Lotus seeds are mostly named after their place of origin or appearance, which can be roughly divided into Xiang Lian, Honglian, An Baili, Lian Tongxin and Beilian. Xianglian, which is produced in Xiangtan and Anxiang, Hunan Province, Dabailian, which is produced along Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, and Jianlian, which is produced in Jianyang and Jianning, Fujian Province, is one of the three famous lotus seeds in China and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.
The "Tian Chu" royal banquet and Jia Fu banquet described in A Dream of Red Mansions both contain "lotus seed meat" and "dry steamed lotus seeds", while "lotus seed soup" is the last banquet, and there is still a tendency that "nothing can be done without lotus seeds". Lotus seed is not only a precious nourishing food, but also a panacea. In the prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, lotus seeds are usually called lotus seed meat and fragrant lotus seed meat. The ancients said that eating lotus seeds can rejuvenate and live forever. This is not credible, but there are many records about its medicinal value of nourishing the heart and calming the nerves, strengthening the brain and improving intelligence, and eliminating fatigue. For example, it is well recorded in Shennong Materia Medica, Herbal Supplement, Compendium of Materia Medica and Compendium of Materia Medica.
Nutritional value of lotus seeds
Lotus seeds contain starch, protein, fat, carbohydrate, crude fiber, vitamins, ash, carotene, nicotinic acid, liensinine, rutin, and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and raffinose.
Edible efficacy of lotus seeds
1. Anticancer
Lotus seeds are good at nourishing the deficiency of the five internal organs, dredging the twelve meridians's qi and blood, and making qi and blood smooth without spoilage. The yellow heart Suning oxide contained in lotus seeds has inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which constitutes the nutritional and health care function of lotus seeds in preventing and treating cancer.
bring down the blood pressure
The amorphous alkaloid N-9 contained in lotus seeds has the effect of lowering blood pressure.
Strengthen the heart and soothe the nerves
It has obvious cardiotonic effect, while liensinine has strong anti-calcium and anti-arrhythmia effects.
4. Nourish and replenish deficiency, stop the legacy and collect essence
For patients with chronic diseases, postpartum or elderly people with physical weakness, it is a common nutrient; Lotus seed alkaloids can inhibit sexual desire. For young MUBI, those who often have nocturnal emission or nocturnal emission, taking lotus seeds has a good effect of stopping and preventing nocturnal emission.
Tips for purchasing lotus seeds
Fresh lotus seeds
Look at the lotus: the lotus is green, with a small number of lotus seeds sticking out of it, and too many lotus seeds sticking out;
Look at lotus seeds: the skin is light green and yellow, and the skin is tender and dark green and old.
Dried lotus seeds
Look at the whole: a big, complete, bulging, without impurities;
Look at the color: light yellow is good, too white is bleached.
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Don't choose incomplete particles and dry quality. 1. Fresh lotus seeds, both tender and old, can be bought. The tender ones are used for cooking, and the old ones are dried and preserved (laid flat in a ventilated place and dried in the shade).
2. There are dried lotus seeds with and without seeds in the market. If you don't like the bitter taste of lotus seeds, you can choose seedless lotus seeds.
Storage skills of lotus seeds
Lotus seeds are the most taboo to be affected with damp and heated, and are easily eaten by insects. When heated, the bitter taste of lotus plumule will penetrate into lotus meat. So lotus seeds should be stored in a dry place. Once the lotus seeds are infected with insects, they should be exposed to the sun or roasted with fire immediately. After exposure, it should be spread for two days, and then collected after the hot air is exhausted and cooled. The color and meat quality of sun-dried lotus seeds will be affected, and the flavor will be greatly reduced after cooking, and the efficacy will also be affected.
Cooking skills of lotus seeds
Skillfully peeling lotus seed skin: Lotus seed skin is as thin as paper, which is time-consuming and laborious to peel. If you wash the lotus seeds first, then put them into boiling water, add an appropriate amount of old alkali, stir them evenly, and then stuffy for a while. After pouring into the rice basket, rub it hard, and the skin of lotus seeds can be quickly removed.
Eating taboos of lotus seeds
People with dry stools or full stomachs are not suitable for eating.
Don't eat yellow and moldy lotus seeds. Not suitable for patients with exogenous diseases, dry stool, abdominal distension, malaria and malnutrition.
Suggestions on eating lotus seeds
Peel fresh lotus seeds, rinse with clear water and drain; Soak the dried lotus seeds in clear water until they are soft, then rinse them twice with clear water and drain. It can be used to cook porridge, cook rice, stew soup, beat soybean milk, or make lotus paste stuffing for moon cakes.
When cooking porridge and rice, it can be matched with red beans, peanuts, jujube and so on. When stewing soup, it can be served with tremella, lily, Sydney, old duck and so on. Beat soybean milk with soybean, tremella and lily. 1. Quick peeling of fresh lotus seeds: gently draw a knife edge on the lotus seed skin with a knife and gently squeeze it along the knife edge, and the whole lotus seed will be peeled off;
2. If you don't like the bitter taste of lotus seeds, you can put a toothpick in from one end and the lotus core will come out. Lotus plumule can be used to make tea and clear away heat and fire.