White sugar
2 min readSweet (Earth), neutral, medium Yang
Sugar’s dual function in Chinese remedies is to sweeten otherwise unpalatable dishes and to give a quick rush of energy. It is said to lubricate the lungs, produce fluids, and nourish the spleen and liver. Sugar syrup (ordinary sugar boiled in water) is used in China to treat stomachache. It should be noted that, in the Chinese diet, sugar is consumed in much smaller quantities than in the average American diet. Even though it appears as a main ingredient in several home remedies, it is best to refrain from taking any additional white sugar.
We consume so much of it in the form of soft drinks, sweets, and industrially prepared foods that we still take far more than is good for us. These are some of the drawbacks of eating white sugar. White sugar needs vitamins of the B complex in order to metabolize, so its consumption depletes your B vitamins. As well, the proper digestion of sugar is dependent upon calcium. White sugar can therefore deplete your bone calcium, including the calcium of your teeth. Sugar also causes dental damage because it forms a plaque on the teeth, which produces an acid that corrodes the teeth. Sugar raises cholesterol and triglycerides, which can be dangerous for the heart.
Sugar increases uric acid in the bloodstream, a precursor to gout. Sugar combined with a salty diet raises blood pressure. Too much refined sugar overworks the pancreas, leading to its exhaustion and the possibility of diabetes. Because sugar contains no vitamins in and of itself, and in fact depletes the body’s nutrients in the process of metabolizing, it is best not to indulge in white sugar too often.
