Gorgon Nut: Benefits, Daily Serving Size, and Recipes for Nourishing the Kidneys, Spleen and Stomach
Gorgon nut is the mature seed kernel of the water lily family plant Euryale ferox. Because its fruit looks very much like a chicken's head, it is also called “chicken-head rice” and enjoys the reputation of “water ginseng.” It is distributed from Heilongjiang to Yunnan, Guangdong and other places. So what are the benefits and effects of gorgon nut? How much is suitable to eat in a day? How should it be eaten to nourish the kidneys, spleen and stomach?
The gorgon nut plant is an annual aquatic herb that grows in ponds, lakes, reservoirs, ditches and impoundments with sufficient water storage, normal water levels and soft muddy bottoms. The whole plant is very prickly, with leaves floating on the water surface, round-shield-shaped or peltate-cordate, mostly wrinkled above, with margins folded upward into a shallow dish shape, green on the surface and purple beneath, with prickles on the veins.
Ancient herbal texts say that gorgon nut is an excellent grain and vegetable that is “eaten by infants to prevent aging, and eaten by the elderly to prolong life.” It has the characteristics of “nourishing without being harsh” and “preventing dryness without being greasy,” making it the first choice food for autumn tonification.
Alternative names: ovate water chestnut, chicken wart, chicken-head seed, wild goose-beak seed, chicken head, wild goose head, wu tou, wei zi, hong tou, water-flow yellow, water chicken head, Zhao shi, prickly lotus root, knife gorgon nut, chicken-head fruit, Su huang, yellow seed, chicken-beak lotus, chicken-head bract, prickly lotus pod seed.
Benefits and Effects of Gorgon Nut
1. Benefits of Gorgon Nut
Nature and flavor: sweet; astringent; neutral.
Meridian entry: spleen meridian; kidney meridian; heart meridian; stomach meridian; liver meridian.
Functions: stabilize the kidneys and astringe essence; tonify the spleen and stop diarrhea.
Indications: spermatorrhea; white turbid urine; strangury with turbidity; leukorrhea; incontinence of urine; diarrhea.
Usage and dosage: internal use: decocted in soup, 15-30g; or made into pills or powders, and may also be cooked in porridge in an appropriate amount.
Source: the mature seed kernel of the water lily family plant Euryale ferox.
Raw gorgon nut excels at stabilizing the kidneys and astringing essence, and is used for nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea, frequent urination and leukorrhea; stir-fried gorgon nut specializes in tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and is used for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency and infantile malnutrition.
1. Gorgon nut: sweet, astringent, neutral in nature. Enters the spleen and kidney meridians. It has the functions of benefiting the kidneys and stabilizing essence, tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and removing dampness and stopping leukorrhea. The raw product is neutral in nature, astringent without causing stagnation, and can tonify the spleen and kidneys while also removing dampness. It is often used for white turbid urine, leukorrhea, spermatorrhea and incontinence of urine, and is especially suitable when dampness and turbidity are also present.
2. Stir-fried gorgon nut: after stir-frying, its nature becomes warmer and its qi becomes fragrant, enhancing the effects of tonifying the spleen and astringing. Plain stir-fried gorgon nut and bran stir-fried gorgon nut have similar functions, both excelling at tonifying the spleen and astringing. They are often used for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency and spermatorrhea due to insecurity of the essence gate from kidney deficiency. However, bran stir-fried product may generally be chosen for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, while plain stir-fried product may be chosen for incessant spermatorrhea due to insecurity of the essence gate.
2. Effects of Gorgon Nut
Gorgon nut is the seed of the water lily family aquatic herb Euryale ferox. It is also called chicken-head seed, aquatic chicken head and prickly lotus pod seed. Its properties and functions are similar to those of lotus seed. It mainly has the effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, astringing essence, stopping leukorrhea and stopping diarrhea. Its astringent nature is stronger than that of lotus seed. It can be used alone in porridge or ground into powder and decocted in soup. It is often used together with lotus seed: “Immortal prescriptions take this and combine it with lotus seed to eat, which greatly benefits people.” (Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty) In the ancient formula Shuilu Dan, this product was ground into powder, and the juice of cherokee rose fruit was simmered and combined into pills for oral use to treat insecurity of kidney qi, spermatorrhea, frequent urination and leukorrhea, and it was quite favored by physicians.
