Why do Chinese people always drink hot water?

Hot water – Chinese magical medicine!

It is commonly known that Chinese people love drinking hot water, it even has reached a superstitious extent. Many Chinese will drink hot/warm water or recommend his/her friends/relatives do the same thing after they fell sick/uncomfortable, ‘ You must drink a lot of hot water!’ they said like this.

In fact, drinking hot water really can bring us many good things. That’s why most of us (including me) are almost addicted to it!

Then what are the benefits of drinking hot/warm water? In what cases should not use hot water?

Let’s see!!

The advantages of drinking hot water:

1. 保持肠胃健康 bǎo chí cháng wèi jiàn kāng

    Maintain the health of the intestines

Hot water, it usually refers to the boiled water, it also means that most of the microbes and bacteria in the water are killed. It safeguards the health of our intestines, reduces the rate of catching any intestinal diseases.

2. 改善循环，排毒 gǎi shàn xún huán ，pái dú

    Improve circulation and elimination of toxicant

Drinking hot water helps warm our body up quickly, it improves the circulation of the blood. Especially for those who do fewer sports or don’t do sports, drinking hot/warm water is good for perspiring, urinating and removing toxin out of our body.

3. 减轻经期疼痛 Jiǎnqīng jīngqī téngtòng

    Alleviating menstrual pain

Drinking hot water properly could also relieve the pain during menstrual period, relax our mind.

4. 减轻便秘 jiǎnqīng biànmì

    Relieve constipation

The reason for constipation is the lack of water in the large intestine, or the intestinal organ doesn’t have enough movements. Except for the doctor’s advice, you also need hot/warm water to help you promote intestinal peristalsis, make it easier for faeces to exclude of your body.

5. 防治感冒 fángzhì gǎnmào

    Prevention and treatment of cold

If you catch a cold in China, doctors will tell you to drink more hot water during that time. Because drinking hot/warm water improve metabolism, help our body deliver the waste parts outside more quickly than usual.

Drinking hot water is so popular that there is a joke about it!

女：“亲爱的，我感冒了！”
男：“多喝热水吧……”
女：“亲爱的，我肚子疼。”
男：“我给你倒一杯热水，多喝热水！”
女：“亲爱的，我来例假不舒服。”
男：“啊，那赶紧多喝热水！”
女：“亲爱的，我头疼！”
男：“多喝热水，缓解一下。”
女：“我们分手吧！”
男：“多喝热水！”

Translation:
Woman: ’‘Honey, I catch a cold!’‘
Man: ”Drink more hot water……’‘
Woman: ”Honey, I have a stomachache.”
Man: ”I pour a cup of hot water for you, drink more hot water.”
Woman: ”Honey, I am not feeling well as I’m on my period.”
Man: ”Drink more hot water, you’ll feel better.”
Woman: ”Let’s break up!”
Man: ”Drink more hot water!”

Pinyin:
Nǚ: “qīn ài de，wǒ gǎn mào le ！”
Nán: “duō hē rè shuǐ ba ……”
Nǚ: “qīn ài de，wǒ dù zǐ téng。”
Nán: “wǒ gěi nǐ dǎo yī bēi rè shuǐ ，duō hē rè shuǐ！”
Nǚ: “qīn ài de，wǒ lái lì jiǎ bú shū fú。”
Nán: ‘ā ，nà gǎn jǐn duō hē rè shuǐ！”
Nǚ: “qīn ài de，wǒ tóu téng！”
Nán: “duō hē rè shuǐ，huǎn jiě yī xià。”
Nǚ: “wǒ men fēn shǒu ba！”
Nán: “duō hē rè shuǐ！”

Hot water is good, but not for everything! Here are the cases in which you’d better not use it:

1. Don’t use hot water to clean your face.
2. Men should not use hot water to take a bath too long.
3. Don’t use hot water to make your honey water.

Now, are you falling in love with hot water?  ❤️