The efficacy and function of Gorgon Fruit The medicinal value and contraindications of Gorgon Fruit

Introduction to Gorgon Fruit

Gorgon fruit, a Chinese medicine name. It is a plant of the Nymphaeaceae family.

Euryale ferox   The dried mature kernel of Salis b. is distributed from Heilongjiang to Yunnan and Guangdong. It has the effects of nourishing the kidney and strengthening the essence, tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, removing dampness and stopping leukorrhea. It is often used for spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination, chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, leukorrhea, and leukorrhea.

Physiological characteristics of Gorgon fruit

Large annual aquatic herb. Submerged leaves are arrow-shaped or elliptical kidney-shaped, long

4-10 cm, thornless on both sides; petiole thornless; floating leaves are leathery, elliptical kidney-shaped to round, 10-130 cm in diameter, shield-shaped, with or without bends, entire, purple on the underside, with short soft hairs, and sharp thorns on both sides at the branching of the veins; petiole and pedicel are thick, up to 25 cm long, all with hard thorns. The flower is about 5 cm long; sepals are lanceolate, 1-1.5 cm long, purple inside, and densely covered with slightly curved hard thorns outside; petals are oblong lanceolate or lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm long, purple-red, arranged in several rounds, gradually turning into stamens inward; no style, stigma red, into a concave stigma disk. The berry is spherical, 3-5 cm in diameter, dirty purple-red, and densely covered with hard thorns outside; seeds are spherical, more than 10 mm in diameter, black. Flowering period is July-August, and fruiting period is August-September.

Related Discussions

1. "Ben Cao Jing Bai Zhong Lu":

"Chickenhead fruit is sweet and light, with the true taste of earth, and is a medicine for the spleen and kidneys. The spleen hates dampness and the kidneys hate dryness. Chickenhead fruit is light, sweet and fragrant, so it will not hurt dampness. It is sticky and astringent, but also smooth and moist, so it will not hurt dryness. All medicines for the spleen and kidneys are often opposite, but this one complements each other, so it is particularly valuable."

2. "Ben Cao Qiu Zhen":

"How does Gorgon fruit nourish the spleen? It is because of its sweet taste; how does Gorgon fruit strengthen the kidney? It is because of its astringent taste. Because its sweet taste nourishes the spleen, it can eliminate dampness and cure diarrhea and abdominal pain; because its astringent taste strengthens the kidney, it can hold the breath and cure nocturnal emission, leukorrhea, and urinary incontinence. Its function is similar to that of Chinese yam, but the yin of Chinese yam is originally greater than that of Gorgon fruit, and the astringency of Gorgon fruit is even worse than that of Chinese yam; and Chinese yam can also nourish the yin of the lung, while Gorgon fruit only nourishes the spleen and kidney but not the lung."

The efficacy of Gorgon Fruit

It strengthens the kidney and restrains the essence, nourishes the spleen and stops diarrhea, and promotes water and eliminates dampness. It treats spermatorrhea, stranguria, leucorrhea, incontinence, diarrhea, dysentery, and arthralgia.

The role of Gorgon fruit

1. It can replenish the middle and strengthen the Qi. It is a nourishing and strengthening food. It is somewhat similar to lotus seeds, but the astringent and sedative effect of Gorgon fruit is stronger than lotus seeds. It is suitable for chronic diarrhea and frequent urination, nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea, and women's excessive menstruation and low back pain.

2. Spermatorrhea, enuresis in weak children, frequent urination in the elderly] 15g Euryale, 12g Golden Rosacea, 9g each of Cuscuta and Plantago, decocted in water. Frequent urination and spermatorrhea. 2 liang each of Qiushi, White Poria, Euryale, and Lotus seeds, grind into powder. Add steamed dates and make into pills, as big as walnuts. Take 30 pills each time, on an empty stomach, with salt soup. This recipe is called "Sijing Pills".　　

3. Chronic diarrhea

(including chronic intestinal tuberculosis, early morning diarrhea, etc.) Gorgon fruit, lotus seeds, Chinese yam, white lentils are divided equally, ground into fine powder, 30-60 grams each time, add sugar and steam as a snack. 4. Gorgon fruit is sweet and astringent in nature, and has the effects of strengthening the kidney and astringing the essence, nourishing the spleen and stopping diarrhea.

