Sweet melon, also known as muskmelon or fragrant melon, gets its name from its sweet taste and is also called fragrant melon due to its pleasant aroma. Sweet melon is a summer fruit that helps to beat the heat, and its nutritional value can be compared to that of watermelon. According to measurements, besides having lower water and protein content than watermelon, sweet melon contains no less of other nutritional components. Moreover, its content of aromatic substances, minerals, sugar, and vitamin C is significantly higher than that of watermelon. Eating sweet melon is beneficial for the activity of the heart, liver, and intestinal system, and promotes endocrine and blood-forming functions. Traditional Chinese medicine confirms that sweet melon has the remarkable effects of "relieving summer heat, quenching thirst, and promoting urination."
Muskmelon helps to freshen your breath
Muskmelon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is an annual vine-like herbaceous plant. It is native to the tropical desert regions of Africa and was introduced to China around the Northern Wei Dynasty, along with watermelon, and began to be widely cultivated during the Ming Dynasty. Today, it is grown in various parts of China. The fruit pulp is eaten raw to quench thirst and relieve dryness, and it can eliminate bad breath, but the melon stalk is toxic; eating it raw in excess can lead to poisoning. According to experts, all varieties of muskmelon contain rich nutrients such as malic acid, glucose, amino acids, betaine, and vitamin C, and are very effective in treating high fevers from infections and thirst.
Properties and Flavors
Muskmelon: Sweet, cold, and non-toxic. Melon stalk: Bitter, cold, and toxic. Meridian Tropism: Enters the stomach, lung, and large intestine. Effects: Muskmelon clears heat, relieves summer heat, and quenches thirst. Muskmelon seeds clear heat, detoxify, and promote urination. Muskmelon stalk induces vomiting of phlegm and toxic substances from the chest and diaphragm, or is used externally. Indications: Muskmelon treats summer heat, vexation, and thirst. Muskmelon seeds treat intestinal abscess and lung abscess. Muskmelon stalk is used externally to treat acute infectious hepatitis, rhinitis, and nasal polyps. Contraindications: 1. Those with a weak spleen and stomach, abdominal bloating, and loose stools should avoid it. 2. Patients with a history of hemoptysis or hematemesis, as well as those with gastric ulcers and heart disease, should consume it with caution. Note: Muskmelon stalk is the same as sweet melon stalk, and its Chinese medicinal name is "Ku Ding Xiang". Folk Remedies Reference: 1. Wash muskmelons and eat them freely to relieve summer heat. 2. Take 30 grams of muskmelon seeds, add an appropriate amount of white sugar, pound them into a fine paste, and take with warm water to treat intestinal and lung abscesses. 3. Take 15 grams of muskmelon seeds, 30 grams of fried Angelica sinensis, and 3 grams of snake slough. Dry and grind them into a powder. Take 10 grams each time, three times a day, to treat intestinal abscess (appendicitis). 4. Apply crushed muskmelon leaves to the affected area to treat tinea capitis. 5. Burn the muskmelon stalk until charred, grind it into a powder, or mix it with a small amount of Asarum powder. Blow a small amount into the nostrils three times a day to treat chronic hypertrophic rhinitis and nasal polyps. 6. Dry the muskmelon stalk and grind it into a powder. Divide 0.1 grams into three parts. First, deeply inhale one part through both nostrils. About forty minutes later, clean the nostrils and inhale the second part. After another forty minutes, inhale the last part. Seven days later, use the same method to inhale another 0.1 grams. Inhaling a total of 0.4 grams constitutes one course of treatment for jaundice or non-jaundice infectious hepatitis, or cirrhosis. Generally, chronic hepatitis requires two courses of treatment; cirrhosis requires three to five courses. After inhaling the medicine, a large amount of yellow fluid (up to 100 ml) will flow from the nostrils. When inhaling, the patient's head must be tilted forward to allow the yellow fluid to drip out; do not swallow it to avoid causing diarrhea. Sometimes, symptoms similar to a cold, such as headache, chills, and fever, or increased pain in the liver and spleen may occur, but these symptoms will naturally disappear after one day.