There is a fruit in the fruit shop, shaped like water droplets, the skin is thin and seedless, soft and fragrant, and when you take a bite, the lips and teeth are full of sweetness, it is a fig. The poet Ming Zheng praised the fig: "
WenXianguo is soft and sweet, and nourishes the rich camp feng Baoli yan. The holy fruit often eats people and does not grow old, and Qingqing lives forever for a thousand years. ”
So, what exactly is the health effect of figs, which will make the poet issue such an exclamation that "the holy fruit often eats people and does not grow old, and the green and green will live forever for a thousand years"? Today, I will give you a comprehensive introduction to the fig as a fruit.
Figs, also known as Ying Ri Guo, Wisdom Fruit, Youtan Bowl, Tianxian Fruit, GuDuzi. Native to Arabia and later introduced to China, it is one of the earliest fruit trees cultivated by humans.
The study found that figs are likely to be one of the first plants introduced by humans in the Neolithic Age, with a cultivation history of at least 5,000 years, and are known as the world's earliest domesticated "four ancient fruits" along with grapes, dates and olives.
Origin of the fig name
Because figs are hermaphrodites, flowers are hidden in the sac-shaped flower holder, usually only see its fruit, do not see its flowers, our ancestors in the cultivation of its fig fruit, only to see the fruit out of thin air from under the leaves, it is named fig.
In fact, the fig can be called the "pretender" of plants, it not only has flowers, but also more than one flower. Botanists have found that the edible part of the fig we collect every day is not the real fruit of this plant, but the meat ball formed by the expansion and metamorphosis of its flower holder, and the flowers and fruits of the fig are hidden in this meat ball.
Anyone who has eaten figs knows that the ripe figs are torn in half, and their interior is filled with bright red and white filamentous "flesh". The fact is that these "silks" are its flower buds, and the seeds gathered in the middle are its real fruits.
So on the surface, the growth process of figs without flowering in the stage ushered in a harvest of fruit, which is also in line with its consistent low-key personality, the first half of the flowers are hidden, everyone can not see your ability, do not think you will have any results, the result in the second half of life, do not flower you suddenly appeared a large number of fruits, super sweet and super beautiful.
The fig skin is thin and seedless, the flesh is soft and sweet, not only suitable for fresh food, but also for processing jam, canned, preserved fruit, dried fruit and so on. Its roots, stems, leaves, and fruits can be medicated and have a variety of health care effects. The figs (dried figs) in the medicine cabinet were air-dried, pointed, hard, and compacted into a clump with yellow-brown spots.
The medicinal value of figs
Chinese medicine believes that figs are sweet in taste, flat in nature, into the lungs, spleen, stomach meridians, there is a healthy stomach and intestines, clear heat and detoxification, moisturize the lungs and cough. It can be used to treat lung heat throat sting, hoarseness, or loss of appetite, indigestion, dry bowel constipation, prolonged diarrhea and other symptoms. Figs can also be applied externally to treat skin diseases such as nameless swelling and toxin, carbuncle scabies and so on.
The fever-clearing function of figs, mainly acting on the lungs, it has a significant lung-moisturizing effect, if you cough for a long time, eating figs can be somewhat improved. In addition to caring for the lungs, figs can also moisturize the intestines, especially those who cause constipation due to dry intestines, and can take figs to improve the characteristics of stool.
The "Yunnan Materia Medica" says that it "applies all nameless swelling and poison, carbuncle scabies, leprosy sores, yellow water sores, fish mouth stool poison, milk knots, acne sores and broken".
The "Compendium of Materia Medica" says that it "cures five hemorrhoids, sharpens the throat, reduces swelling and pain, and detoxifies sores".
"Food Materia Medica" says that it is "appetizing and stops diarrhea".
The "Diet Recipe for Living with The Breath" says that it is "clear of heat and moisturize the intestines".