The therapeutic value of Gorgon Fruit

The seeds of the aquatic herbaceous plant Gorgon gorgonii of the Nymphaeaceae family. Also known as chicken head fruit, aquatic chicken head, and thorny lotus seed. Gorgon gorgonii is distributed in central and southern my country, southwest China, east China, and northeast China. In autumn, the ripe fruits are cut, the outer peel is removed, the seeds are taken out, the hard shell is crushed, and the kernels are taken out and dried for use.

The performance of this product is similar to that of lotus seeds. It mainly has the functions of nourishing the spleen and stomach, astringing semen, stopping leukorrhea and stopping diarrhea. The astringency is stronger than that of lotus seeds. It can be used alone to cook porridge or grind into powder and boiled into soup. It is often used together with lotus seeds. "The immortal recipe takes this and lotus seeds as bait, which is very beneficial to people."

(Tao Hongjing of Liang Dynasty) The ancient recipe Shuiludan uses this product to grind into powder, boil the golden cherry seeds to extract the juice and make pills for oral administration. It can treat weak kidney qi, spermatorrhea, frequent urination and leucorrhea, and is quite popular among doctors.

Side effects and contraindications of Gorgon fruit:

The "Sui Xi Ju Diet" states that "it is forbidden to eat Gorgon fruit before and after an external infection, malaria, dysentery, malnutrition, hemorrhoids, qi stagnation, bloating, red urine, constipation, indigestion, and after childbirth."

In addition, according to the Encyclopedia of Gorgon Fruit, although Gorgon Fruit contains many nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc., its nature is relatively astringent. Not only is it not suitable for people with hardened stools to eat it, it is also not suitable for ordinary people to eat it as a staple food.

Gorgon fruit can be used raw or fried. Raw Gorgon fruit is mainly used to nourish the kidney, while fried Gorgon fruit is mainly used to strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite. Fried Gorgon fruit is generally available in pharmacies, but it is not convenient to make it at home because wheat bran must be added and the heat must be controlled at a certain temperature during frying.

In addition, some people also fry the gorgon fruit until it is charred, mainly to nourish the spleen and stop diarrhea. It is worth noting that whether it is eaten raw or cooked, it is best not to eat too much at one time, otherwise it will be difficult to digest. "Too much raw food will cause cold air, and too much cooked food will not benefit the spleen and stomach and will be difficult to digest. Children who eat too much will not grow well." People who usually have abdominal distension symptoms should avoid eating it.

Because Gorgon Fruit has certain side effects, it is not suitable for everyone. It is not suitable for people with strong internal heat, severe internal heat, and hot palms. In addition, people with indigestion should be cautious when taking it, and those with difficulty in urination and defecation should not take it. Gorgon Fruit has a strong astringent effect, so it is not suitable for people with constipation, red urine, and women after childbirth. Although Gorgon Fruit is nutritious, it is not suitable for infants.

Gorgon fruit can be used in stews:

Chuanbei, Euryale ferox and Partridge Soup:

Ingredients: 20g each of Fritillaria cirrhosa and longan , 50g of Euryale ferox, 1 partridge, 150g of pork loin, 2-3 slices of old ginger.

Cooking: Wash all ingredients and soak them for a while ; slaughter and clean the partridge, remove the intestines and put it in boiling water for a while (called "boiling"); wash the pork belly and cut it into large pieces. Then put it into a clay pot together with ginger, add 2500 ml of water (about 10 bowls of water), boil it over high heat, then simmer it for about 20 minutes.

2 hours, then add appropriate amount of salt.

Chuanbei, Euryale ferox and Partridge Soup combines the health-preserving effects of the three main ingredients. It has a very good nourishing effect and can be eaten frequently in life. It is very good for health care.

Contraindications for using Gorgon Fruit

Not suitable for people

1. For people who have excessive internal heat, severe internal heat, and hot palms;

2. People with indigestion and difficulty in urination and defecation should take it with caution;

3. Gorgon fruit has a strong astringent effect, and is suitable for constipation, red urine and postpartum women;

4. Although water chestnuts are nutritious, they are not suitable for babies to eat.

Those with difficulty in urination and defecation should not take it; those with indigestion should take it with caution. In addition, according to the "Sui Xi Ju Diet", the dos and don'ts of eating Gorgon fruit are: "Before and after external infection, malaria, dysentery, malnutrition, hemorrhoids, qi stagnation, bloating, red urine, constipation, indigestion and postpartum." Because eating too much Gorgon fruit is difficult to digest and can easily cause constipation, people with hardened stools and those who usually have abdominal distension symptoms should avoid eating Gorgon fruit.