Sugarcane is sweet in flavor and cold in nature, and it enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. It has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting the production of body fluids to quench thirst, harmonizing the stomach to stop vomiting, and nourishing yin to moisten dryness. Sugarcane contains a relatively high amount of water, which accounts for 84% of its composition. The sugar content of sugarcane is the most abundant, with its sucrose, glucose, and fructose content reaching 12%.
Benefits of drinking sugarcane juice
Sugarcane also contains various amino acids beneficial to the human body, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, and alanine, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C. Among all fruits, sugarcane reigns supreme in its iron content. When sugarcane is juiced, the above nutritional components are not destroyed, and the taste is even better, making it a good choice.
Ancient Chinese medical scholars also classified sugarcane as a "tonic medicine." Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that sugarcane enters the Lung and Stomach meridians, and has special effects of clearing heat, promoting the production of body fluids, directing qi downward, moistening dryness, and nourishing the lung and benefiting the stomach. Sugarcane can be used to treat damage to body fluids caused by febrile diseases, vexation and thirst, nausea and vomiting, and coughing and wheezing caused by lung dryness. In addition, sugarcane can also promote bowel movements to relieve constipation, and drinking its juice can also alleviate alcohol poisoning.
Can pregnant women eat sugarcane?
Pregnant women should not eat sugarcane frequently. Because sugarcane contains a large amount of sugar, the more one eats, the higher the blood sugar level will be. Pregnant mothers, being in a special period, should of course be vigilant and prevent gestational diabetes. When pregnant women eat sugarcane, if blood sugar exceeds the normal limit, it can promote the growth and reproduction of Staphylococcus aureus on the skin, easily causing small boils or carbuncles. If the bacteria invade deep into the skin, it may cause bacteremia, threatening the internal environment for the fetus's survival. Sugarcane is a diuretic, and pregnant women already urinate frequently; eating too much sugarcane will lead to more frequent trips to the bathroom.
Excessive sugar intake can also cause an overproduction of acidic metabolic products in the body, making the blood acidic, which can easily lead to fetal malformation. Even if the infant is normal after birth, it may develop diabetes in adulthood. Therefore, pregnant women should not consume too much sugarcane, a food high in sugar.
How to choose?
Selecting quality sugarcane: When identifying sugarcane, one should follow the principle of "touch, look, and smell." Touch refers to testing the firmness of the sugarcane. Look refers to checking whether the pith of the sugarcane is fresh (fresh sugarcane is firm, the pith is milky white, and it has a fresh fragrance). Smell refers to identifying any odor of the sugarcane. Moldy sugarcane is relatively soft, the pith color is slightly darker and light brown, and it may be odorless or have a slight winery smell.
Do not eat spoiled sugarcane: Do not select sugarcane infected with fungi. Otherwise, it will cause poisoning symptoms such as vomiting, convulsions, and coma after consumption.