Rutaceae Bergamot: Benefits, Uses, and How to Eat It - Can It Be Eaten Raw?

Bergamot is also known as five-finger citron, feirang, honey citron, and five-finger fragrant citron. It is a plant whose fruit resembles fingers and has a wide range of uses. Below, we explain the benefits and uses of bergamot, how to eat it, and whether it can be eaten raw, and other questions.

What kind of growing environment does Rutaceae bergamot have?

1. Bergamot is an evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching over one zhang in height. The base of the stems and leaves has hard, sharp thorns about 6 cm long, and the new branches are triangular. The leaves are alternate, oblong, with transparent oil dots. The flowers mostly emerge from the leaf axils, often in clusters of several, with more male flowers among them and some being bisexual flowers. The corolla has five petals, white with a slight purple tinge. The first flowering occurs from the Spring Equinox to Qingming, often with many male flowers, and the fruit set is relatively small. Another flowering occurs around the Beginning of Summer, and the fruit matures from September to October. The large fruit is used medicinally, with a bright yellow skin that is wrinkled and glossy. The top is divided and often opens like fingers, hence the name bergamot. The flesh is white, with no seeds.

2. In our country, it is often cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Anhui, and other places.

What are the benefits and uses of Rutaceae bergamot?

I. Benefits and uses of bergamot

1. Medicinal: Bergamot tastes pungent and sour, and is warm in nature. Its roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits can all be used as medicine. It can treat stomach pain, hypochondriac distension, vomiting, dysphagia, phlegm-fluid cough and asthma, and can also relieve alcohol intoxication. It has a clear alleviating effect on bronchitis and asthma in older people; for ordinary people, it has an even more notable therapeutic effect on indigestion and chest and abdominal distension. Chisong golden bergamot can be made into various Chinese medicinal materials, and taken over a long period it has the effect of preserving health and prolonging life;

2. Ornamental: The ornamental value of Chisong golden bergamot is different from ordinary potted flowers. The bergamot flowers are pure white and fragrant, and open in clusters, making them very endearing. When the fruit reaches maturity, its shape is like extended fingers, a clenched fist, fist-and-finger shapes, or hand-within-hand shapes…… shaped like a human hand, remarkably true to life. The mature golden bergamot is golden yellow in color and constantly gives off fragrance. The fruit remains on the plant for a long time, 3—4 months or even longer, allowing for long-term viewing.

3. Because Chisong golden bergamot has relatively high ornamental and medicinal value, its economic value is also relatively high. Various medicinal wines made from golden bergamot are fragrant and sweet, and have been repeatedly praised by experts; health tea made from golden bergamot has obtained a national patent. According to appraisal by the Tea Quality Supervision and Testing Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, golden bergamot health tea contains amino acids, vitamins, and various trace elements needed by the human body, and is a new discovery in the treasure house of our country's traditional Chinese herbal medicine heritage; the aromatic oil extracted from golden bergamot fruit, peel, and leaves has already been used internationally as an important raw material for high-grade tobacco flavoring. Experts believe that using bergamot to process food, beverages, and brew bergamot wine has very broad prospects.

II. What are the contraindications of bergamot?

1. Patients with yin deficiency and body heat should not eat bergamot

Because patients with yin deficiency and body heat should eat more cold-natured foods, while bergamot is a warm-natured food, which is contrary to what the patient's body needs. Eating more bergamot may aggravate the condition.

2. Patients with weak constitution should not eat bergamot

Because the nutrients in bergamot cannot be well absorbed by patients, for patients with weak constitution, eating bergamot brings no benefit and may even harm them, so patients with weak constitution should eat less bergamot.

How is Rutaceae bergamot eaten, and can it be eaten raw?

I. Can bergamot be eaten raw?

Bergamot is a fresh fruit plant. When mature, its outer skin is yellow and its interior is white, so it can be eaten directly like citrus. The usual way to eat it is to peel off the outer skin and take out the white flesh inside. When eaten raw, bergamot tastes very sweet and is also very crisp to bite.

II. How is bergamot eaten?

1. As a drink

Bergamot + rock sugar: Wash the bergamot, peel it, cut it into small pieces or shreds, put it into a pot with water, add rock sugar, and simmer slowly. When it becomes viscous, put it into a glass jar. After it cools, place it in the refrigerator. Later, whenever you want to drink it, take a small amount and brew it with water.

Bergamot + honey: Wash the bergamot, slice it, and dry it in the sun. After removing dust, cut it into strips, put them into a glass jar, fill it with honey, seal it, and place it in a cool place. Let it sit for about half a year, then take a small amount and brew it in water to drink.

Both of the above drinks have the benefits of beautifying the skin and clearing heat and detoxifying, and they taste quite good too!

2. Making porridge

Chop the bergamot. Add japonica rice and rock sugar, and cook until viscous. This can strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach, and regulate qi to relieve pain. It has a very good conditioning effect on the symptoms of older people with weak spleen and stomach, chest tightness and qi stagnation, indigestion, poor appetite, and belching and vomiting.

Some professional knowledge comes from the internet