Common Tonifying, Health-Preserving, and Longevity-Enhancing Alcohols, Liquors, and Fermented Drinks
Common Tonifying, Health-Preserving, and Longevity-Enhancing Alcohols, Liquors, and Fermented Drinks
In China, using medicinal wine for tonification, disease prevention, and longevity has a long history.
The emergence of alcohol advanced medicine, especially pharmaceutical formulation and dietary therapy. Alcohol itself has functions like promoting blood circulation, nourishing spleen qi, thickening the stomach and intestines, moisturizing the skin, removing cold, and enhancing drug efficacy. Thus, ancient people said: "Alcohol is the leader of all medicines."
Traditional tonifying wines differ in composition as "wine," "li," and "lao." "Wine" mainly contains ordinary herbal ingredients; "li" contains ordinary herbs plus sugar; "lao" contains ordinary herbs, sugar, and residue from brewing.