Also known as spinach, red root vegetable, Persian grass, parrot vegetable, rat root vegetable and horn vegetable.

Spinach is an annual and biennial vegetable of the Chenopodiaceae family. The main root is long, thick, red, and sweet. The leaves are triangular-ovate, dark green, and the base leaves and small stem leaves are longer and fleshy than the stalk.

Originally produced in Persia, it was introduced to my country during the Tang Dynasty and is now cultivated in various places. It is a green leafy vegetable that is supplied to the market all year round.

Spinach can be divided into two types: pointed leaves and round leaves according to leaf shape. Pointed leaf type, the leaves are arrow-shaped, the petiole is long and the mesophyll is thin, the root is thick and contains a lot of sugar, and the quality is good. Autumn and winter blanket spinach belongs to this type. Round leaf type, the leaves are round, oval to form an oval, the leaves are large and fleshy, the petiole is short and wide, and the oxalic acid content is high. Spinach in spring and summer mostly belongs to this type.

The quality requirements of spinach are: dark green color, red roots, no water, no old stems and leaves, no bolting and blooming, and no yellow and rotten leaves.

Nutritional analysis

1. Helps facilitate bowel movement and prevents hemorrhoids:

Spinach contains a large amount of plant crude fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis and is beneficial to Defecation, and can promote pancreatic secretion and help digestion. It has a therapeutic effect on hemorrhoids, chronic pancreatitis, constipation, anal fissure and other diseases;

2. Promote growth and development and enhance disease resistance:

The carotene contained in spinach, Converted into vitamin A in the human body, it can maintain normal vision and the health of epithelial cells, increase the ability to prevent infectious diseases, and promote the growth and development of children;

3. Ensure nutrition and improve health:

< p>Spinach is rich in carotene, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus and a certain amount of iron, vitamin E and other beneficial ingredients, which can supply the human body with a variety of nutrients; the iron it contains is good for iron deficiency anemia. auxiliary therapeutic effect;

4. Promote human metabolism:

The trace elements contained in spinach can promote human metabolism and improve physical health. Eating a lot of spinach can reduce the risk of stroke;

5. Clean skin and anti-aging:

Spinach extract can promote the proliferation of cultured cells, which not only resists aging but also enhances youthfulness. vitality. Chinese people mash spinach to extract juice, wash their face several times a week, and use it continuously for a period of time to clean skin pores, reduce wrinkles and pigment spots, and keep the skin smooth.

Relevant groups

The general population can consume it.

1. Spinach is soft and easy to digest after cooking, especially suitable for the elderly, young, sick and weak. Computer workers and people who love beauty should also eat spinach regularly; diabetics (especially type II diabetics) often eat spinach to help maintain stable blood sugar; at the same time, spinach is also suitable for patients with high blood pressure, constipation, anemia, scurvy, and rough skin. Allergic;

2. Not suitable for patients with nephritis and kidney stones. Spinach has a high oxalic acid content, so you should not eat too much at one time; in addition, people with spleen deficiency and loose stools should not eat too much.

Production Instructions

1. Spinach can be stir-fried, mixed, roasted, made into soup and used as an ingredient, such as "Ginger Spinach", "Sesame Spinach", "Haimi Spinach" wait.

2. Many people like to eat spinach. Spinach contains oxalic acid, especially in round-leaf varieties, which affects the body's absorption of calcium after eating. Therefore, when eating this kind of spinach, you should boil it first to remove the water. to reduce oxalic acid content.

3. Raw spinach should not be cooked with tofu as it may hinder digestion and affect the efficacy. Blanch it in boiling water and then cook it with tofu.

Therapeutic effects

Spinach is sweet and cool in nature, and enters the large intestine and stomach meridian;

It has the functions of nourishing blood and stopping bleeding, benefiting the five internal organs, clearing the intestines and stomach, and regulating Qi. It activates blood vessels, quenches thirst and moisturizes the intestines, astringes yin and moisturizes dryness, nourishes yin and calms the liver, and aids digestion;

It is mainly used to treat high blood pressure, headache, dizziness, wind-fire red eyes, diabetes, constipation, indigestion, and fall. Injuries, epistaxis, hematochezia, scurvy, and stagnant stools.

Other related

The ancient Chinese called it "red-billed green parrot".

The ancient Arabs also called it the "king of vegetables".

The "Compendium of Materia Medica" believes that eating spinach can "open the blood vessels, open the chest and diaphragm, lower the Qi and regulate the middle, quench thirst and moisturize dryness".

Remarks

1. Use spinach with tender leaves and small leaves, and keep the spinach root.

2. Eat as many alkaline foods as possible, such as kelp, vegetables, fruits, etc., to promote the dissolution and excretion of calcium oxalate and prevent stones.