SWEETENERS

2 min read

Nearly everybody in America believes that sugar is bad for you. In China, however, sugar is frequently used as a lubricant or as a key ingredient in many food cures. The reason for this difference is that, in the United States, sugar is found in bread, soft drinks, and canned foods, and is often added indiscriminately to savory food preparations. It is thus consumed in vast quantities. Large quantities of sugar are deleterious to health. Small quantities of sugar, on the other hand, exert a beneficial effect. Sugar soothes the stomach and spleen. It strengthens the qi and blood, and provides energy to the body.

Brown sugar

Sweet (Earth), warm, medium Yang

Useful as an energizing tonic, brown sugar nourishes qi and promotes circulation of both qi and blood. It nourishes the liver, spleen, and stomach. Mixed with rice wine, brown sugar raises low blood pressure. Genuine brown sugar is less damaging than white sugar (sucrose) because some of the minerals from the original sugar cane are intact. The less refined the sugar you consume, the better. Undoubtedly the best sugar source is blackstrap molasses, the syrup left over after the sucrose (white sugar) has been extracted. Molasses contains all the nutrients and minerals of sugar cane in a more concentrated form. Sugar products are rare in China, however, and molasses is virtually unknown. It does not therefore appear in any Chinese home remedy. It should also be noted that what is often sold commercially as brown sugaris merely the white refined variety, with some molasses added for coloring. Protein, 0.1 g; Fat, 0.2 g; Fiber, 0 g; Carbohydrate, 9.1 g; Vitamin A, 6 IU; Vitamin B1, 0 mg; Vitamin B2, 0.002 mg; Niacin, 0 mg; Vitamin C, 0 mg; Calcium, 10 mg; Phosphorus, 10 mg; Iron, 1.1 mg. Note that these figures vary according to the degree of refinement.