Do you know that Atractylodes japonica is a vegetable treasure that improves eyesight and replenishes blood?

Atractylodes, also known as rice atractylodes, water chestnut, thorny vegetable, wild atractylodes, etc., is one of the ancient vegetables. Its young seedlings and stems are edible. Atractylodes is easy to grow and multiply. Generally, tender leaves can grow in about 20 days after sowing. It can be eaten in the long summer, so it is a good summer vegetable.

Health Benefits

1. Clear away heat and detoxify

Atractylodes is sweet in taste and cool in nature. It is good at clearing away heat and dampness, clearing the liver and detoxifying, cooling blood and dispersing blood stasis. It has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on red eye dysentery caused by damp heat, red and painful eyes caused by liver fire, and red and swollen throat.

2. Promote growth and development

Amaranthus has a high protein content and its leaves contain high concentrations of lysine, which can make up for the deficiencies in the amino acid composition of grains. It also contains nutrients such as calcium and zinc that are easily absorbed by the human body. Zinc, calcium and lysine have a synergistic effect, which can promote the growth of teeth and bones, maintain normal heart activity, and prevent muscle spasms (cramps). Therefore, amaranth has a good effect on promoting the growth and development of infants and adolescents, and also plays a good role in preventing and treating children's growth and development, rickets and osteoporosis in the elderly. It has a certain therapeutic value for the healing of fractures.

3. Improve eyesight

Amaranthus contains considerable carotene, which plays an important role in maintaining human vision. The experience of ancient Chinese people on the eye-improving effect of Amaranthus has been strongly proved.

4. Lose weight and improve bowel movement

Amaranthus is also the protagonist on the weight loss table. Eating it regularly can help you lose weight, promote detoxification and prevent constipation.

5. Blood coagulation and blood replenishment

Amaranthus contains abundant protein, iron, calcium and vitamin K, which can promote blood coagulation, increase hemoglobin content and oxygen carrying capacity, and promote hematopoiesis. It is a good vegetable for dietary therapy for people with anemia and blood loss, pregnant women and parturients, fracture patients, and those undergoing surgery. People regard amaranth as a good vegetable for blood supplementation and it is known as the "blood supplement vegetable".

6. Prevent and treat diabetes and maintain cardiovascular health

Amaranthus is rich in magnesium. Researchers believe that patients with diabetes, nephritis, hyperthyroidism, cancer, etc. have excessive magnesium excretion or loss in their bodies, and eating amaranth can make up for the missing magnesium. Supplementing magnesium for diabetic patients can improve their glucose tolerance, reduce the amount of insulin used, and is beneficial for controlling blood sugar. Magnesium is also good for maintaining the health of coronary arteries and heart function; in addition, studies have found that the protein extracted from amaranth has the effect of lowering cholesterol, and amaranth seeds have anti-hypertensive effects (it is believed that the anti-hypertensive effect is mainly through the tetrapeptide extracted from amaranth seeds, which has the effect of inhibiting angiotensin I convertase (ACE)), which is very suitable for patients with cardiovascular disease.

7. Prevent and treat neurasthenia and insomnia

Amaranthus contains iron that is easily absorbed and utilized by the human body. In addition to participating in the synthesis of hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochrome, and cytochrome oxidase in the human body, and being related to the activity of acetyl coenzyme A, succinate dehydrogenase, and cytochrome reductase, iron metabolism is also closely related to spleen deficiency syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that liver blood deficiency and deficiency of both heart and spleen can easily lead to neurasthenia, insomnia and other symptoms, and the fact that Amaranthus treats neurasthenia and insomnia may be related to its rich iron content.

8. Prevent and treat symptoms such as loss of appetite and anorexia

Amaranthus is rich in zinc. Zinc is one of the indispensable elements for maintaining the growth and development of the body, maintaining the normal taste function and appetite of the human body, and promoting normal development. Zinc deficiency makes it difficult to synthesize taste hormones on the taste buds of the human tongue, the sense of taste becomes dull, the sensitivity of taste discrimination decreases, and the appetite decreases. Eating amaranth can achieve the purpose of proper zinc supplementation, thereby treating symptoms such as loss of appetite and anorexia.

9. Liver protection

Studies have shown that the mechanism of the liver protection of Atractylodes lancea may be related to carotenoids and phenolic substances.