Can I eat watermelon after taking Chinese medicine?

Watermelon is a benign fruit, so it is especially popular in summer because eating watermelon can help relieve summer heat and clear away body heat. Generally, if you are taking Chinese medicine, it is not recommended to eat watermelon, because the benign properties of watermelon may hinder the effect of Chinese medicine, so it is better to avoid eating watermelon.

Six taboos of taking Chinese medicine

01Avoid eating radish

It is not advisable to eat raw radish when taking Chinese medicine (except for taking qi-regulating and phlegm-resolving medicines), because radish has the effects of helping food and breaking up qi. Especially when taking tonic Chinese medicines such as ginseng and astragalus, eating radish will weaken the tonic effects of ginseng, reduce the efficacy of the medicine and fail to achieve the therapeutic purpose.

02Avoid raw and cold food

Raw and cold foods are mostly cold in nature and difficult to digest. Raw and cold foods can also easily irritate the gastrointestinal tract and affect the gastrointestinal absorption of drugs. Therefore, when taking Chinese medicine to treat "cold symptoms", such as medicines for warming the meridians and unblocking the collaterals, dispelling cold and dampness, or medicines for strengthening the spleen and warming the stomach, you must not avoid raw and cold foods.

03Avoid drinking strong tea

Generally, do not drink strong tea when taking Chinese medicine, because tea contains tannic acid. Strong tea contains more tannic acid. When taken with Chinese medicine, it will affect the body's absorption of the active ingredients in the medicine and reduce its efficacy. Especially when taking "ejiao" and "tremella", avoid taking them with tea. Taking them at the same time will cause the tannic acid, bioalkali, etc. in the tea to precipitate, affecting the body's absorption. If you have the habit of drinking tea, you can drink a little green tea, and it is best to drink it 2 to 3 hours after taking the medicine.

04Avoid spicy food

Hot and spicy foods are mostly warm in nature, and they consume qi and stimulate fire. If you are taking Chinese medicine for clearing away heat and eliminating toxins, nourishing yin and increasing fluid, cooling blood and nourishing yin, or during the treatment of febrile diseases such as carbuncles, ulcers and toxins, you should avoid spicy food. For example, spicy and hot foods such as onions, garlic, pepper, mutton, and dog meat, if consumed, will offset the effects of traditional Chinese medicine. Some may even induce inflammation, damage the yin and cause bleeding.

05Avoid greasy food

Greasy food is sticky in nature, promotes dampness and phlegm, causes loose bowels and gas, and is difficult to digest and absorb. Moreover, mixing greasy food with medicine can hinder the gastrointestinal absorption of the medicine's active ingredients, thereby reducing its efficacy. If you eat greasy food while taking Chinese medicine, it will inevitably affect the absorption of the medicine. Therefore, patients with heavy phlegm and dampness, weak spleen and stomach, indigestion, hypertension, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, high blood viscosity and obesity must avoid eating greasy foods such as animal fats.

06Avoid fishy foods

Generally, Chinese medicines have aromatic smells, especially aromatic dehumidifying and aromatic qi-regulating medicines, which contain a large amount of volatile oils to exert their therapeutic effects. These aromatic substances are most incompatible with fishy smells. If you do not avoid fishy smell when taking Chinese medicine, it will often affect the efficacy of the medicine. What foods are taboo when taking Chinese medicine? Such as fish, shrimp, seafood, and the smell of cattle and sheep. Patients with allergic dermatitis such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, boils, eczema, urticaria, etc. must avoid eating fishy foods while taking Chinese medicine. They should also eat less fishy, ​​spicy and irritating foods such as chicken, lamb, pork head, crab, and goose meat. Because these foods contain foreign proteins, some patients are particularly sensitive and prone to allergies, which aggravates their condition.

2Can I eat watermelon while taking Chinese medicine?

Watermelon is a cold food, so it is best not to eat watermelon while taking Chinese medicine in order not to affect the efficacy of the medicine.

There are many taboos while taking Chinese medicine, and you cannot eat foods that may affect the effectiveness of the medicine. For example, raw and cold food, strong tea, spicy and greasy food, radish, and fishy food. Some of these types of food will neutralize the medicinal power and reduce its efficacy, some will reduce its absorption, and some will even have harmful effects. Therefore, when taking Chinese medicine, you must follow the doctor's advice and avoid certain foods.

It is best not to eat it immediately. It is better to eat it one or two hours after taking the medicine. It is also not advisable to eat too much, because watermelon is a cold food. Eating a moderate amount can still help reduce internal heat, but you cannot eat cold food, because cold food will affect the metabolism of the drug in the body. While taking medication, you should pay attention to rest, avoid strenuous exercise, eat a light and nutritious diet, and avoid eating irritating, raw or cold foods.