Although gorgon nut contains many nutrients such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus and iron, its nature is relatively astringent and consolidating. Not only should people with hardened stools not eat it, but ordinary people are also not suited to eating it as a staple food. Gorgon nut is divided into raw and stir-fried forms. Raw gorgon nut mainly tonifies the kidneys, while stir-fried gorgon nut mainly strengthens the spleen and opens the appetite.
1. Gorgon nut for nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea: chicken-head flesh powder, lotus stamen powder, dragon bone (separately ground), and dark plum flesh (dried and ground into powder), 1 liang each. The above items are cooked with yam paste into pills the size of a chicken head. Take 1 pill each time, swallowed with warm wine or salt water on an empty stomach. (Yu Suo Dan from Yang's Family Stored Formulas)
2. Gorgon nut for uncontrollable spermatorrhea: sand psoralea (stir-fried), gorgon nut (steamed), and lotus stamen, 2 liang each; dragon bone (fried in butter) and oyster shell (boiled in salt water for one day and one night, then calcined into powder), 1 liang each. Grind together into powder, form into pills with lotus seed powder paste, and take with salt water. (Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan from Collected Explanations of Medical Formulas)
3. Gorgon nut for frequent urination and spermatorrhea. Use autumn mineral, white poria, gorgon nut and lotus seed, 2 liang each, grind together into powder. Add steamed jujube to make pills the size of wu seeds. Take 30 pills each time on an empty stomach, swallowed with salt water. This formula is called Si Jing Wan.
4. Gorgon nut for white turbid urine. Use gorgon nut powder and white poria powder. Melt yellow wax and mix with honey to make pills the size of wu seeds. Take 100 pills each time, swallowed with salt water. This formula is Dian Fen Qing Wan. It can be eaten raw. But the raw taste is astringent, and its medicinal effect is not significant.
5. Gorgon nut for turbid disease: gorgon nut powder and white poria powder. Melt yellow wax with honey and form into pills the size of wutong seeds. Take 100 pills each time, swallowed with salt water. (Fen Qing Wan from Zhai Yuan Fang)
6. Gorgon nut for deficiency heat of the spleen and kidneys in the old and young, and chronic dysentery: gorgon nut, yam, poria, white atractylodes, lotus flesh, coix seed and white hyacinth bean, 4 liang each; ginseng, 1 liang. Stir-fry all until dry and grind into powder, and take mixed with plain hot water. (Fang Mai Zheng Zong)
Gorgon nut is hailed as “water ginseng” and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach, and benefiting the kidneys and stabilizing essence. The principle of tonification is that it should be both nutritious and easy to digest and absorb. Gorgon nut has this characteristic. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that “its nature is neutral, and its flavor is sweet and astringent. It has the functions of tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea, benefiting the kidneys and stabilizing essence, and removing dampness and stopping leukorrhea. It is used for nocturnal emission and spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination, chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, white turbid urine, leukorrhea and other conditions.” It is extremely rich in carbohydrates and contains very little fat, so it is very easily absorbed by the human body. Moreover, after the body is regulated by taking gorgon nut, the digestive system can then adapt to other tonics.
Medication Contraindications for Gorgon Nut
It is forbidden for those with difficult urination or defecation; it should be used cautiously by those with undigested food stagnation.
How Much Gorgon Nut Is Suitable to Eat in a Day?
Dietary Essentials records about gorgon nut: “Eating too much raw causes stirring of wind and cold qi; eating too much cooked is unsuitable for the spleen and stomach and is also difficult to digest. In fact, gorgon nut does not necessarily have to be taken every day. If a patient needs long-term use, a maximum of 50 grams is already enough. People with poor spleen and stomach had best not take it every day or should not take a large amount at one time, because whether eaten raw or cooked, gorgon nut must never be eaten too much at once, otherwise it is difficult to digest. People who usually have abdominal bloating should avoid eating it even more.
How to Eat Gorgon Nut to Nourish the Kidneys, Spleen and Stomach?
1. Stewed Fish Maw with Chinese Yam and Gorgon Nut
Ingredients: Chinese yam 50 grams, gorgon nut 30 grams, fish maw 1 piece.
Method: Wash the Chinese yam and gorgon nut and soak for half an hour; soak the fish maw in boiling water for 20 minutes, wash and cut into several pieces; put all ingredients together into a stewing cup, add an appropriate amount of boiling water, cover the stewing cup, and stew over low heat with water separating for 1-2 hours, then season and it is ready. Drink as desired.
