Momordica cochinchinensis (scientific name: Momordica cochinchinensis), also known as Momordica cochinchinensis and Momordica cochinchinensis, is a herb of Momordica cochinchinensis in Cucurbitaceae. The fruit of Trionyx sinensis is a perennial herb vine with tendrils opposite to leaves and no branches. Leaf blade rounded to broadly ovate, usually parted, with dense papillae on the back; Light yellow flowers in summer, monoecious, with bracts on the stem; Long oval fruit with many soft thorns on the surface, which is red when ripe. Flat seeds have the shape of turtles (soft-shelled turtles) and are woody, so they are called wooden soft-shelled turtles.

Main value

Vietnamese wooden turtle fruit glutinous rice

People who grow up in Vietnam and some parts of South Asia regard the fruit of Trionyx sinensis as "the fruit of heaven" and praise it for its longevity, vitality and health. Turtle fruit is a big and bright red fruit, also known as "sweet gourd", and its edible part is the red seed outer membrane. Its seed is called Momordica cochinchinensis in Chinese medicine, which has the property of dispelling cold, and is used to treat liver and spleen diseases, healing, hemorrhoids, traumatic injury, edema and suppuration. Vietnamese people have been eating wooden turtle fruit for thousands of years. The usual practice is to make glutinous rice with the outer membrane of the fruit seeds of the wooden turtle, which is called "Xoi gac". It is a mixture of wooden turtle fruit and rice, which makes it have red and unique flavor. Therefore, "Xoi gac" is provided at festivals, such as weddings, Lunar New Year and other major celebrations. It covers the white color of rice (because white is considered as the color of death) and brings people nutritious food. In addition to making "Xoi gac", the outer membrane of its seeds is used as the best nutrition for children, lactating women and pregnant women, while young women regard it as a treasure to keep their skin rosy and shiny, and local doctors also use it to treat "dry eye" (dry eye) and night blindness. The fruit growth of Trionyx sinensis is seasonal, with only three months of suitable growth period every year. Harvest began in September and lasted until 65438+February. In Vietnam, wooden tortoise vines often grow on the iron fence at the farm gate. Due to the long-term war and closure in Vietnam, it was not until modern scientific research and western media propaganda in recent years that people gradually realized the potential health value of soft-shelled turtle fruit.

nutritional ingredient

Every 1g pulp (red part) contains:

1, lycopene: 1546.5-3053.6 micrograms.

2. Beta carotene: 636.2-836.3 micrograms.

3. α -carotene: 67.0- 106.8 micrograms.

4、? Vitamin e: 38.5 micrograms

5. Linoleic acid: 28 1 mg

The bright red flesh of turtle fruit.

Modern scientific research on the fruit of Trionyx sinensis began with 194 1. Guich and Bui, two French scientists, visited Vietnam and found that the local people called a fruit "fruit from heaven". This fruit is not only a necessary food to celebrate major festivals, but also used by people to improve their health, especially pregnant or lactating women. After a period of research, two scientists found that the fruit of Trionyx sinensis is rich in lycopene, β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, cryptoxanthin and various minerals, and the nutritional content of this fruit is unprecedented. The research results of the two scientists were published in 194 1 (Guichar, female; But what color is your fruit? Momordica seed? Spring. ? Los Angeles yearbook. Cents; Indian Institute of Advanced Medicine and Pharmacy? 194 1,? 14 1, 42.)

On June 30th, 2003, 65438+February 30th, 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the research results of soft-shelled turtle fruit on its official website, and also published it in the academic journal Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, Vol.52, pages 274-279. An academic research report entitled "Composition of Fatty Acids and Carotenoids in GAC (Momodica cochinchinensis Spreng) Fruit" (content of fatty acids and carotenoids in Trionyx sinensis fruit) was published (Ishida). The research report pointed out that the fruit of Trionyx sinensis is the fruit with the richest carotenoid content found so far, in which the content of lycopene is 76 times that of tomato and the content of β -carotene is 0/5 times that of carrot. More valuable, in the fruit of Trionyx sinensis, lycopene and β -carotene are both natural fats, and a considerable proportion of them are cis-structured. Because the content of cis-natural fat carotenoid in the fruit of Trionyx sinensis is very high, its absorption in human body is much higher than that of lycopene extracted from tomato and β -carotene extracted from carrot, which makes Trionyx sinensis called "super fruit" by some foreign media.

Health care value

Since 194 1 modern science first studied this kind of "super fruit" with a long history, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Vietnam, etc. Authoritative research reports on Momordica cochinchinensis have been published one after another. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has certified Momordica cochinchinensis as the safest health care product, which has no toxic side effects and can be sold in the US market. So what are the health care values of Momordica cochinchinensis?

1, anti-computer radiation and anti-oxidation

Modern people are used to using computers for a long time. But computer radiation can lead to peroxidation in the body. The skin damage after oxidation is like the experience of a peeled apple-when the peeled apple is exposed to the air, the surface will soon oxidize and produce "rust spots". In order to resist computer radiation, in addition to shortening the time of "close contact" with computer electromagnetic waves every day, people often recommend eating fruits rich in lycopene, because lycopene is the carotenoid with the strongest antioxidant capacity found so far, its antioxidant capacity is 100 times that of vitamin E, and it has a strong ability to scavenge free radicals, so it is called plant gold. The following is a comparison table of lycopene content of various vegetables and fruits (per kloc-0/00g):

Momordica cochinchinensis: 155 ~ 305 mg

Tomato: 0.2 ~ 20mg

Guava: 5.23 ~ 5.50 mg (pink)

Papaya: 0. 1 1 ~ 5.3 mg

Grapefruit: 0.35 ~ 3.36 mg (pink)

Carrot: 0.65 ~ 0.78 mg

Pumpkin: 0.38 ~ 0.46 mg

Sweet potato: 0.02 ~ 0. 1 1 mg.

