In recent years, I have always met customers asking me if enzymes are really so magical, and whether I want to make some myself or buy some to eat. There are also many relatives and friends around me who are advocates of enzymes.
But some time ago, some students in the group forwarded a video, and some people showed up and drank enzymes for a long time, which led to almost blindness.
When the video came out, it caused an uproar. Is enzyme a "sacred product for health care" or a "poison that harms people"? Let's eat steak today.
There are two definitions of enzyme.
1, another name for the enzyme
Medically, an enzyme is an enzyme, which is a series of substances that catalyze metabolic reactions in organisms. Under normal circumstances, some biochemical reactions are too slow to meet the needs of the body. Under the catalysis of enzyme, the reaction speed is accelerated and the normal operation of the body is maintained. Different reactions require different enzymes, and there are countless kinds of enzymes in our bodies.
In the past, our domestic textbooks also called these substances "enzymes", but later they were changed to "enzymes".
2. Products after food fermentation
Enzymes regarded as health-preserving artifacts are different from those in medicine.
Simply put, it is a product obtained by adding sugar or honey to fruits, vegetables or edible fungi and fermenting. In addition to "enzyme", it also contains the original nutrients and natural active ingredients of fruits, vegetables and edible fungi.
Enzymes are similar to pickles? Look at the production method of enzyme, do you feel deja vu?
Put fruits and vegetables in a sealable container, add sugar, seal the lid and let them ferment. This is just making kimchi, just using sugar instead of salt.
However, kimchi is always attacked as a food without nutrition, and even classified as a food that is easy to cause cancer. How does enzyme become a big coffee in health care industry? Is sugar better than salt? No, sugar has also been severely attacked. Where are the advanced enzymes?
"Marketing" advanced. Enzymes first spread from Japan to Taiwan Province Province, and then from Taiwan Province Province to the mainland. At that time when China people lacked self-confidence, foreign things were always considered advanced. In addition, according to the propaganda, enzymes can lose weight, regulate the stomach, regulate chronic diseases, resist all kinds of bad cells, etc., and easily attract a large group of fans.
But from a nutritional point of view, the essence of enzymes and pickles is similar. Both of them ferment food in a certain way, and some new ingredients will be produced after food fermentation, some of which are beneficial to the body. Some microorganisms in fermented food are beneficial to the intestines, similar to yogurt and probiotics we drink, such as lactic acid bacteria.
Therefore, enzymes are not mysterious, fresh and high-tech products.
Moreover, improper methods of making enzymes will bring many health risks.
Health risks of homemade enzymes
Making enzymes is not only like making pickles, but also like making wine. Spread a layer of grapes, then spread a layer of sugar, seal, wait for fermentation, and drink the wine after a few months. It's exactly the same as making enzymes.
Is the enzyme good after all?
Does that mean that enzymes have no nutritional function? Of course not. I have never denied the nutritional value of kimchi. Food itself is not good or bad, only suitable for people.
1, raw material nutrition
First of all, the materials made by enzymes are common fruits and vegetables. These foods all have different nutrients, and the enzymes also contain these original nutrients.
2. Help digestion
Secondly, in the fermentation process, under the action of microorganisms, some nutrients of macromolecules are broken down into small molecules, which is more conducive to digestion and absorption, which is a very positive benefit. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that all fermented products have the function of digestion and accumulation, which is one of the reasons.
Some people say that enzymes can't cure anything, just make water molecules smaller. The structure of water molecules is very simple, namely H2O. How small can it be? What really gets smaller is some macromolecular nutrients contained in the enzyme raw materials, such as protein and carbohydrates.
3. beneficial to the intestines
Thirdly, fermentation is carried out under the action of microorganisms, so fermented products often contain microorganisms, many of which are beneficial to human intestines, such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Some people eat probiotics because their intestines are not good. Probiotics are bacteria that are beneficial to intestinal health. The main bacteria when making pickles, wine, yogurt and enzymes are basically beneficial bacteria. Therefore, when the stomach is not very good, eating some fermented food properly may be good for the intestines.
China people have used "enzymes" for thousands of years.
China people know the way of fermentation. Thousands of years ago, there were various methods of food fermentation, from wine to vinegar, from food to medicine. These fermented products always surround us.
Fermented soybean
Douchi is a common seasoning in China cooking, but perhaps many people don't know how it came from.
The earliest douchi was fermented with black beans, and now there are both soybeans and black beans. Proteases from Mucor, Aspergillus or bacteria are used to decompose protein in soybeans. When it reaches a certain level, salt, wine, etc. Adding pickling and drying to inhibit the activity of enzyme and delay the fermentation process, thus obtaining fermented soybean.
Douchi, which is usually used for cooking, is salty because a lot of salt is added. If no salt is added in the production process, the obtained fermented soybean is called "light fermented soybean". Light fermented soybean is a famous traditional Chinese medicine, which has the function of relieving exterior syndrome and sweating. Onion soup is the first choice for many Chinese medicine mothers when they have a cold and fever. Douchi used as medicine must be made of black beans.
The production history of douchi can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties, or even earlier, and later spread overseas. The Japanese once called Douchi "Nachi", and now the popular natto in Japan is also developed from Douchi. The production method is similar to that of douchi, which is fermented with soybeans, but the microorganisms used for fermentation are different. Natto is generally fermented by Bacillus subtilis.
Six divine comedy
Daqu is a very important part of Chinese medicine. The earliest Daqu refers to "Jiuqu", which is used to make wine. Later, other Chinese medicines were added to make Daqu with different types and functions. These traditional Chinese medicines can be taken directly as raw materials for producing other traditional Chinese medicines.
Daqu is a fermented product, and its main functions are basically related to the spleen and stomach, such as strengthening the spleen and appetizing, resolving food stagnation, resolving phlegm and guiding stagnation. Among them, hexagonal melody is the most widely used and familiar one.
Legend has it that June 6th or dog days is the day when the six immortals, White Tiger, Qinglong, Suzaku, Xuanwu, Gouchen and cobbler, descend to earth, and the six gods gather together. The divine comedy produced at this time is very effective. Therefore, it was named Six Divine Comedy.
Legend is just a legend, but the effect of Six Divine Comedy has been tested by doctors in past dynasties. Flour, adzuki bean, almond, Artemisia annua, Xanthium sibiricum and Polygonum Multiflori Radix are fermented, which have the functions of strengthening spleen and regulating stomach, promoting digestion and resolving food stagnation, and are often used for food stagnation, dyspepsia, abdominal distension and anorexia.
Artemisia annua, Xanthium sibiricum and Polygonum multiflorum in the six-part series also have the function of dispelling wind and dissipating heat. Children often have food accumulation and fever, and the six-part melody is a particularly good choice.
The commonly used products of Liushenqu are bran-fried Shenqu and scorched Shenqu. Fried medicated leaven with bran tends to strengthen the spleen and stomach, while fried medicated leaven with coke has a stronger effect of promoting digestion and resolving food accumulation.
One of the famous "Jiao Sanxian" in dealing with children's food intake is Jiao. Da hawthorn pill, a Chinese patent medicine for promoting digestion and resolving stagnation, is also composed of hawthorn, malt and medicated leaven, but Da hawthorn pill uses fried medicated leaven, which is not as effective as Jiao Sanxian, but it has a better effect of invigorating spleen and stimulating appetite. Jiao Sanxian's taste is not so pleasant, and it's good to have a big hawthorn pill at home, which can be used by adults and children.