Effects: Tonifies the kidneys and astringes essence, strengthens the spleen and benefits qi. Suitable for those with long-standing kidney disease and insecurity due to kidney deficiency, with symptoms such as spermatorrhea, enuresis, dizziness and tinnitus, sore waist and fatigue, or blurred vision in the elderly, frequent nighttime urination, and cold hands and feet.
2. Gorgon Nut and Cherokee Rose Porridge
Ingredients: raw gorgon nut 50 grams, cherokee rose fruit 20 grams, japonica rice 100 grams.
Method: Wash the gorgon nut and soak for 1 hour, add the cherokee rose fruit and japonica rice, add water and cook over low heat into porridge, then eat.
Effects: Tonifies the kidneys and astringes. The elderly with weak kidney qi and frequent nighttime urination may take it regularly.
3. Alpinia Oxyphylla Fruit, Gorgon Nut and Jujube Drink
Ingredients: gorgon nut 15 grams, alpinia oxyphylla fruit 10 grams, jujube 5 pieces.
Method: Wash the above ingredients, put them together into a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of clear water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes and it is ready.
Effects: Has the effects of benefiting qi and strengthening the spleen, and stabilizing the kidneys. Suitable for adults with frequent nighttime urination or children with frequent urination.
4. Stewed Old Duck with Gorgon Nut and Coix Seed
Ingredients: gorgon nut, coix seed and yam 15 grams each, dried tangerine peel 5 grams, old duck meat 200 grams, lean pork 100 grams, ginger 3 slices, a small amount of yellow wine.
Method: Remove the feathers from the duck meat and wash it, then cut into pieces; wash the lean pork and cut into pieces. Wash the gorgon nut, coix seed and yam, put them together with the duck meat and lean pork into a clay pot, add ginger, dried tangerine peel and an appropriate amount of clear water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours, and season with refined salt and yellow wine to finish.
Effects: Has the effects of strengthening the spleen and benefiting the kidneys, and nourishing yin and the stomach. Suitable for people with symptoms such as fatigue and lack of strength, diarrhea, frequent urination, or soreness and pain of the waist and knees, and lower limb edema.
5. Lotus Seed, Gorgon Nut and Lean Pork Soup
Ingredients: lotus seed 30 grams, gorgon nut 30 grams, lean pork 100 grams.
Method: Add water to the above ingredients, cook soup in a clay pot, add a little salt for seasoning when drinking, and take together with the solids.
Effects: Lotus seed is sweet and astringent in flavor and neutral in nature, and can tonify the spleen and stop diarrhea, nourish the heart and calm the mind, and benefit the kidneys and stabilize essence. If the lotus seed plumule is not discarded, although it is bitter, it has the effects of clearing heat, stabilizing essence, calming the mind and strengthening the heart. Lean pork is slightly cold in nature and flavor, enters the spleen and kidney meridians, and can nourish the viscera and tonify the kidneys and strengthen the spleen.
6. Gorgon Nut and Ginkgo Porridge
Ingredients: gorgon nut 30 grams, ginkgo 6 pieces, glutinous rice 50 grams.
Method: Remove the shells from the ginkgo, add the glutinous rice, put into a clay pot and cook porridge over low heat, once daily.
Effects: Ginkgo, also called white fruit, is sweet, bitter and astringent in flavor, neutral in nature, and slightly toxic. It can astringe the lungs and benefit qi, relieve asthma, and also treat proteinuria. Gorgon nut combined with ginkgo complements each other and has the effects of tonifying the kidneys and strengthening the spleen, and astringing and stabilizing essence. Patients with chronic nephritis with deficiency of vital qi and persistent proteinuria may take it for a long time. Those with chronic nephritis who have elevated blood urea nitrogen or blood creatinine should not use this dietary formula, because it contains more non-essential amino acids and may increase nitrogen intake.
Purchasing Gorgon Nut
Gorgon nut is subglobose, and some are broken into small pieces. The complete ones are 5-8 mm in diameter; the surface has a brownish-red inner seed coat, with one end yellowish-white, accounting for about 1/3 of the whole, with a concave dotted hilum scar, and it appears white after the inner seed coat is removed. The texture is relatively hard, the cross-section is white and farinaceous. It is odorless and mild in taste.
The best is the kind with no moldy smell, no sour or foul odor, and no sulfur smell; the best is complete in granules, plump and uniform, with a white cross-section, sufficient farinaceous quality, no fragments or muddy impurities, and dry without insect damage. Among these, southern gorgon nut (round gorgon nut) is the best.
Storage of Gorgon Nut
Store in a ventilated and dry place, and protect from insects.