June 21 is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the first day of the season of summer. Though it may not be the hottest day in the year, it definitely is the longest day of the year when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and takes the most amount of time to cross the sky… seems dropping a hint to us—eat melons!
Indeed, Chinese in particular consume many melons in terms of variety and amount in summer and even call it the season of melons. Stuffed Bitter Melon, Cucumber Salad Tossed In Housing Dressing, Stir-Fried Loofah, Fuzzy Melon Soup… are only a few household dishes. What makes melons so popular in summer not just because they are in season, they actually are very good for the season, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners. Let’s take a look at three of them:
Winter Melon
Despite winter melon may seem unfamiliar to many Westerners, it has received so much praise from the Chinese. In TCM theory, winter melon is considered being able to promote urination, reduce swelling, clear heat, remove toxic substances, and mitigate high blood pressure.
In fact, from nutrition perspective, the potassium content in winter melon is proved to be capable of facilitating the body to eliminate excess sodium, which helps reduce swelling and lower blood pressure. Moreover, because of its extremely high water content (approximately 96%) and 0% fat properties, winter melon is often used in dieting and has become an ideal weight-control food for dieters specially in hot summer months.
Bitter Melon(Gourd)
While many people may just have one reason to enjoy bitter melon: the unique bitter flavor, TCM Practitioners would tell us plenty of health benefits that we should fall in love with this particular gourd. For example, according to TCM, although bitter melon is bitter in flavor, it actually can improve our appetite and spleen function those usually are our trouble spots in summer thanks to the bitter principles content. While alkaloids, another compounds found in bitter melon, are capable of diminishing inflammation and relieve fever.
Furthermore, it is reportedly that an element called hypoglycemic principle contained in bitter melon has the same effect of insulin that helps lower the blood sugar levels, making it an ideal food for diabetes patients. What’s more, research studies learned that bitter melon extracts have shown anti-cancer activities which can decrease tumor significantly when used in short and long-term treatment.
Watermelon
From TCM perspective, watermelon is cold/cool in nature which can clear heat and relieve summer heat, regenerate body fluid and quench thirst, and promote urination. Indeed, with a water content of 92%, watermelon has the highest water content among all fruits, making it the perfect treat on a hot day.
Besides water, watermelon contains many essential and beneficial mineral nutrients such as Vitamin C, sucrose, glucose, organic acid, amino acid, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. that we humans need. People who suffer from kidney inflammation, high-blood pressure, and constipation are especially beneficial from eating watermelon. Talk about the watermelon rind that we usually throw away, its diuretic effect in fact is even higher than the flesh. (Try out this recipe: Watermelon Rind Porridge.) And for ladies, watermelon rind can also be used as a natural beauty aid.
Image by hadi fooladi
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