dr. Huang recommends drinking mung bean water. Mung beans can clear heat and detoxify, relieve summer heat, promote digestion, and reduce edema. It is suitable for outdoor workers, people with thick skin, and those who are prone to feeling hot.

Dr. Huang also recommends a tea suitable for office workers: a tea made with black goji berries and mulberries that is good for eyesight. It is rich in anthocyanins and suitable for people with dry skin and dry eyes. However, it is not recommended for patients with a sweet taste or excessive dampness in their body.

There are many drinks to choose from when you're out and about. For example, green tea has the effect of relieving summer heat, clearing away heat and promoting body fluids, and can help with gastrointestinal motility, thus helping to lose weight and reduce fat. If women are afraid of the cold, they can choose fermented black tea, which is less likely to harm the spleen and stomach.

Text: UrbanLife Editorial

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