What are the characteristics and functions of bitter gourd, and what are the functions of bitter gou

Bitter melon (scientific name: Momordica charantia L.).Cucurbitaceae bitter gourd plant, annual climbing weak herb.

Native to the East Indies, it is widely cultivated in tropical to temperate regions of the world. It is commonly cultivated in both the north and south of China. Bitter gourd is sweet and bitter, mainly used as a vegetable, and can also be candied; Ripe pulp and aril are also edible; The roots, vines and fruits are used in medicine, which has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying.

According to the shape and surface characteristics of the fruit, it is divided into two categories: long conical and short conical. The former such as Guangdong slippery bitter gourd, long bitter gourd and white bitter gourd in the Yangtze River basin, the fruit length is about 20-25 cm, the cross-section diameter is about 5-6 cm, dark green, the general fruit weighs kilograms, early maturity, good quality. The latter is such as Guangdong big top bitter gourd, the fruit is about 20 cm long, the cross-section diameter is about 11 cm, the top is round and blunt, blue-green, the fruit weighs kilograms, has strong adaptability, and has excellent quality.

In addition, according to the color of the fruit, it is divided into strong green, green and green white, etc., and the green and strong green varieties have a strong bitter taste, and are cultivated more in the south of the Yangtze River; Light green or greenish-white varieties have a lighter bitter taste and are more cultivated north of the Yangtze River.

Key Value: Clearing heat and detoxifying: Bitter gourd can relieve the heat in the heart and eliminate toxins from the body.

The best way to eat bitter gourd is cold dressing. The cold salad can well retain the vitamins contained in bitter gourd. If you use the method of stir-frying, a large number of these vitamins will be lost in the process of stir-frying, and the content of oil after stir-frying is relatively high, and people will consume more oil after eating, which can not play the role of cooling and defeating fire.

Beauty and skin rejuvenation: Eating bitter gourd often can enhance the vitality of the cortex and make it delicate and healthy. Mashing juice or decoction with fresh bitter gourd is a good auxiliary food therapy for liver fire and red eyes, stomach pain, damp heat and dysentery; Take fresh bitter gourd and mash it externally, which can lead to carbuncle and boils; In summer, children are susceptible to prickly heat, and the bitter gourd is sliced and tried to rub the prickly heat on the body, which can be cured as soon as possible; Bitter gourd boiled in water or as a delicacy can dissipate heat and relieve heat.

Hypoglycemia: Mussel meat bitter gourd soup is the best quality for lowering blood sugar. Bitter gourd crude extract contains insulin-like substances, which have obvious hypoglycemic effects.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bitter gourd has a sweet, bitter and cold taste, which can clear heat, remove annoyance, and quench thirst; Mussel meat is sweet and salty and cold, which can clear heat and nourish yin, quench thirst and diuretic. The combination of the two can clear away heat and nourish yin, and it is suitable for people with diabetes who are biased towards stomach yin deficiency and heat.

Nourish blood and nourish the liver: bitter gourd has a bitter taste, cold when raw, and warm when cooked. Raw food clears the heat and relieves heat; Cooked food nourishes the blood and liver, moistens the spleen and kidneys, removes evil heat, relieves fatigue, clears the heart and eyes, and nourishes qi and yang.

But eating bitter gourd should also be careful not to damage the spleen and lungs. Despite the hot weather in summer, people should not eat too much bitter food, and it is best to pair it with spicy foods (such as chili, pepper, green onion, garlic) to avoid bitterness and help to nourish the lungs.

Increases appetite - Aids digestion - Diuretic - Returns to the spleen - Bitter gourd fruit contains various nutrients. Each 100 grams of edible portion contains grams of protein, fat, sugar, fiber, carotene mg, nematogen mg - quenching thirst and heat - promoting diet - anti-inflammatory and antipyretic.

A little bitter, but cool and detoxifying.

<> bitter gourd is also known as cold gourd, leper gourd, commonly known as brocade lychee, vine lychee, red girl, red silk shoes high hand, leper grape, Lei Gong chisel, etc., bitter gourd is the fruit of the annual climbing herbaceous plant bitter gourd of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is cultivated all over the country. Harvested in autumn when the fruit is ripe.

Cut in half, remove the pulp, wash fresh or slice and dry.

Ingredient function] bitter gourd contains protein, fat, sugar, calcium, phosphorus, iron, inorganic salts, vitamins, carotene, crude fiber and bitter melon. The content of vitamin B group in bitter gourd ranks first among melons, and the content of vitamin C is also high. The seeds contain bitter melon, fatty acids, proteins, etc.