The function of figs is introduced in the most detail in the "Qunfang Spectrum", which is said: "First, it is edible and nutritious; The second is that dried fruits can be made; The third is to often provide good food, picking and serving food for up to three months, rich in nutrition; The fourth is the large branch cutting, which is strong this year; Fifth, the leaf is a holy medicine for medical hemorrhoids; Sixth, the immature fruit can be made into a sugar-stained dense fruit; Seventh, when you get the soil, you live, and you can plant it anywhere."
Modern nutrition shows that figs contain 18 kinds of amino acids, 10 of which are essential for the human body and are rich in vitamins. Among them, the content of vitaminS A and C is particularly rich, the content of selenium is 100 times that of edible mushrooms, 400 times that of garlic, containing about 20% fructose and glucose, which is easily absorbed and utilized by the human body.
Figs also contain malic acid, citric acid, protease, etc., can help the human body digestion of food, and the fig contains lipase, hydrolases and other components have the function of reducing blood lipids and decomposing blood lipids, which can reduce the deposition of fat in the blood vessel wall, and then play a role in lowering blood pressure and preventing coronary heart disease, and is regarded as a health product.
Contraindications to fig consumption:
1. People with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold eat less; People with moderate cold should not eat.
2. It should not be eaten with sour foods (kiwifruit, oranges, grapefruit, plums).
3. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus should not be consumed.
How to choose figs?
Figs are softer and therefore less difficult to store. Eat fresh figs in the season, try to choose deep ripe, large full, well-watered, soft peel, and the overall integrity, no rot.
When the figs are ripe, there will be small cracks in the tail. When selecting, try to choose those with small tail cracks to avoid too much dust, sand and germs entering the fruit.
If you cook a diet with figs, fresh figs or dried figs have the same effect. When selecting dried figs, pay attention to those with dark yellow or brownish skins, more uniform size, and no insect eyes.
Good dried figs, smell a faint fragrance, break open to see the flesh of the soft texture; If you smell a sour smell, it is usually vulcanized and not recommended.
Eat figs should pay attention to sun protection
Usually after eating figs, be careful not to go into direct sun for a long time. Because figs contain furan coumarin, photosensitivity reactions are prone to occur under ultraviolet radiation, causing skin sunburn and dermatitis.
In addition to figs, common foods such as fennel, citrus, wild rape, mustard greens, gray cabbage, beets, fungus, shiitake mushrooms, etc., all contain furan coumarin, if people are exposed to a large amount of sunlight after eating, it is easy to cause plant-solar dermatitis.
Fig medicinal diet
Figs can be used as fruits and snacks, as well as soups and sugar water. Made into a dietary remedy, it can not only take care of health, but also taste good, and adults and children like it.
The peel of ripe figs is also sweet, and after washing, it can be eaten with the skin. However, if you buy a green fig, the peel has a sour and astringent taste, and you can peel the skin and eat only the flesh.
If the dietary remedy made from figs is acceptable in taste, it is recommended to eat the whole residue. The cooked figs are eaten in the mouth, and there is a soft aroma of ripe fruit, and the soup is also sweet.
Sugar stained figs
Ingredients: 500 g of figs, 250 g of sugar.
Directions: Wash, place in a pot, flatten each fruit with a spoon, add sugar and marinate for 1 day. After the fruit is soaked in the sugar juice, simmer over low heat until the juice is slightly dry, stop the fire and let it cool, then mix in a small amount of sugar, put it on the plate and air dry for a few days, and then eat.
Effect: Digestion appetizer, clear throat. It can be used for spleen and stomach weakness, loss of appetite, stagnation and chest tightness, sore throat, hoarseness and sputum production.
Fig stewed pig's trotters
Ingredients: 200 g figs, 100 g needle vegetables, 2 pig's trotters.
Directions: First, cut the pig's trotters into small pieces, add ginger, pepper, garlic and some water and simmer together with figs until they are cooked, then add nasturtiums and cook for 30 minutes, add salt, monosodium glutamate and green onion to taste.
Efficacy: This formula has the effect of clearing heat, detoxification, and menstruation of the milk. It is suitable for liver depression and stagnation, insufficient milk on the fire, poor appetite, deficiency of qi and blood, and neurasthenia.
