Winter melon peel

Winter melon peel is a Chinese medicine name. It is the dried outer peel of the winter melon of the Cucurbitaceae family. When eating winter melon, wash it, peel off the outer peel, and dry it in the sun.

The efficacy and function of winter melon peel

1. Edema

This herb is sweet in taste and mild in nature. It is good at promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. It is used to treat edema. For example, the Hunan Pharmacopoeia uses this herb with Acanthopanax cortex and ginger peel, and decocts it for oral administration. For treating edema caused by physical weakness, for example, the Zhejiang Medicinal Plants uses wax gourd peel, red beans, and brown sugar in appropriate amounts. Boil until soft, and eat the beans and drink the soup.

2. Heat syndrome

This product is cool in nature and has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat. It is used to treat summer heat, thirst, and short and red urine. For example, (Sichuan Chinese Medicine Records) equal amounts of winter melon peel and watermelon peel can be boiled in water and drunk as tea; if used to treat summer heat and dampness, it can be used together with raw coix seed, talcum powder, lentil flower, etc.

3. Clear away heat and relieve cough

It is used for cough caused by internal obstruction of phlegm and heat, and is often used together with heat-clearing and phlegm-resolving drugs.

4. Diuresis and pus removal

Used for lung abscess, it is often used together with reed root, coix seed, scutellaria baicalensis, etc.

Used for intestinal abscess, it is often used together with rhubarb, moutan bark, peach kernel, and winter melon seed.

5. Antibacterial effect

Diuretics, especially diuretics and stranguria drugs, have different degrees of antibacterial effects in vitro antibacterial tests. Artemisia capillaris has an inhibitory effect on tuberculosis bacteria and cocci. The extract of Polygonum multiflorum has an inhibitory effect on some fungi, but a weaker inhibitory effect on bacteria. Alisma orientalis can inhibit the growth of tuberculosis bacteria. Akebia trifoliata decoction and Lobelia chinensis also have different degrees of inhibitory effects on a variety of pathogenic fungi. The water extract of Kochia scoparia has an inhibitory effect on skin fungi such as Trichophyton thunbergii and Trichophyton truncatum in vitro.

Nutritional value of winter melon peel

Winter melon is one of the most frequently consumed vegetables in the family. It can clear away heat and resolve phlegm, relieve restlessness and reduce weight. It has high nutritional value and health value. However, people are used to peeling the skin of winter melon and throwing it away when eating it, which is a pity.

Winter melon peel is richer in nutrients and not only has health value, but also has medicinal value.

Winter melon peel contains a variety of volatile components, triterpenoid compounds, cholesterol derivatives, as well as vitamin B1, vitamin C, niacin, carotene and other minerals and trace elements.

Winter melon peel is slightly cold in nature and sweet and light in taste. It can clear away heat, promote diuresis and reduce swelling. It is often used to treat edema and fullness, especially for urinary problems caused by damp heat. Winter melon peel can also treat diabetes. If you can drink winter melon peel soup for 3 to 6 months, the symptoms of "three mores" (more drinking, more eating, and more urination) of diabetic patients can be significantly improved. It can be seen that when eating winter melon, you should not peel the winter melon peel. It is best to stew it with the peel to bring out the nutrition and efficacy of the winter melon peel.

Medicinal value of winter melon peel

Winter melon peel is the dried outer peel of the winter melon plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is produced in most parts of the country and is cultivated. It is harvested when the fruit is ripe in late summer and early autumn. When eating winter melon, wash it, peel off the outer peel, cut it into pieces or wide strips, dry it, and use it raw.

【Properties】Sweet, cool. Enters the spleen and small intestine meridians.

[Effects] It can promote diuresis and reduce swelling, clear away heat and relieve summer heat.

【application】

1. Edema. This herb is sweet and mild in nature, and is good at promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. It is used to treat edema. For example, the Hunan Pharmacopoeia uses this herb with Acanthopanax cortex and ginger peel, and decocts it for oral administration. For treating edema due to physical weakness, for example, the Zhejiang Medicinal Plants Herb uses wax gourd peel, red beans, and brown sugar in appropriate amounts. Boil until soft, and eat the beans and drink the soup.

2. Heat syndrome. This product is cool in nature and has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat. It is used to treat thirst and short red urine in summer heat. For example, (Sichuan Chinese Medicine Records) equal amounts of winter melon peel and watermelon peel can be boiled in water and drunk as tea; if it is used to treat dampness syndrome, it can be used together with raw coix seed, talcum powder, lentil flower, etc.

Contraindications and side effects of using winter melon peel

"Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Records": Use with caution in cases of edema caused by malnutrition.

How to eat winter melon peel

1. Winter melon peel and red bean soup

Ingredients: 15 grams of winter melon peel, 10 grams of red beans, and appropriate amount of old rock sugar.

Method: Wash the wax gourd peel and red beans separately; put the red beans into the pot first, add water and boil until it boils, then add the wax gourd peel, turn to low heat and simmer until the red beans bloom and the wax gourd peel is rotten. Add some old rock sugar and simmer for a while. (You can eat the wax gourd peel together with the red beans)

2. Stir-fried winter melon peel

Ingredients: 300 grams of winter melon peel, 30 grams of red pepper, 5 grams of Sichuan pepper, 2 grams of ginger, appropriate amount of salt, appropriate amount of white sugar, appropriate amount of MSG.

Method: Cut winter melon peel into shreds, red pepper into shreds, and ginger into shreds. Heat oil in a pan until 20% hot, add Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant. Remove the Sichuan peppercorns and add ginger shreds and stir-fry until fragrant. Increase the heat and stir-fry the red pepper shreds and winter melon peel shreds for 2 minutes. Finally, add sugar, salt, and MSG to taste and serve.

3. Dried Shrimp and Winter Melon Peel

Ingredients: 150g winter melon peel, 20g dried shrimp, appropriate amount of oil, salt, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Method: Cut the winter melon peel into thin strips, add appropriate amount of salt and vinegar, mix well, and marinate for 10 minutes. At this time, cut the garlic slices and set aside, then squeeze the marinated winter melon peel to dry. After the oil in the pan is hot, add the garlic slices and dried shrimps and stir-fry until the aroma comes out. Pour appropriate amount of soy sauce, then pour in the winter melon peel, stir-fry for one minute, and serve.