Watermelon seeds

Watermelon seeds are the seeds of the watermelon plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, which can be used for food or medicine.

Generally speaking, the seeds in the watermelons we eat daily can also be made into watermelon seeds, but they are too small, so the watermelon seeds produced on the market usually come from special watermelon varieties, such as the Dagua from Lanzhou. Dagua, also known as seed melon, produces melon seeds with black edges and white cores, full grains, and large pieces, so they are known as "Lanzhou black melon seeds" or "Lanzhou large melon seeds" in the international market. In autumn, when the seed melon is ripe, break the melon with your fist, eat the flesh and take out the seeds, wash them with water, dry them in the sun, and they are ready for sale.

Black melon seeds are rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamin B and D. They are mostly consumed daily and are a delicious food that people generally love.

Nutritional value of watermelon seeds

Watermelon seeds contain fatty oil, protein, vitamin B2, pentosan, starch, crude fiber, α-amino-pyrazolyl-N-propionic acid, urease, α-galactosidase, pyrazolase and sucrase. They also contain a saponin-like ingredient called Cucurbocitrin, which has a blood pressure-lowering effect and can relieve the symptoms of acute cystitis.

Watermelon seeds are rich in oil, which have the effects of strengthening the stomach and promoting bowel movements. When you have no appetite or are constipated, you might as well eat some seeds such as watermelon seeds.

It contains unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower blood pressure and help prevent arteriosclerosis. It is a snack suitable for patients with hypertension. Taking 100g as an example, the fat content of fried sunflower seeds is 52.8% and the protein content is 22.6%; the fat content of fried watermelon seeds is 44.8% and the protein content is 32.7%; the fat content of fried pumpkin seeds is 46.1% and the protein content is 36%. In addition, they all contain trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and multiple vitamins, but the vitamin content is very low. As nuts, these melon seeds also contain fatty acids, which is one of the reasons why we usually prefer to consume nuts in moderation.

High-quality watermelon seeds have uniform and full grains, straight and full grains, shiny surface, black edges, reddish brown in the middle, clear color boundaries between the edges and the middle, no salt ash, moderate saltiness, the fragrance of watermelon seeds, crisp and easy to break. After processing, watermelon seeds can be made into various flavors of fried goods, such as spiced melon seeds, cream melon seeds, licorice melon seeds, multi-flavored melon seeds, etc., which is a kind of leisure food. Watermelon seeds can be used as ingredients for snacks or porridge. Watermelon seed glutinous rice porridge has the effect of clearing the lungs and moistening the intestines, eliminating restlessness and quenching thirst.

The efficacy and function of watermelon seeds

1. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Clears the lungs and moistens the intestines, harmonizes the stomach and quenches thirst."

2. "Sui Xi Ju Diet": "Eating it raw can dissipate phlegm and remove dirt, and can lower the qi and clear the blood; boiling it in a concentrated form can cure vomiting blood and chronic cough."

3. It has bone-setting function.

Watermelon seeds have the effect of clearing the lungs and reducing phlegm, and have auxiliary therapeutic effects on symptoms such as cough with excessive sputum and hemoptysis.

4. Watermelon seeds are rich in oil, which have the effects of strengthening the stomach and promoting bowel movements. When you have no appetite or are constipated, you might as well eat some watermelon seeds.

5. It contains unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower blood pressure and help prevent arteriosclerosis. It is a suitable snack for patients with hypertension.

Medicinal value of watermelon seeds

The melon is cold in nature, sweet in taste, and enters the heart, stomach, and bladder meridians. It has the effects of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, and promoting diuresis and relieving restlessness. It is mainly used to treat chest and diaphragm qi stagnation, fullness and discomfort, difficulty urinating, sores in the mouth and nose, summer heat, heatstroke, and detoxification of alcohol.

Watermelon has the functions of promoting salivation, relieving restlessness, quenching thirst, relieving summer heat, clearing the lungs and stomach, promoting urination, aiding digestion and promoting metabolism. It is a food and beverage that can nourish the body and replenish the body. It is suitable for people with hypertension, hepatitis, nephritis, pyelonephritis, jaundice, cholecystitis, edema, heatstroke, fever, sweating and thirst. Pregnant women can eat some to relieve edema during pregnancy.

The sugar, salt, acid and other substances contained in watermelon can treat nephritis and lower blood pressure.

Watermelon is also a natural beauty fruit. Watermelon juice contains citrulline and other amino acids with skin physiological activity, which are easily absorbed by the skin, moisturizing the facial skin, sun protection, and whitening. Whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding, female friends can wipe their faces with watermelon juice when eating watermelon, or cut off the green skin of the watermelon, cut thin slices of the white skin inside and apply them for 15 minutes, which can increase skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and add luster.

Side effects and contraindications of watermelon seeds

Try to peel the shells by hand or use a sheller to avoid damaging tooth enamel by frequently cracking the seeds with your teeth. Frequently peeling the shells with your mouth can easily cause erosion of the tongue and corners of the mouth, and will also take away a lot of saliva when spitting out the shells, making the taste dull. Patients with hepatitis are advised not to eat sunflower seeds because they can damage the liver and cause cirrhosis.

1. It is better to eat melon seeds with original flavor. Do not eat too many melon seeds with various flavorings. Eating too many salty melon seeds will damage the kidneys.

2. Eating melon seeds for a long time will damage body fluids, leading to dry mouth and tongue, and even abrasions and sores;

3. The shell of watermelon seeds is hard, and eating too many of them is bad for your teeth.

How to eat watermelon seeds

Sugar and salt melon seeds

Take 5 kg of watermelon seeds, wash them with water, drain them, and fry them in a wok.

Take 300 grams of table salt and 1 gram of saccharin. First dissolve the salt in water. Add enough water to completely dissolve the salt. Then dissolve the saccharin in the salt water.

Pour salt and sugar solution into the melon seed pot, fry over low heat until dry, or bake in an oven. Finally, spray with edible essence.

Wash 5 kg of watermelon seeds with water, drain and then fry them, add 50 grams of cooking oil, 75 grams of salt and 1 gram of saccharin, and when they are almost cooked, add the same amount of oil, salt and saccharin, continue to fry until dry, and dry them directly in the oven.

Oily melon seeds

Wash 5 kg of watermelon seeds with water, drain and then fry them, add 50 grams of cooking oil, 75 grams of salt and 1 gram of saccharin, and when they are almost cooked, add the same amount of oil, salt and saccharin, continue to fry until dry, and dry them directly in the oven.

Spray edible essence on it after serving.

Soy sauce sunflower seeds

Soak the watermelon seeds in 1.5% lime water (1.5 pounds of quicklime plus 100 pounds of water, dissolve and take the upper clear liquid) for about 5 hours, rub with hands to remove the seed membrane, wash and put the watermelon seeds and soy sauce with appropriate amount of salt, fennel and cinnamon into the pot in a ratio of 10:1, add water to soak the watermelon seeds, cook over high heat for about 1.5 to 2 hours, then turn to low heat and bake slowly to let the brine dry, or put them directly into the baking room and dry them in the oven at about 80 degrees Celsius.