Have you ever eaten chicken? Do you know that there is a treasure inside a chicken’s body, worth as much as gold? At this point, maybe everyone knows what I’m talking about, it’s chicken gizzard.
Chicken gizzard is a traditional Chinese medicine, originating from the “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica”. Its aliases include chicken yellow skin, chicken stomach skin, chicken gizzard, etc. The main effects of chicken gizzard are to promote digestion, astringe essence, relieve urinary dysfunction, and dissolve urinary calculi. It is commonly used to treat indigestion, chronic gastritis, gallstones, cystitis, bladder stones, oral ulcers, and other diseases.
How is chicken gizzard formed?
People with some common sense know that it is a golden-yellow membrane in the chicken’s stomach. Generally, when slaughtering a chicken, the chicken kidneys are kept, and after opening the inner wall of the chicken gizzard, the digestive membrane inside the chicken gizzard is peeled out. When freshly peeled, it looks like soft yellow cloth, and after drying, it resembles the color of gold.
Ancient people observed that chickens do not have teeth, but they can still swallow food whole and digest it well. By observing how chickens peck small grains of sand, they believed that there must be a “magical tool” in the chicken’s body that aids in digestion. Upon investigation, they found that the yellow membrane on the inner wall of the chicken gizzard was playing a role, hence it was called “chicken gizzard”.
What are the benefits of regularly consuming “chicken gizzard”? Traditional Chinese medicine: It may alleviate 6 symptoms, don’t waste it.
1. Treating diarrhea
Diarrhea is a common ailment for people. Chicken gizzard can also be used to treat diarrhea. The treatment method for diarrhea with chicken gizzard is not internal consumption, but external application.
Chicken gizzard is ground into powder and mixed with the egg white portion of an egg to form a paste, which is then applied externally by spreading it on the belly button. This method can alleviate the symptoms of diarrhea.
2. Aid digestion
Since chickens lack teeth and rely on their stomach to digest food, chicken gizzard, being in direct contact with the food, has excellent effects in invigorating the spleen and stomach and aiding digestion.
Chicken gizzard can digest hard foods, so it can help improve food retention, and is commonly used in folk medicine to regulate diet stagnation and infantile malnutrition.
3. Anti-cancer
Chicken gizzard can inhibit tumor cells and has anticancer effects. It can facilitate the excretion of radioactive strontium, mainly because the ammonium chloride in it can promote strontium excretion. However, patients should use it under medical guidance to prevent misuse and unpleasant side effects.
4. Clears heat and detoxifies
Chicken gizzard has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, commonly used for treating heat-toxins, ulcers, and other illnesses. Chicken gizzard can clear heat, dispel pathogenic factors, and promote the healing of ulcers.
5. Treating stone diseases
Patients with gallstones, kidney stones, and urethral stones can consume chicken gizzard during illness. For best results, it is recommended to consume it continuously for ten to fifteen days. During this period, it is advisable to avoid consuming egg yolks, liver, and fatty meats simultaneously to prevent interference with its efficacy.
6. Promotes urination and relieves strangury
Chicken gizzard’s main effects include promoting urination, relieving strangury, and astringing essence. It can enhance kidney function, facilitate the metabolism of excess water in the body, and nourish essence and blood. It has therapeutic effects on common symptoms such as difficult urination and painful urinary dribbling in humans.
Contraindications of chicken gizzard
People with weak digestive abilities and absence of food stagnation
Chicken gizzard itself has the effect of aiding digestion and invigorating the stomach. However, for individuals with weak digestive abilities and no food retention, regular consumption of chicken gizzard may burden the gastrointestinal system, leading to indigestion in severe cases.
Avoid daily consumption
While chicken gizzard has excellent digestive-promoting effects, consuming it daily may lead to dependency. Therefore, it is advisable to use it intermittently when consuming it routinely.
Avoid decoction
When consuming chicken gizzard, attention should be paid to the method of usage. Generally, grinding and consumption have better effects, and decoction should be avoided as it can degrade the medicinal properties, affecting the efficacy of the medication.
For individuals allergic to medication
In daily life, there are individuals who are allergic to medications. Such individuals are not suitable for consuming chicken gizzard, as inadvertent consumption can trigger allergic reactions. Mild reactions may manifest as skin redness and itching, while severe cases may lead to respiratory difficulties, posing serious risks to health.
Tip:
Although seemingly ordinary, chicken gizzard can play a crucial role in our lives. Compared to Western medicine, the use of chicken gizzard generally does not result in side effects, a unique advantage that many Western medicines cannot surpass. This characteristic is exclusive to traditional Chinese medicine, and it is hoped that everyone can make the most of it in their daily lives.