Fig rhombus barley porridge
Ingredients: 10 figs, 60 grams of diamond horn (grinding), 60 grams of barley, 100 grams of japonica rice.
Directions: Add japonica rice, figs and barley to the porridge, and when the porridge is cooked to a thick thickness, add the diamond horn powder and an appropriate amount of rock sugar, and cook for a while to eat.
Efficacy: This formula has the effect of strengthening the spleen and rationalizing qi, suppressing cough and expectorant, and dehumidifying water. It is often used for loss of appetite, indigestion, cough and phlegm, hemorrhoids and blood in the stool, edema and diarrhea and other symptoms.
Fig almond sherry paste
Ingredients: 5 to 7 figs, 15 grams of northern almonds, 1 sydney pear, Huaishan powder, sugar to taste.
Directions: Soak the northern almonds in boiling water and peel them, peel and wash the pears, take the meat and chop them, mash them with the figs, put them into a small basin, add Huaishan powder and sugar, add an appropriate amount of water to make a paste, and then pour into a pot of boiling water and stir and cook continuously.
Efficacy: This formula has the effect of nourishing yin and rejuvenating jin, moisturizing the lungs and dissolving phlegm. It is suitable for lung cancer, stomach cancer and lung yin burning in radiotherapy, dry cough or yellow sputum cough, dry mouth and throat, hoarseness, poor appetite, and also suitable for intestinal cancer and constipation.
Fig south apricot stew lean meat
Ingredients: 2 fresh figs, 10g of southern almonds, 50g of lean meat.
Directions: Add about 5 bowls of water to the pot, bring to a boil on high heat and simmer for 1 hour, seasoning.
Effect: Moisturize the lungs, relieve cough, reduce phlegm and relieve asthma.
Applicable age: Babies over 3 years old can be taken, fava bean disease can be taken.
Prince ginseng fig lean broth
Ingredients: 10g of taizi ginseng, 2 fresh figs, 50 grams of lean meat, 2 slices of ginger.
Directions: Add about 5 bowls of water to the pot, bring to a boil on high heat and simmer for 1.5 hours, then season and eat.
Effect: Tonify qi and blood, mainly treat qi deficiency constipation, long cough.
Applicable age: Babies over 3 years old can be taken, fava bean disease can be taken.
Rock sugar stewed figs
Ingredients: 30 g dried figs, 15 g lilies, rock sugar to taste.
Directions: Wash the figs and add water to cook with lilies and rock sugar.
Efficacy: For lung dryness, sore throat, loss of appetite.
Fig wheat winter honeysuckle water
Ingredients: 5 fresh figs (sliced), 12 grams of wheat dong, 20 grams of honeysuckle. (1-day amount)
Directions: Soak the offspring in boiling water for half an hour and drink for 5 to 7 days.
Efficacy: Fangzhong fig taste sweet and cool, return to the lungs, stomach, large intestine meridian, can clear the heat and vitality, moisturize the lungs and intestines, healthy spleen and appetizer, detoxification and swelling, the general population can eat. It contains malic acid, citric acid, lipase, protease, hydrolases, etc., which can promote digestion, increase appetite, and reduce and decompose blood lipids, thereby lowering blood pressure and preventing coronary heart disease; Contains a variety of lipids, with laxative effect; Among them, the active ingredient also has anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling effects, which can help the pharynx reduce swelling. Mai Dong tastes sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold, returns to the heart, lungs, stomach meridians, can nourish yin and vitality, moisturize the lungs and relieve cough. Honeysuckle taste sweet and cold, return to the lungs, stomach meridians, can clear heat, detoxification, anti-inflammatory and swelling.
The prescription is simple to use, the effect is better, it is worth a try. For those with a swollen sore throat, it can also be treated with dried fig grinding and throat blowing. ■
[Source: The content of this article is comprehensively compiled from The WeChat public accounts of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xu Youjia Parenting Hall, Guangdong Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other WeChat public accounts]