Although loach is a good nourishing food and a ginseng in the water, many people are not sure whether loach is a fish or seafood. So, is a loach a fish? Is loach a seafood? Let’s find out together.

Is the loach a fish?

It is a type of fish.

Loach, also known as "loach fish", has fins and no scales, and mainly uses gills to breathe, so loach is also a fish, and it belongs to the family Cypriniformes, family Loachidae.

It belongs to the order Cypriniformes, the family Loachidae, and the subfamily Loachinae.

The body is slender, with the front end slightly rounded and the rear end flattened laterally. The snout is prominent and the eyes are small; the mouth is small, downward, and horseshoe-shaped. The lips are soft and well developed, with fine wrinkles and small protrusions. There are no fine scales on the head; the body scales are extremely small and the body surface is rich in mucus. The dorsal fin has no hard spines, and its starting point is slightly in front of the starting point of the pelvic fin; the caudal fin is rounded, with narrow and flat skin folds above and below the caudal peduncle. The body is gray and black with many small black spots. The body color often varies depending on the living environment.

Is loach a seafood?

Loach, like grass carp, is a light fish. It cannot be called seafood, but can only be called river food.

Five major benefits of eating loach

According to traditional Chinese medicine, loach is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It has the functions of quenching thirst, diuresis, and protecting the liver. It can also treat skin itching, edema, hepatitis, premature ejaculation, jaundice, and hemorrhoids. "Introduction to Medicine" states that it can replenish the liver and stop diarrhea. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that loach has the effect of warming and replenishing qi, and has certain medicinal effects on quenching thirst and sobering up, promoting urination, aphrodisiac, and resolving hemorrhoids. In Japan, loach is known as "water ginseng" and people regard it as an advanced nutritional supplement.

The mucus secreted in the skin of the loach is the so-called "loach synovial fluid", which has good antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Mixing it with sugar and applying it to the affected area can cure pain and swelling. The meat of loach is rich in nutrients, containing 9.6 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is much higher than ordinary fish and meat. Loach contains high levels of amino acids and lysine required by the human body, as well as a large amount of vitamins. Its vitamin B1 content is 3-4 times higher than that of crucian carp, yellow croaker, and shrimp, and its vitamin A and vitamin C content is also higher than that of other fish. . Loach contains low fat content and very little cholesterol. Therefore, it is beneficial for patients with cardiovascular disease, anemia, and hepatitis to eat more.

1. Improve anemia

Because loach contains a lot of iron, it has a good auxiliary effect on anemia and other diseases.

2. Tonify the kidneys and yang, and restore vitality

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that loach is a famous dietary supplement, especially suitable for men, and has significant effects on impotence and premature ejaculation. It is tonic and can clear away various diseases. It is a good auxiliary treatment for patients with urinary system diseases.

3. Nourish yin and quench thirst, clear away heat and remove dampness

Cooking loach can nourish yin and quench thirst, clear away heat and remove dampness. It can be used as an auxiliary dietary therapy for those with unresolved thirst caused by heat and dampness, or with jaundice, thirst, and difficulty in urination caused by dampness and heat. If you insist on taking it for 5-6 days, you will feel more energetic.

4. Adjuvant treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis

Loach powder can significantly promote the disappearance of jaundice and the decrease of transaminases, especially in acute hepatitis. It also has significant effects on the recovery of liver function and other items.

5. Prevent atherosclerosis

Loach meat contains less fat and less cholesterol, and it also contains an unsaturated fatty acid similar to glycerol carbene acid, which is An important substance that resists hardening of blood vessels in the human body and can effectively prevent atherosclerosis.