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Recently, someone asked me if the "water chestnut cannot be eaten raw, there may be parasites" on the Internet is true...
Yes, there is indeed a risk.
Ginger flakes worm disease
There may indeed be parasites in these aquatic vegetables such as diamond horns, water chestnuts (commonly known as horseshoes), and russet white, called "ginger slice worms" (Buxan ginger flakes fluke Fasciolopsis buski), the insect body is red, looking like minced meat or ginger slices.
The life history of "Ginger Worm", source Wikimeda Commons
Ginger flakes disease caused by "ginger flake worm" is also called "Xiao Shao disease" due to the high incidence of Xiao Shao Plain in China.
Where is Xiao Shao Plain? It is in Xiaoshan and Shaoxing, Zhejiang, next to the Qiantang River in the north.
Adult "ginger flakes" are visible to the naked eye, can be distinguished in the absence of microscopes, and have been discovered and recorded as early as the early Ming Dynasty. By 1920, a doctor named C.H. Barlow, who was the director of the department of internal medicine at Shaoxing Fukang Hospital, recorded in his book that more than 90% of local residents suffered from ginger patchworm disease, caused by the consumption of water chestnuts and water lingos containing worm eggs. During the Republic of China period, the prevalence of local residents has also been very high.
In fact, water chestnut, diamond horn these things are also planted in other places, why is ginger flake insect disease only in the Xiaoshao Plain the highest incidence? Some scholars believe that this is due to the unique local paddy field, the water flow is very gentle, which breeds a lot of snails as the middle host of ginger slice insects, plus human and animal manure is then applied as fertilizer in the paddy field, completing the cycle infection. [1]
Parasitologist Yao Yongzheng (1901-1985) once examined the red diamond in the Lingtian field of Zhujiaba Village in Shaoxing, and on the skin of one of the water red ling, there were more than 1200 eggs of ginger flakes. [2]
Compared with paddy fields, diamond horns and water chestnuts planted in lakes and canals may have lower parasite content due to the rapid water flow.
In addition, this is also related to the way of eating. In the Shaoxing area, shuihong ling should be eaten raw, such as peeling soy sauce and peppercorns to become a dish called "drunken daling". Water chestnuts are also dug out of the field and wiped clean and eaten raw, which is a snack. The risk of contracting the parasite is much higher.
How to avoid it?
Whether the diamond horns you buy, whether there are parasites and how many there are, and the planting environment, post-harvest treatment, transportation conditions, etc., can not be generalized.
In terms of eating method, when eating raw diamond horns and water chestnuts, it is most likely to be infected by the mouth directly with the mouth, because the eggs of ginger slice insects are mostly attached to the epidermis of diamond horns and water chestnuts, especially the water chestnut pedicles.
Theoretically, if you peel, wash, or dry in the sun for a day, or hot water, the risk will be lower, but it is not guaranteed that there is no, or cooked to eat is the safest.
Resources:
Li Yushang. Sanjiang Gate and Ginger Flake Disease in Xiaoshao Plain since 1537[J].Chinese Agricultural History,2011,30(04):93-106.
[2] YAO Yongzheng . Ginger flakes disease[M] . Shanghai:East China People's Publishing House,1951.]
[3] Gao Kai,Zhou Hairi . Ginger flakes disease[M] . Beijing:People's Medical Publishing House,1955.]
[4] Fang Zhimin . On the problem of epidemic ginger tablet disease in Xiaoshan[J] . Chinese Medical Journal,1937,23(2).
Shi Lulu. Foodborne parasitic diseases of aquatic animals and plants and their control measures[J].Heilongjiang Fisheries,2021,40(05):47-49.