Red dates (also known as Jujube Fruit ) are widely used in soups, porridge, and desserts in Asian countries. But do you know its benefits from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective?
Read the rest of this blog post to find out!
Red Dates Benefits
In《本草纲目》(one of the most popular classics for TCM herbs/foods), it mentions 枣为脾之果，脾病宜食之，谓治病和药.
It means red dates are used to treat spleen-related issues, especially deficiency in spleen qi (脾气虚).
In the later part of the phrase, it says 谓治病和药. This means red dates are also commonly used in conjunction with other herbs because they can harmonize with other herbs to make them work more effectively in your body. This is the reason why you can find up to 58 TCM prescriptions that contain red dates (《伤寒论》、《金匮要略》两书，用枣者五十八方)!
Red date is a very safe food and tonic to consume (as long as it’s within the recommended dosage limits).
The main benefit of red dates is that they help to strengthen the Qi in your stomach and spleen. Hence, it is very suitable for people who have weak spleen, no appetite, loose stools and low energy.
Red dates benefit the spleen, stomach and heart (mind). Thus, they can also help to calm the mind and improve sleep quality.
A lesser-known benefit of red dates is that it is also used in conjunction with other potent herbs in TCM because red dates can protect the stomach and spleen from the overwhelming tonic effect of the potent herbs!
People Who Are Not Suitable To Eat Red Dates
The thermal nature of red dates is warm, so overconsumption of red dates can lead to heatiness. If you are having a sore throat and dry mouth, try to avoid red dates at the moment.
In addition, people who have phlegm and dampness body constitution are also not suitable to eat red dates! This is because the effectiveness of red dates is diminished in the presence of dampness in the body. The spleen can only be strengthened effectively if there is little or no dampness in the spleen.
Recommended Dosage
The recommended dosage for one person is 6g to 15g. It is not recommended to eat red dates every day for most people.
How To Eat Red Dates
It is easy to add red dates to your meal. Red dates can be cooked for as little as 15 minutes and up to 2 hours, so it is flexible to add them in your soups, porridge, and desserts.
Just a quick tip: if you are adding red dates to soup, it is better to use a small knife to make one to two slits on the red dates so that the benefits of the red dates can be released into the soup more effectively.
If you are adding red dates into porridge, it is better to remove the seeds and cut them into smaller slices.
Hope you find this post useful!