Can Lotus Root Be Eaten Raw? A Few Points to Note Before Eating It Raw
Lotus root can be eaten raw. It has high nutritional value, and being green and pollution-free, fresh lotus root can be eaten directly after being washed and peeled. It is crisp and sweet, and can also clear heat and relieve cough. If you are in the north, where lotus root has been transported over a long distance and is no longer very fresh, it is not recommended to eat it raw.
1. The Benefits of Lotus Root
1. Clearing heat and cooling blood: Used raw, lotus root is cold in nature and has the effect of clearing heat and cooling blood, and can be used to treat heat-related conditions; lotus root is sweet in taste and rich in juice, and is especially beneficial for those with thirst, nosebleeds, coughing up blood, or blood in the stool due to febrile disease.
2. Relieving constipation and stopping diarrhea, strengthening the spleen and stimulating the appetite: Lotus root contains mucin and dietary fiber, which can bind with bile salts in the human body, as well as cholesterol and triglycerides in food, causing them to be excreted in the stool, thereby reducing the absorption of lipids. Lotus root gives off a unique fresh fragrance and also contains tannins, which have a certain effect of strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea. It can increase appetite, promote digestion, stimulate the appetite and strengthen the middle, and is beneficial for restoring health in people with poor appetite and loss of appetite.
3. Nourishing blood and promoting tissue regeneration: Lotus root has high nutritional value and is rich in trace elements such as iron and calcium. It is also rich in plant protein, vitamins, and starch, and has a clear effect of tonifying qi and blood and enhancing human immunity. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine calls it: “mainly tonifies the middle and nourishes the spirit, and boosts qi and strength”.
4. Stopping bleeding and dispersing blood stasis: Lotus root contains a large amount of tannic acid, which has the effect of constricting blood vessels and can be used to stop bleeding. Lotus root can also cool the blood and disperse blood, and traditional Chinese medicine believes that it stops bleeding without leaving stasis, making it an excellent food therapy for blood conditions caused by febrile disease.
2. Who Lotus Root Is Suitable For
1. The general population can eat it.
2. It is very beneficial for people with all kinds of deficiency conditions, such as liver disease, constipation, and diabetes.
3. It is extremely suitable for people with blood stasis, vomiting blood, nosebleeds, blood in the urine, or blood in the stool, as well as for postpartum women.
4. Because lotus root is rather cool in nature, postpartum women should not eat it too early. Generally, eating lotus root 1-2 weeks after childbirth can help dispel stasis.
3. Points to Note When Cooking Lotus Root
1. Lotus root can be eaten raw, cooked, pounded into juice to drink, or dried and ground into powder to cook porridge.
2. When eating lotus root, choose one whose outer skin is yellowish-brown and whose flesh is thick and white. If it has turned black or has an off odor, it should not be eaten.
3. Whether eaten raw or cooked, lotus root is suitable for stir-frying, stewing, deep-frying, and as an ingredient in dishes, such as “Eight-Treasure Stuffed Lotus Root” and “Fried Lotus Root Sandwiches”.
4. When boiling lotus root, avoid using iron utensils, so as to prevent the food from turning black.