Autumn is the season when fresh jujubes ripen, and eating jujubes becomes very common. So, what are the benefits of eating jujubes? How can they help the body? It is said that eating jujubes can soften blood vessels, prevent cancer, and lower blood pressure. Below is a detailed introduction to the benefits of eating jujubes and their application in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Benefits of eating fresh jujubes:
Fresh jujubes contain multiple nutritional elements that rank first among other fruits, such as vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. Vitamin C can soften blood vessels, prevent high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and arteriosclerosis. At the same time, vitamin C helps block the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds, thereby reducing the risk of tumor formation; potassium can enhance muscle excitability and participate in the synthesis of proteins and carbohydrates, as well as energy metabolism; magnesium has the effect of inhibiting nerve excitability, participating in protein synthesis in the body, muscle contraction, and regulating body temperature, etc.
6 major benefits of eating jujubes:
1. Jujubes can improve human immunity and inhibit cancer cells. Pharmacological research has found that red dates can promote the production of white blood cells, lower serum cholesterol, increase serum albumin, and protect the liver. Red dates also contain substances that inhibit cancer cells and can even cause cancer cells to transform into normal cells;
2. Jujubes are rich in calcium and iron, which play an important role in preventing and treating osteoporosis and anemia. Middle-aged and elderly people often suffer from osteoporosis during menopause, and adolescents and women in their peak growth and development period are prone to anemia. Jujubes can have an ideal therapeutic effect for them, and the effect is often incomparable to that of drugs;
3. People who often eat fresh jujubes rarely suffer from gallstones. This is because the rich vitamin C in fresh jujubes converts excess cholesterol in the body into bile acids. With less cholesterol, the probability of stone formation is also reduced;
4. The rutin contained in jujubes is a substance that softens blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure, and has a preventive effect on hypertension;
5. Jujubes can also resist allergies, remove fishy and strange odors, calm the mind, improve intelligence and brain function, and enhance appetite;
6. They also have a good nourishing effect on people who are weak after an illness.
According to traditional Chinese medicine books, red dates are sweet in taste and warm in nature, and they enter the spleen and stomach meridians. They have the functions of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing blood and calming the mind, and moderating the properties of other herbs. Modern pharmacological research has found that red dates can increase the oxygen content in the blood, nourish all cells in the body, and are a mild tonic.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the application of red dates: For people with weak spleen and stomach, diarrhea, and fatigue, eating seven red dates daily, or using them with Codonopsis root and Atractylodes macrocephala, can tonify the middle and replenish qi, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and achieve the effects of increasing appetite and stopping diarrhea; Red dates used with fresh ginger and Pinellia ternata can treat gastritis caused by improper diet, such as symptoms of bloating and vomiting.
Consumption reminder: Fresh jujubes have the effects of strengthening and moistening the spleen and stomach, nourishing blood, and replenishing qi. They are suitable for people with deficiency of both qi and blood and poor spleen and stomach function, and eating 8-10 a day is sufficient. It should be noted that people with excessive phlegm and constipation should consume them with caution, because jujubes are warm in nature and can generate heat. In addition, the skin of fresh jujubes is hard and relatively difficult to digest, which can increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract; they contain a lot of sugar, with a sugar content of over 20%, so people with abdominal bloating, women during menstruation, patients with stomach diseases, and diabetics are not suitable for eating too many.
Selection tips: Don't just pick the largest ones, but choose those with a regular shape and a fresh aroma. Also pay attention to the color: good jujubes are mainly green, with one-third of their surface area being red. Such jujubes are relatively higher in sugar.