White sugar, rock sugar, and brown sugar are all extracted from sugar cane and beet, and all belong to the category of sucrose. They are separated according to the degree of refining, origin, shape and color of the sugar.

1. White sugar: sucrose crystals made from sugar cane or beet as raw materials, processed through extraction of sugar juice, cleaning treatment, cooking crystallization and honey separation. Soft white sugar is in powder form and is suitable for cooking. Its sweetness is similar to that of white granulated sugar.

2. Rock sugar: Ice-shaped crystals made by decoction of white sugar. It is a large-granule crystallized sugar made from sucrose plus protein raw material formula, re-dissolved, cleaned and then recrystallized. There are two types: single crystal and polycrystalline, which are transparent or translucent.

3. Brown sugar: finished sugar from sugarcane with honey. Honeyed sugar is formed after sugarcane juice is squeezed and concentrated. Brown sugar is divided into flake sugar, brown sugar powder, bowl sugar, etc. according to different crystal particles. Because it has not been highly refined, it contains almost all the ingredients in cane juice.

Edible

Bingtang can be used to cook stews or make desserts; the famous "Bingtang Xianglian" is a delicacy of Hunan cuisine among the eight major cuisines. There are also dishes such as "Rock Sugar Snow Pear" and "Rock Sugar Bird's Nest".

Rock sugar can be decoctioned and taken orally with meals, or put into pills or ointments.

Rock sugar has a sweet taste and neutral nature, and enters the lung and spleen meridian; it has the effect of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, harmonizing the stomach and moistening the lungs; rock sugar nourishes yin and promotes fluid production, moistens the lungs and relieves coughs, and is good for dry coughs and dry coughs without phlegm. It has a very good auxiliary therapeutic effect on coughing up phlegm and blood; it is used for dryness of the lungs, lung deficiency, cough and asthma caused by wind-cold fatigue, malaria in children, dysentery, aphtha, wind-fire toothache.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Bingtang