Almond is also called apricot fruit. Almond is rich in protein, fat, sugar, carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin P, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients. Among them, the content of carotene is second only to mango in fruits, and people call almonds anti-cancer fruits.

Almonds are rich in fatty oil, which can lower cholesterol. So almonds have a good effect on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, almond has the effects of promoting fluid production to quench thirst, moistening lung and relieving asthma, and is often used for health care and treatment of patients with lung dryness, asthma and cough. A recent study by American researchers shows that people with normal or slightly higher cholesterol levels can replace foods with low nutritional density in their diets with almonds, thus lowering blood cholesterol and maintaining heart health.

Researchers believe that almonds are rich in various nutrients, such as vitamin E, monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber, which can effectively reduce the risk of heart disease. The total cholesterol level of 85 middle-aged and elderly volunteers (average age 56 years old) decreased by 7.6%, and the low density lipoprotein cholesterol level decreased by 9%. It also won't lead to weight gain.

Apricot belongs to Rosaceae and is a small deciduous tree. Bark is dark gray or reddish brown, branchlets are reddish brown, smooth and have obvious lenticels. Apricot flowers, like peach blossoms, bloom first and then leave, pink or white, which is very beautiful. Apricot fruit is yellow when it matures, which is botanically called drupe. Drupe is a kind of fruit, which is a fleshy fruit developed from carpels. Generally, the endocarp is lignified to form a nucleus, and there is often a seed in the nucleus, while the exocarp is thin and the mesocarp is plump and juicy. Similarly, there are peaches and plums. So we eat apricots every day and eat its mesocarp.

There are many varieties of apricots, and their kernels are mainly divided into bitter almonds and sweet almonds (mostly cultivated varieties, but also bitter), which are produced in Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, North China, Northwest China, Xinjiang and the Yangtze River valley provinces. Fruit ripens in summer and is eaten in Huangshi.

Almond is a traditional Chinese medicine in China, which has the effects of relieving cough, relieving asthma and relaxing bowels.

According to modern pharmacological analysis, both kinds of almonds contain about 50% fatty oil, but the content of cyanoside (amygdalin) is very different, and amygdalin is 3%. However, sweet almonds only contain 0. 1 1% amygdalin. It has been reported that oral administration of 20-50g bitter almond (equivalent to 50- 120 capsules) can lead to adult death.

Therefore, although almonds are delicious, we must be careful not to eat them raw, especially children, to avoid accidents.