The bitter substance in bitter gourd is quinine in alkaloids, which has the effects of promoting appetite, diuretic and blood activation, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic, relieving fatigue, and clearing the heart and mind. Studies have found that bitter foods contain high amino acids, and there are more than 20 kinds of bitter among more than 30 amino acids.

The total saponins contained in bitter melon have hypoglycemic effects. Experiments have proved that bitter gourd has a significant hypoglycemic effect on alloxan diabetic mice. There are reports that it says

The bitter gourd is dried and powdered into tablets (each tablet contains grams of dry powder) 15-25 tablets each time, taken orally 3 times a day, and the total effective rate for **diabetes is 79%. Bitter gourd also contains a biologically active protein lipid that can improve human immunity and has anti-cancer effects.

Sexual taste effect] bitter gourd taste bitter cold. into the heart, spleen, stomach, liver, and lung meridians. The living clear the heat and fire, cleanse the heat and remove the trouble; Those who are familiar nourish the blood and liver, moisten the spleen and kidneys. It is mainly used for the treatment of heat and thirst, liver fever and eye redness, heart fire, upset and other symptoms.

Dosage] 100-500 grams of fresh bitter gourd each time, 20-50 grams of dry products each time. Cooking, stir-frying, or frying soup, grinding sauce.

How to eat] l Cold bitter gourd: wash the bitter gourd, cut it open and remove the core, soak it in cold salt boiling water and cut it into thin strips, add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, minced garlic, green onion crumbs, and monosodium glutamate and mix well. This dish tastes crisp and delicious, and has a variety of flavors.

It has the effect of clearing heat and dispelling fire, and is suitable for those who are easy to catch fire in summer and summer.

2 Bitter gourd juice (Fujian Chinese herbal medicine): 1 fresh bitter gourd, remove the pulp, chop it, and mash the juice. Take half a cup each time with boiling water. It has the effect of clearing dampness and heat, and is suitable for mild symptoms of damp heat, diarrhea or dysentery.

Medicinal prescription] bitter gourd powder ("Yunnan Materia Medica"): 1 bitter gourd, remove the gourd, dry it, and dry it. 5 grams per time of destruction, take the decoction of lamp grass. It has the effect of clearing the liver and purging fire. It is mainly used for the treatment of liver meridian fever, eye redness and eye pain.

Precautions] Bitter gourd is cold, spleen and stomach deficiency and diarrhea should not be taken.

Bitter gourd has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving heat, strengthening the spleen and appetizing. Bitter gourd has a bitter taste and cool nature, and has a significant improvement effect on the symptoms of sweating, thirst, and not wanting to eat and drink in the summer when the summer heat invades the human body. At the same time, although bitter gourd has a bitter taste, it can increase appetite and have the effect of strengthening the spleen and appetizing.

In addition, traditional Chinese medicine believes that the bitter taste enters the heart, and has the effect of clearing the heart and nourishing yin fluid for symptoms caused by the relatively strong heart fire or yin fluid deficiency, such as dry mouth, bitter mouth, dry throat, dry lips, mucosal ulcers in the mouth, flushing of the cheekbones on the face, irritability, etc. Modern nutrition believes that bitter gourd is rich in vitamins and active proteins, and is a very good nutritious food.

Speaking of bitter gourd, I have to mention that it has been widely said that eating bitter gourd lowers blood sugar is the gospel for diabetics. In fact, what really plays the role of "plant insulin" is the active ingredient in the extract of bitter gourd juice, which requires a series of complex processes to purify, and it is not effective to eat bitter gourd directly. There is no need to eat a lot of bitter gourd in order to lower blood sugar.

1.Clears away heat and invigorates qi.

Bitter gourd has the effect of clearing heat and dissipating heat, nourishing blood and invigorating qi, nourishing the kidney and spleen, nourishing the liver and brightening the purpose, and has a certain effect on dysentery, sores, heat stroke and fever, excessive prickly heat, conjunctivitis and other diseases.

2.Protects the organism.

Bitter gourd has the functions of preventing scurvy, protecting cell membranes, preventing atherosclerosis, improving the body's ability to cope with stress, and protecting the heart.

3.Anticancer. The active ingredients in bitter melon can inhibit the carcinogenesis of normal cells and promote the recovery of mutant cells, and have certain anti-cancer effects.

4.Lowers blood sugar and blood lipids.

It has medicinal and health care functions such as hypoglycemia, hypolipidemic, anti-tumor, prevention of osteoporosis, regulation of endocrine, antioxidant, antibacterial and improving human immunity.

5.Beautify your skin.

Bitter gourd can moisturize the white skin**, but also calm and moisturize the skin, especially in the summer when it is easy to dry and hot, apply the iced bitter gourd slices, can immediately relieve the irritability of the skin.