What Are the Benefits and Side Effects of Eating Horsehoof?

Water Chestnut in China

Water chestnuts are produced in many places in China, mainly in the south. Fresh water chestnuts have thin skin and tender meat, are sweet and delicious, moist and crisp, and can replenish the body with sufficient water. Water chestnuts are rich in nutritional value, containing protein, vitamins, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. They help the body to clear heat and detoxify, lubricate the intestines and promote bowel movements, lower blood pressure, and are suitable for people with fever. They can also be boiled in water to digest food and relieve bloating. The benefits and functions of water chestnuts are:

1. Clearing Heat and Detoxifying: As a cold food, water chestnuts have the effects of cooling the blood, detoxifying, promoting diuresis and bowel movements, removing dampness and phlegm, digesting food, and relieving bloating. They can both clear heat and nourish the body, making them most suitable for patients with fever.

2. Lubricating the Intestines and Promoting Bowel Movements: Water chestnuts are rich in fiber and crude protein, which have the effects of moisturizing the lungs, resolving phlegm, and promoting saliva production. They contain abundant intestinal peristalsis, and the crude fat contained in them has the effect of lubricating the intestines and promoting bowel movements.

3. Lowering Blood Pressure: Water chestnuts are rich in fiber, water chestnuts, and other active substances, which have a certain effect on lowering blood pressure. Hypertensive patients can consume them moderately.

Prohibitions of Boiling Water Chestnuts: People with weak spleen and stomach, diarrhea, and loose stool should not consume boiled water chestnuts, as it may cause abdominal pain or more severe diarrhea, posing a serious threat to their physical and mental health. When boiling water chestnuts, they are often paired with ingredients like sweet potatoes that are high in sugar, so it is forbidden to add old rock sugar when boiling them, as it will increase the sugar content.