Several Ways to Eat Jujubes for Cancer Prevention

Introduction: Jujubes, or red dates, are a common food that many people know. Jujubes also have medicinal value in food therapy.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), jujubes are commonly used. Fresh jujubes are sweet, pungent, and hot in nature. Dried jujubes, which are used in TCM, are simply dried red dates. While technically still "raw," they are no longer fresh, and their nature has changed to sweet and neutral, with reduced warming properties. Dried jujubes are used more for medicinal purposes, while those for general consumption are often cooked red dates or processed products like candied dates or date preserves.

In recent years, it has been discovered that jujubes can enhance the immune function of experimental animals and also help improve liver function and increase albumin levels. Therefore, they hold considerable value in the dietary therapy for cancer patients.

Jujubes nourish the five organs

According to traditional TCM theory, the main functions of jujubes are to tonify and harmonize other herbs.

The primary function is to tonify the five organs, qi, and blood, with a focus on the spleen and lungs. They can strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach, and tonify the middle jiao to benefit qi. Therefore, the ancients also called it the "fruit of the spleen," meaning a fruit that tonifies the spleen.

Patients with colon or stomach cancer in the recovery period can eat some jujubes to nourish the spleen and stomach.

In cases of liver cancer, where liver function is often impaired, eating some jujubes is also beneficial.

For lung cancer patients with qi deficiency, red dates can be eaten regularly.

During the recovery period from various cancers, those with insufficient qi and blood can eat some red dates. This is especially helpful when white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets are low, serving as an auxiliary dietary therapy.

Cinnamon Glutinous Rice Jujubes

Jujubes improve mood

Jujubes also have another function: they can help alleviate certain mental symptoms. In the past, TCM used jujubes and other herbs to treat a condition called "脏躁" (Zang Zao), where patients often "wept incessantly," which was mainly a hysterical-like mental symptom.

Some cancer patients may also experience similar situations and can eat some red dates. There are some famous classic formulas, such as "Gan Mai Da Zao Tang" (Licorice, Wheat, and Jujube Decoction) or "Da Zao Tang" (Jujube Decoction).

Jujubes harmonize other herbs

Another function is to harmonize other herbs and harmonize the nutrient and defensive qi (ying wei). If you are interested in reading TCM books, you will see that many prescriptions include jujubes, where they serve to harmonize the properties of the various herbs. They can not only harmonize the effects of the medicine but also harmonize the five organs and the nutrient and defensive qi. Therefore, it was once believed that jujubes have the effect of "lightening the body and prolonging life" (qing shen yan nian). In reality, when the body's organs are in balance, it naturally leads to a stronger and healthier body.

For best body-nourishing effects, eat the pulp and remove the skin

The nourishing and harmonizing effects of jujubes mainly come from the pulp. The skin of the jujube is usually spit out when eaten, and its nature is slightly different from the pulp. Instead of being nourishing, it has a "pungent and dispersing" effect. It seems that the jujube itself, with its skin and pulp, has a dispersing and a tonifying effect, which is a harmonious combination. When we usually cook jujube soup, we cook it with the skin on, which creates a perfect harmony. If the goal is only for tonification, you can cook just the pulp.

Red Date Soup:

The easiest way to eat jujubes is to select good red dates, wash them, and cook them into a soup. You can eat about 10 at a time; eating more may cause bloating.

If platelet counts are low, you can add raw peanuts with their skins on when cooking the red date soup.

Red Date Paste:

Cooked red dates can be peeled and pitted, then mashed into a paste. Adding some sugar allows it to be stored in the refrigerator and eaten as a small snack from time to time.

When making homemade tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) or rice cakes, using the date paste as a filling makes them date paste tangyuan or date paste cakes, which can also serve as a staple food.

Brown Sugar Date Cake

Red Date Congee:

Jujubes can also be cooked with rice to make red date congee or red date rice, which is fragrant, delicious, and tasty. White sugar glutinous rice lotus seed and red date congee is not only delicious but also nourishing to the body, can improve sleep, and nourish yin while reducing sweating. In Eight Treasure Rice (Ba Bao Fan), you can also add date paste to increase its nourishing effect.

Red Date Wine:

Red date wine also has nourishing properties. Take about 500g of good red dates, place them in a large-mouthed bottle, add high-quality sorghum liquor, and an appropriate amount of white sugar or rock sugar. Store for about a month before drinking. Those who can normally drink alcohol can consume about 20ml daily to nourish the body. It is suitable for cancer patients who have been cured and need to nourish qi and blood.

Red Date Preserves:

As for date preserves, as a type of snack, they can be eaten occasionally, but you should choose high-quality ones.

Black Jujubes Nourish Yin and Blood

In addition to the red jujubes mentioned above, there are also black jujubes made through different processing methods. Black jujubes are sold in dry goods stores, especially during the winter.

Black jujubes are generally not used medicinally but as a food. Their nature is somewhat different from red jujubes. Red jujubes mainly tonify qi and blood, while black jujubes primarily nourish yin and blood. If a cancer patient in the recovery period shows signs of yin deficiency, they can eat black jujubes.

The way of eating black jujubes is generally similar to red jujubes.

For example, to make black jujube soup, select good quality black jujubes, wash them, and then cook them into a soup to eat.

You can also use black jujubes to make black jujube congee. For example, cook glutinous rice congee and add black jujubes to make black jujube congee. Glutinous rice also has the effect of nourishing yin and blood, and adding black jujubes makes the yin-nourishing effect even better.

Date Paste Bites

After lung cancer treatment, there are often signs of lung yin deficiency, and black jujubes can be eaten. Bird's nest can nourish the lungs, and when cooking bird's nest, adding black jujubes and rock sugar enhances the lung-nourishing effect, but it is more expensive.

Black jujube wine also has health-preserving effects. For red date wine, sorghum liquor is needed, but for black jujube wine, yellow rice wine can be used. Yellow rice wine has a lower alcohol content, so those who are not good at drinking can make and drink black jujube wine.

Take about 500g of good quality black jujubes, place them in a large-mouthed bottle, and pour in about 1000ml of high-quality yellow rice wine to soak. Add a little sugar. Generally, soak for 2 weeks to 1 month before drinking. The longer it soaks, the less alcoholic the taste and the mellower the flavor. Drinking a small cup every evening is very pleasant.

Walnut and Red Date Steamed Cake