Water chestnut (scientific name: Heleocharis dulcis (Burm. f.) Trin.), also known as horseshoe, water chestnut, Wuyao, Bodhi capsule, etc., belongs to the monocotyledonous Salixaceae, is a perennial persistent herb. Water chestnut skin color purple and black, white flesh, sweet and juicy flavor, crisp and delicious, both as fruit to eat raw, but also as vegetables to eat. The bulb is rich in starch, for raw food, cooked food or extract starch, sweet taste; also for medicinal use, appetizing and detoxification, elimination of food, stomach and intestines.
Water chestnut contains phosphorus, which is the highest among root vegetables, and can promote human growth and development and maintain physiological functions, and has great benefits for the development of teeth and bones, as well as promoting the metabolism of the three major substances in the body, namely sugar, fat and protein, and regulating the acid-base balance. Therefore, water chestnut is suitable for children to eat. Britain found an intolerant antibacterial ingredient - water chestnut Ying - in the study of water chestnut. This substance has a certain inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and also has a certain effect on lowering blood pressure.
This substance is also effective against cancer of the lungs, esophagus and mammary glands. Water chestnut also has the function of preventing acute infectious diseases. In the spring show where measles and epidemic meningitis are more likely to occur, water chestnut is a very good food for preventing diseases. Water chestnut is a cold food, with good effect of clearing heat and diarrhea. It can not only clear heat and produce fluids, but also supplement nutrition, and is most suitable for fever patients. It has the efficacy of cooling blood and detoxifying, diuretic and laxative, resolving dampness and expelling phlegm, eliminating food and removing flatulence.