Chestnut, also known as big chestnut, chestnut and hairy chestnut, is a specialty of our country. Chestnuts can be eaten raw, or made into cakes, dishes, porridge, etc., and the most popular among consumers are sweet and refreshing sugar-fried chestnuts and chestnut roast chicken or chestnut roast meat. Chestnut, called Muyanzi in ancient times. From the Neolithic site in Banpo, Xi 'an, the physical remains of chestnuts have been found, with a feeding history of more than 6,000 years. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, planting chestnuts was very popular.

Treasures in Chestnut Dried Fruit

Sweet and sweet chestnuts, as precious fruits since ancient times, are the best among dried fruits. Chestnut belongs to nuts, but it is not as rich in oil as nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, and its starch is very high. The carbohydrate content of dried chestnut reaches 77%, which is equivalent to 75% of cereals. There are also 40% fresh chestnuts, which is 2.4 times that of potatoes. The protein content of fresh chestnut is 4% ~ 5%, which is not as high as that of peanuts and walnuts, but slightly higher than that of cooked rice. At the same time, it also has good medicinal value. Chinese medicine mainly focuses on chestnut, which has the effects of tonifying kidney and spleen, strengthening body and bones, benefiting stomach and calming liver. Therefore, chestnuts have the good name of "fruit of kidney".

Chestnuts are rich in nutrients.

Chestnuts produce higher energy, but because fresh chestnuts contain more water, various nutrients are relatively less than dried chestnuts and cooked chestnuts. Because the sugar contained in chestnuts is not low, when eating chestnuts for tonic, we should avoid eating too much, especially for diabetics, so as not to affect the stability of blood sugar.

Chestnuts not only contain a lot of starch, but also are rich in protein, fat, B vitamins and other nutrients, and their calories are also very high. Chestnuts are rich in vitamin B 1, B2, which is at least four times that of rice, and also contains 24 mg of vitamin C per100g, which is unmatched by grain.

I'm afraid it's hard for people to think that fresh chestnuts contain more vitamin C than tomatoes, and more than ten times as much as apples! Chestnuts also contain comprehensive minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, etc. Although the content is not as high as that of hazelnuts and melon seeds, it is still much higher than that of ordinary fruits such as apples and pears, especially the potassium content is prominent, which is four times higher than that of apples which are said to be rich in potassium.

Autumn chestnut tonifies kidney and spleen-chestnut, commonly known as chestnut, is a special product in China, known as the "king of dried fruits", and it is also called "ginseng fruit" abroad. > > Read in detail

Medicinal value of chestnuts

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chestnuts are sweet and warm, non-toxic, and have the functions of "invigorating qi and spleen, thickening stomach and intestines, tonifying kidney and strengthening tendons, promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding".

Raw or cooked chestnuts can be used to treat waist and leg weakness, frequent urination, nausea, bloody stool, chronic lymphadenitis and cervical lymph node tuberculosis, chronic diarrhea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, and long-term infertility caused by kidney deficiency. Burning air-dried chestnut shells into charcoal, grinding into powder, adding honey and washing with water can cure internal hemorrhoid bleeding.

Some Chinese medicine practitioners also use chestnut shells, Prunella vulgaris and Salvia miltiorrhiza to treat acute cervical lymphadenitis and goiter. Its nourishing function to human body is comparable to that of ginseng, astragalus and angelica. Chestnuts are sweet in nature and enter the spleen, stomach and kidney meridians, and have the effects of nourishing stomach, strengthening spleen, tonifying kidney, strengthening waist, strengthening tendons, promoting blood circulation, stopping bleeding and reducing swelling. It is suitable for chronic diarrhea, traumatic fracture, blood stasis, swelling and pain, skin sores, muscle and bone pain caused by kidney deficiency, lumbocrural paralysis, excessive urination and spleen and stomach deficiency and cold.

The unsaturated fatty acids and multivitamins contained in chestnuts have the effect of resisting diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

Medicinal use of chestnut-In terms of medicine, chestnut fruit is a good product for tonifying kidney, which has the functions of invigorating spleen and benefiting qi, clearing away heat and toxic materials, stopping diarrhea and treating cough.

Eat well, too. Don't eat too much after meals.

Although the nutritional and health care value of chestnuts is high, they also need to be eaten properly. It is best to treat chestnuts as snacks between meals, or eat them in meals, rather than eating them in large quantities after meals. This is because chestnuts contain more starch, and it is easy to eat too many calories after meals, which is not conducive to maintaining weight.

When buying chestnuts, don't blindly pursue the white or golden color of the pulp. The golden yellow pulp may be chemically treated chestnuts. On the contrary, if the pulp is browned in the middle after frying or cooking, it is caused by the "browning reaction" of the enzymes contained in chestnuts. As long as the taste has not changed, it is harmless to the human body.