There is a popular saying among the people, “You often eat melons in summer, and you don’t need to take traditional Chinese medicine.” Summer is a good time to eat melons~ When it comes to eating melons, the first thing that comes to mind is watermelon, but today’s protagonist is not it! The melon I recommend to you today seems to be “unknown”, but its health-preserving effect is very gratifying, and it is perfect for eating in midsummer!
The “first melon” for relieving heat and dampness – winter melon Although winter melon is called “winter melon”, it is mainly produced in summer. The reason why it is called winter melon is that when the melon is ripe, there will be a layer of white powder on its surface, like the hoarfrost formed in winter.
Winter melon is sweet and cool in nature and has medicinal properties such as clearing heat, detoxification, diuresis, and phlegm. It is especially suitable for summer consumption when summer heat and dampness coexist.
“Suixiju Diet Manual” records: “Winter gourd clears heat, nourishes the stomach and promotes body fluids, cleanses filth and treats vexation, eliminates carbuncles and runs water to treat fullness, diarrhoea and cholera, relieves toxins such as fish and wine. It also cures edema and relieves heat and dampness “In addition, eating more winter melon is especially important for replenishing water in summer.
Because the water content of winter melon is as high as 96%, it is light and easy to digest, and it is a good product to cool down and quench thirst. In addition, wax gourd contains more vitamin C, and is high in potassium and low in calories, so it is a good food for patients with obesity, high blood pressure, kidney disease and edema.
In addition, diabetics can also use winter melon as a daily food. Because the carbohydrate content of wax gourd is very low, which is 1/40 of that of ordinary rice, it has little effect on diabetic postprandial blood sugar.
Not only that, the “winter melon skin” and “winter melon seeds”, which are often discarded as leftovers, also have a good health effect——
Winter melon “leftovers” are also treasures, it’s a pity to throw them away!
Compared to the edible value, the medicinal value of wax gourd is higher, especially the skin and seeds of wax gourd, which are all Chinese herbal medicines for relieving summer heat and diuresis——
1. Winter melon rind: Watermelon rind reduces swelling and relieves polydipsia. Washing the wax gourd peel off the hoarfrost and boiling water can treat dysuria, edema, and thirst.
2. Winter Melon Seeds: Strengthens the spleen and laxatives. Decoction with 30 grams of fresh winter melon seeds or 15 grams of dried seeds in water, remove the seeds and extract the juice to cook porridge, which is beneficial to reduce swelling, clear heat and quench thirst.
When making soup with winter melon, it is best to use it together with the skin and seeds, which can enhance the effect of relieving summer heat and diuretic water.
Next, I will recommend 2 recipes that you must drink in summer-
2 therapeutic recipes, soup is the first choice in summer!
1. Winter melon water duck soup: moisturizing and nourishing Ingredients: 1000 grams of old wax gourd (with skin and seeds), 1/4 of fresh lotus leaf, 50 grams each of lotus seeds and lily, 1 teal duck, 100 grams of lean pork , 3 slices of ginger.
Method: Wash the old wax gourd and cut it into pieces, soak the lotus seeds and lily in water for 15 minutes, wash the duck and cut into pieces, wash the lean pork meat, then put the above materials together in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, use force After the fire boils, change the fire to simmer for 2 hours, and finally add an appropriate amount of salt to taste.
Efficacy: Lily is flat, can moisten the lungs and relieve cough, clear the heart and soothe the nerves; teal is cool and sweet, can invigorate the middle and benefit qi, calm the stomach and reduce food; the two are combined with lotus seeds for spleen and diarrhea and winter melon for clearing summer and nourishing qi. , lotus leaf is the soup, which is the first choice for moisturizing and nourishing in hot and humid days.
2. Chaga Root Winter Melon Tea: Relieve heat and dampness Ingredients: 20 grams of Rhizoma Rhizoma, 50 grams of wax gourd, appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Methods: Wash the chine root and wax gourd, cut the wax gourd into slices, add an appropriate amount of water to boil, simmer for 20 minutes after the water boils, and add an appropriate amount of rock sugar to taste.
Efficacy: Chine root, which clears heat and detoxifies, and winter gourd, which dilutes water, dispels dampness and relieves heat, complement each other, and can relieve the discomfort of heat stroke, dysuria, and polydipsia due to heat in summer. In addition, choke root wax gourd tea is cheap, easy to brew, and has a sweet taste, which is very suitable for drinking in place of tea in summer. However, it should be noted that this tea is a cold and cool product, and it is easy to damage the yang after eating too much.
Therefore, people with deficiency of spleen and stomach, deficiency of yang qi, emaciation due to deficiency of yin, and deficiency of kidney should not drink more. When diabetics drink, try not to put rock sugar.
The pictures in this article are all from Yitu.com.
(Health Daily Push)