On dining tables around the Dragon Boat Festival, one often sees a vegetable as red as rouge: amaranth. The fifth lunar month, commonly known as the "evil month" and also referred to as the "poisonous month," can be explained by modern concepts as a time when temperatures rise rapidly, the weather becomes hot and humid, pathogenic microorganisms multiply in large numbers, and noxious miasma breeds, making people highly susceptible to illness. To cope with the "evil month" and pass the summer days safely, people consume amaranth during this time to strengthen their bodies, expel toxins and drive away filth, and prevent diseases, which is known as "supporting the righteous and expelling the evil."
Supporting the Righteous and Strengthening the Body: Amaranth is堪称一流 (second to none). Amaranth is highly nutritious. The protein it contains is more easily absorbed by the human body than that in milk, and its carotene content is more than twice that of eggplant and other solanaceous fruits. Its calcium, phosphorus, and iron content are also very high; its iron content is double that of spinach, and its calcium content is triple, making it the highest among fresh vegetables. Its vitamin C content is even more outstanding, with tender leaves containing 99-121 mg and older leaves as high as 119-178 mg, ranking first among green leafy vegetables. Eating 100 grams of amaranth a day can meet the human body's daily needs for calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins. There is a folk saying, "Amaranth in the sixth month is as good as pig's liver." From a nutritional perspective, the abundance of minerals and vitamins in amaranth can indeed rival that of pig's liver, and it has long been regarded as an excellent vegetable for nourishing the blood. Amaranth also contains more than 10 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids required by the human body.
Expelling Evil and Detoxifying: Amaranth also has high medicinal value. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that amaranth is sweet and cool in nature, and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, eliminating dampness and stopping diarrhea, astringing to stop bleeding, and promoting urination. It can be considered a fine medicine. ① 30-60 grams of amaranth, 30 grams of *Pteris multifida*, decocted into a soup and taken 2-3 times a day for one consecutive week, can treat enteritis and dysentery. ② A decoction of 50 grams of amaranth, with an appropriate amount of honey added and taken, can treat sore throat and tonsillitis. ③ 60 grams each of amaranth and *Ipomoea aquatica*, decocted in water and drunk as a tea substitute, can treat damp-heat edema and difficult urination. ④ A decoction of red amaranth, taken regularly, can treat goiter and elephantiasis of the lower limbs caused by schistosomiasis. ⑤ 200 grams of fresh amaranth cooked with meat, eaten regularly, can treat chronic urinary tract infections. ⑥ A large amount of red amaranth decocted into a soup, taken twice a day, can help bring out measles. ⑦ An appropriate amount of amaranth, decocted in water and used to wash the affected area, can relieve skin itching caused by paint allergies.