Why should we drink Huangjiu in a proper amount during an outbreak? (1)

A thousand years ago, Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, said, "As long as one person drinks Tu Su wine, all family members won't get sick. And as long as one family drinks Tu Su wine, all families within 500 meters won't get sick." In the current outbreak, wine becomes the focus again.

The traditional Chinese character " (yi)", which means medicine, is comprised of [ (yi)", [ (shu)" and [ (you)". The original meaning of [ (you)" is wine. Therefore, we can see that there is a close and symbiotic relationship between medicine and wine. In Chinese traditional culture, the method of drinking wine to avoid epidemic diseases has been proven by human body experiment. In addition, the method is passed down through generations and has become a cultural custom. As The Book of Songs said, "Blessing old people with the spring wine".

Wine is closely related to people's daily life. And it can be called the "liquid specimen" of human history. Han History-- Records of Foods and Goods said, "Wine is the first artificial drug." And Compendium of Materia Medica said, "There are many different kinds of wines. And only Rice Wine can be used in medicine." The rice wine here refers to Huangjiu. There are three kinds of ancient fermented alcoholic drinks in the world, namely, Huangjiu, beer and wine. And only Huangjiu originated in China. Huangjiu, a kind of wine with a history of thousands of years, has been regarded as the "immortal wine" and "precious liquid" for health preservation and fitness, and is deeply loved by people based on long-term health care experience and experiments.

According to the survey data from Shaoxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy of people in Shaoxing City was 81.43 years in 2018, far exceeding the average life expectancy of Chinese in 2018 (77 years), which may be related to Shaoxing people's preference for Huangjiu and long-term drinking of Huangjiu. Ballad of Life is a monograph reflecting the situation of old people over 100 years old in Shaoxing City. The book introduces 319 old people over 100 years old in Shaoxing City by March 2015. There are 85 males and 234 females. And the book introduces 122 old people in detail based on general visit and face-to-face conversation. Surprisingly, most centenarians like to drink Shaoxing Huangjiu, regardless of jobs, education levels, places of residence and genders.

In addition, wine consumption is the key factor to define whether wine is beneficial or harmful. It has been verified that drinking too much wine is harmful. However, drinking in moderation is good for human body, which has been proven by human body experiments for thousands of years.

Compendium of Materia Medica said, [Drinking in moderation can strengthen the spirit. And drinking excessively will damage the body." Yuan Zhongdao of Ming Dynasty also said that drinking in moderation can make the spirit fresh and avoid all diseases. The view is exaggerated, but it also has a point. Many centenarians like to drink Huangjiu, but they drink in moderation every day.

Many studies have shown that drinking in moderation is good for health. According to the 2016 dietary guidelines for Chinese residents, the amount of alcohol consumed by a man in a day should not exceed 25 g, which is equivalent to 625 ml of beer, or ml of white wine (alcohol content: 50%vol), or 210 ml of Huangjiu. Because the body shape and the influence of estrogen on the liver's ability to alleviate the alcohol intoxication of women are significantly different from that of men, the damage of alcohol to women is more serious. And the daily limit of alcohol consumption is set more strictly. The amount of alcohol consumed by a woman in a day should not exceed 15 g, which is equivalent to 375 ml of beer, or 30ml of white wine (alcohol content: 50%vol), or 125 ml of Huangjiu. Therefore, Huangjiu is the best choice.

Alcohol is the main component of wine, regardless of the alcohol content. From the medical point of view, the key factor is the liver's ability to alleviate the alcohol intoxication. It can be said that drinking is safe within the ability range, and drinking is harmful outside the ability range. The speed of liver alleviating the alcohol intoxication is 10 ml per hour. It can be imagined that it is easier for the liver to detoxify Huangjiu with the relatively low alcohol content and the influence of Huangjiu on the liver is slighter.

It's a hot topic about drinking. It's healthy to drink good wine slowly in moderation. And Huangjiu is exactly a kind of wine which should be enjoyed slowly.