Medicinal uses of spinach

Spinach, known as "ba tai" or "rau chan vit" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, has a sweet taste and a cooling nature. Besides being a common food, spinach also has many beneficial uses in medicine. Here are some prescriptions that incorporate spinach.

Spinach, scientifically known as Spinacia oleracea L. Chenopodiaceae, is called "ba thai" or "rau chan vit" in traditional Chinese medicine. It has a sweet taste and a cooling nature. It acts on the digestive and digestive meridians. Besides being a common food, spinach also has many beneficial uses in medicine. Below are some prescriptions that use spinach.

Spinach.

Combating anemia and lowering blood pressure:Wash and finely chop 80g of spinach, add ¼ teaspoon of salt (or ½ teaspoon of seasoning powder), and 3g of sliced ​​onion. Cook in 3 cups of water until only 1 cup remains. Eat the solids and drink the liquid twice a day. Alternatively, you can add 50g of goat meat and 3 tablespoons of lightly roasted rice to 100g of spinach. Cook in 3 cups of water until only 1.5 cups remain. Eat twice a day for 3-5 consecutive days.

Antiseptic:Wash 150g of spinach, chop it into thin strips, and soak it with 1/3 teaspoon of salt for about 1 hour. Roast, remove any impurities, and mash it into a paste. When thirsty, mix 1 tablespoon of the paste in 30ml of cooled boiled water. Drink 1-4 times a day for 7 consecutive days.

Supportive care for heart failure:250g spinach, 150g *Cynanchum stauntonii* (a type of vine), 5g licorice root. Roast all three together until finely ground. Drink whenever thirsty. Continue until you experience improved appetite and sleep, and relief from anxiety and sudden fatigue.

Increased secretion of pancreatic and biliary fluids, endocrine glands:Wash 250g spinach, chop finely, add 50g pork kidney, 50g beef liver, and 3g onion. Cook all ingredients in 500ml of water, season with 1/3 teaspoon of seasoning powder, reduce to 150ml, then add 3 scallion heads. Eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two consecutive weeks.

Combating cellular aging, rickets, and physical weakness:200g spinach, 30g purple yam, 30g pumpkin, 150g clams or mussels, 100g lotus root. Wash the spinach, yam, and pumpkin, then dice or puree them. Boil the clams until they are slightly shucked, remove the meat, and add 1/3 teaspoon of seasoning powder. Simmer the washed lotus root in 500ml of water until only 300ml remains. Add the pumpkin, yam, and clam meat, and simmer, adding 3g of rock sugar. Add the spinach to the remaining 150ml and cook until tender. Eat once in the evening before bed. Continue for 10 days.

Elderly people and young children with acute gastrointestinal inflammation, constipation, and dysentery:Boil 100g of spinach and 1/3 teaspoon of coarse salt in 3 cups of water until only 1 cup remains. Adults should drink this once at noon. Children should drink it in the morning and evening.

Preventing high blood pressure, constipation, or chest tightness:Take 250g of fresh spinach, soak it in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and mix with salt and sesame oil. Eat twice a day.

Laxative, promotes bowel movements:100g spinach, 100g rice. First, cook the rice into porridge, then add the spinach and bring to a boil again. This dish is traditionally used to treat hemorrhoids, constipation, frequent bowel movements, and constipation in the elderly.

Treatment for night blindness:500g of fresh spinach, crushed to extract the juice, drink one liter daily, divided into two doses. 250g of fresh spinach and 120g of pork liver, boiled together and eaten without seasoning. Alternatively, take equal amounts of spinach and pork liver. Soak the spinach in boiling water, then squeeze out the juice, add cold water to boil the pork liver. When eating, only drink the broth.

Treating red eyes caused by drafts and swollen eyelids:Use 60g of spinach and 15g of wild chrysanthemum flowers, boil them in water and drink the decoction.

Treats constipation, hemorrhoids, blood loss, and anemia.Take 250g of pig's blood, add water, and simmer over low heat until cooked. Remove from the pot, slice or cut into strips, and return to the pot with 500g of spinach. Cook into a soup. Once cooked, add a little oil and salt. This dish is effective in promoting bowel movements and replenishing blood.

Treating diabetes, excessive thirst, and frequent drinking.Boil 60-120g of spinach and 15g of dried chicken gizzard (kê nội kim) in water and drink the decoction 2-3 times a day.

Traditional medicine practitioner HOANG DUY TAN

(According to Health and Life)