On December 1, the "Heilongjiang Provincial Food Safety Local Standards - Blue Indigo Fruit" was officially introduced and implemented. Heilongjiang is one of the main production areas of blue indigo in China, with more than 30 years of blue indigo eating habits. Blue indigo is known as the "king of drinks" in the folk, has extremely rich nutritional value and edible value, and even has a series of medicinal value, which is gradually known to the public. So, what exactly is the blue indigo? How many important ingredients are contained in the fruit? What is the role and efficacy of eating blue indigo? How does blue indigo help human health? How to correctly view and examine health care products, including blue indigo? The reporter interviewed Professor Pan Limin, a well-known expert in traditional Chinese medicine health care and deputy director of the Department of Internal Medicine of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, from the perspective of food culture, to introduce and analyze blue indigo for readers; and put forward his views and insights on how to correctly treat health care products.
Pan Liminren introduced that the blue indigo fruit is a variety of honeysuckle family, honeysuckle genus blue fruit honeysuckle, for the perennial deciduous small shrub plant, also known as blue ingot fruit, mountain eggplant fruit, blue fruit, etc., is another small berry after strawberries, raspberries, smut gooseberry, gooseberry, blueberry, sea buckthorn, the taste is sweet and sour. Blue indigo is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is distributed in Asia, Europe and other places. China is mainly concentrated in the eastern mountains of Daxing'anling in Heilongjiang, the Changbai Mountains of Jilin, as well as Inner Mongolia, North China, Northwest China, Sichuan and other places; in addition, the Russian Far East, Japan and northern Korea also have blue indigo "camped".
Blue indigo often grows in river banks, wetlands, grasslands, swamps, shrubs or woodlands, grows at an altitude of 300 meters to 3500 meters, prefers cold, humid climate, strong cold resistance, in extremely low temperatures (the minimum temperature of the dormant period under natural conditions of minus 4l ° C) can still safely overwinter, the following spring warm flowers, again branches and leaves, pregnant with life. Blue indigo flowers in May-June, July-September fruit ripening, blue-purple, oval berries like agate stone, mouth-watering, containing a variety of amino acids and vitamins, and rich in zinc, selenium, iron, calcium and other mineral elements, especially VP content is nearly a hundred times higher than ordinary fruits. Blue indigo can be eaten raw, used as a color, and can also be used to make wine, drinks and jams.
Not only that, the buds, fruits and young branches of the blue indigo fruit can be used in medicine. Professor Pan Limin said that the research results at home and abroad show that the blue indigo fruit is bitter and cold, can clear the heat and diarrhea, disperse the carbuncle and reduce swelling, and can treat the heat poison sores such as cradle carbuncle, intestinal carbuncle, erysipelas and other hot sores; it can also be used for damp heat dysentery, white stool, diarrhea, tenesmus, burning and other symptoms. Modern medical research has found that blue indigo fruit has the effect of preventing capillary rupture, lowering blood pressure and improving the liver; at the same time, it can be anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemia; its antihypertensive effect is mild, long-lasting, and the onset time is short; it can also alleviate the symptoms of discomfort after radiotherapy, effectively improve white blood cells, and enhance immunity. Therefore, the "Wild Economic Flora of the Southwest Slope of Changbai Mountain" clearly lists the blue indigo fruit as a member of traditional Chinese medicine.
China's experts special research, the results found that: blue indigo can not only reduce blood pressure, increase the number of white blood cells, prevent cancer and fight cancer, but also have a significant effect on pediatric anorexia, and the cure rate of 90%, successively developed beverages, juices, fruit wine and other health care products quietly entered the market, although it is still a "niche", has not yet formed a large climate, but has gradually become a popular drink "upstart" by people.
So, some people have to ask, in daily life, how should blue indigo be eaten? Professor Pan Limin suggested:
First, raw food, blue indigo fruit as long as washed, you can eat directly;
The second is juicing, the juice rate of blue indigo fruit is very high, and the juice made is not only thirst-quenching and delicious, but also retains a lot of nutrients;
Third, the brewing wine, blue indigo stems and leaves and fruits can leach out natural fuchsia pigment, which can add color to the wine and improve the taste and quality of the wine;
The fourth is to make canned food, in the sealed can, a layer of blue indigo is laid with a layer of white sugar, which is seasoned according to their own taste;
Fifth, homemade jam, mash the blue indigo and add sugar or honey, seal and refrigerate for a few days before eating.
It should be reminded that as a fruit with high nutritional value, although the blue indigo is suitable for all ages, it should not be eaten too much. The Classic of Chinese Medicine, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, says, "Diet is self-doubled, and the stomach and intestines are wounded", which means that the diet should be moderate and grasp a degree. Professor Pan explained that blue indigo is rich in vitamin B and anthocyanins, even higher than the blueberry content, and the appropriate intake can protect vision, so it is very suitable for children to take. However, Chinese medicine believes that children are the body of the immature yin and yang, the development and physiological functions are still immature and imperfect, the shape and qi of the internal organs are relatively insufficient, especially the lungs, spleen, kidneys and three organs are obvious, Director Pan believes that the blue indigo fruit is a cold product, easy to affect the function of the internal organs, so the children should take moderately.
Source: Harbin News Network
Yi Xiaofeng Liu Xiaoji Reporter: Shi Jing
Editor: Liu Cheng