Daikon is a root vegetable that's widely used in Japanese cuisine. It's commonly served as a garnish with dishes like tempura or grilled fish—a practice that's well known, as daikon is believed to aid digestion and reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines.

It helps by guiding the upward-moving stomach energy back downward, which promotes digestion and eases discomfort like bloating or indigestion.

Daikon has cooling properties, helping to clear excess internal heat and moisten your lungs. This helps you relieve sore throats and coughs caused by heat or dryness. There's a well-known remedy where you mix freshly squeezed daikon juice with honey to soothe the throat and reduce inflammation.

When eaten raw, daikon has a cooling effect on the body. But when it's dried or cooked, it becomes more neutral in nature. So, if you tend to feel cold easily, have cold hands and feet, or suffer from chronic diarrhea, eating raw daikon might not be ideal. In those cases, turnips (kabu) are a great alternative—they also support digestion but without the cooling effect.

Yakuzen Classifications
Nature – Cool （涼）
Channels – Lung (肺), Stomach (胃)
Flavor – Pungent (辛), Sweet (甘)

How does daikon help you?

1. Send stomach energy downward and improve your digestion
2. Remove dampness
3. Moisten your lungs

Good for the following symptoms

1. Indigestion
2. Phlegm caused by excess heat
3. Cough caused by excess heat
4. Thirst
5. Sore throat

Japanese home dishes with daikon radish

Furofuki daikon (Simmered daikon radish with sweet miso paste)
Benefits - Improve your digestion / Remove dampness and reduce phlegm / Improve Qi flow and help you relieve stress
Ingredients - Daikon radish, miso paste, sake, mirin, sugar, yuzu peel, and dashi stock

Cautions

It's very important to know about your body conditions before choosing foods.
Do not overeat particular foods at once.
Do not eat the foods you are allergic to.
There are foods to avoid if you are pregnant / have a disease. Ask your doctor before you start Yakuzen.