Apricot: 0.0 1 ~ 0.05 mg

The amazing lycopene content in the fruit of Trionyx sinensis has become the best choice for all vegetables and fruits to resist radiation and oxidation.

In fact, people who often work in front of computers are not only hurt by radiation, but also often feel dry and painful eyes, dull eyes and lack of water. β -carotene is the best provitamin A found to protect eyes, because it can be converted into vitamin A in human body, and vitamin A can protect retina and lens of eyes from "free radicals". In a word, β -carotene is like natural eye drops, which protects the lubrication and transparency of cornea and promotes eye health. The following is a comparison table of β -carotene content of various vegetables and fruits (per kloc-0/00g):

Wooden turtle fruit: 83630 micrograms

Spirulina: 388 10 μ g

Lycium barbarum: 9750 micrograms

Broccoli: 72 10 μ g

Green tea: 5800 micrograms

Carrots: 4 130 μ g

Seabuckthorn fruit: 3840 micrograms

Mango: 897 micrograms

Tomato: 375 micrograms

As can be seen from the above table, the content of β -carotene in the fruit of Trionyx sinensis is more than 2 times that of spirulina and 20 times that of carrot.

Lycopene and β -carotene are the most important weapons against computer radiation and oxidation. Practice has proved that skin exposed to computer radiation can recover its ruddy luster after taking lycopene 1 month or more, and long-term intake of lycopene can protect the skin from yellowing, dryness and dullness due to computer radiation. Long-term intake of β -carotene can protect eyes, relieve dry and painful symptoms, and prevent dry eye and cataract in the elderly. However, eyes cannot be protected by lycopene alone, and skin cannot be protected by β -carotene alone. The uniqueness of wood turtle fruit makes it the most advanced and popular anti-computer at present.

Efficacy of Guo Mu turtle fruit

Radiation health care raw materials.

2. Vision protection for children and adolescents

Nowadays, children spend more and more time reading, watching TV and playing computer, and the proportion of myopia is also increasing. The main reason is that the light emitted by TV and computer will "bleach" rhodopsin. If there is enough vitamin A in the human body, rhodopsin will regenerate quickly and completely, making the eyes less tired.

Therefore, in addition to correct living and study habits, it is also important to protect your eyesight, especially vitamin A (retinol). Natural vitamin A only exists in animal food, and β -carotene in plants is called provitamin A, which can be converted into vitamin A after being ingested by human body. Excessive consumption of animal liver can easily lead to obesity, and excessive intake of vitamin A can also lead to poisoning, so plant β -carotene is the first choice to supplement vitamin A, and ultra-high content of β -carotene in turtle fruit is the best choice to protect vision.

Step 3 protect the prostate

The high lycopene content in the fruit of Trionyx sinensis makes it have the health function of protecting prostate. Please refer to the role of lycopene for details.

renieratene

Carotene is a very nutritious element, which is very helpful to people's health. It is rich in turtle fruit, broccoli, spirulina and other things. Here, expert Wang Tao will tell you how to supplement carrots to improve your health.

The guest invited by the health road program is Wang Tao. The theme is to let carotene repair your body (4). This paper mainly introduces the function of carotene and its health care function to the body.

Carrots contain a lot of β-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A after being ingested by human digestive organs. It is the safest product to supplement vitamin A at present (simply supplementing chemically synthesized vitamin A will make people toxic in excess). It can maintain the health of eyes and skin, improve night blindness and rough skin, and help protect the body from free radicals. It should not be taken at the same time with acidic substances such as vinegar.

Need crowd

1, long-term fat malabsorption, such as digestive system diseases and partial gastrointestinal resection, often leads to vitamin A deficiency, which often occurs in children under 5 years old, mainly because of insufficient vitamin A intake.

2. Vitamin A is an important nutrient for people who wear contact lenses or stare at computer screens for a long time.

3. Pregnant women and lactating women also need vitamin A very much.

Function and function

1, keep the integrity of the skin mucosa and prevent the skin from being dry and rough;

2. Photosensitive substances in visual cells;

3. Promote growth and development, effectively promote health and cell development, and prevent congenital deficiency. Promote the healthy growth of bones and teeth;

4. Maintain reproductive function;

5. Maintain and promote immune function. Data show that carrots can prevent and inhibit lung cancer. Carotene contained in carrots will be converted into vitamin A when it enters the human body. Each carrot molecule can be converted into two vitamin A molecules.

Precautions for intake

1, if you consume more than 400 international units of vitamin e every day, you should also consume at least 1000 IU of carotene;

2. When taking oral contraceptives, you must reduce the amount of carotene.

3. Within a week, when there are a large number of animal livers, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes and cantaloupes in three meals, there is no need to supplement carotene;

4. Carotene and mineral oil should not be eaten together;

5. Carotene, vitamin B, vitamins D, E, calcium, phosphorus and zinc can give full play to their effects (zinc is necessary to release vitamin A stored in the liver);

6. Carotene can also prevent vitamin C from being oxidized;

7. The color depth of fruits and vegetables is not an absolute indicator of vitamin A content.

Edible taboo

The seed of Momordica cochinchinensis fruit is Momordica cochinchinensis, which is a traditional Chinese medicine for external use, and its seed kernel contains toxic saponin. People will feel dizzy and sick after eating it.

Momordica nigricans

Heart, salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain. Once poisoned, you should go to the hospital to induce vomiting, infusion and anti-inflammatory treatment, and most of them can be cured. Therefore, when eating and having children, we should avoid eating melon seeds.