The husband-and-wife fruit pair: one heaty, one cooling, eaten together in summer for nourishment without internal heat

Friendly reminder

Hemu Report aims to share and popularize information about various plants and their uses, for reference only. If medicinal use is needed, it is recommended to consult a professional physician to avoid problems!

The summer solstice is approaching, and all kinds of fruits are gradually coming onto the market. Tropical fruits such as lychee, durian, mango and mangosteen are also in season. The biggest characteristic of tropical fruits is that they are very sweet, much sweeter than the fruits we usually see, such as apples, pears and oranges, so many people like to eat them. They contain a lot of sugar, which is an advantage in itself, but most tropical fruits have a drawback: eating too much easily causes internal heat. This drawback is rather frustrating, as you cannot heartily indulge yourself, which is too painful for food lovers.

Of course, there are also some ways to reduce internal heat. For example, boiling lychee shells or durian shells in water and drinking the liquid has a heat-reducing effect, but this method is not suitable for lazy people. The best option is to eat some heat-reducing fruit as well, which is simple and convenient and most suitable for lazy people. And sure enough, there really is such a fruit pairing; people in Thailand even call them "husband-and-wife fruit."

In Thailand, two kinds of fruit are often eaten together. Although both are produced in tropical regions, their "personalities" are completely opposite: one is heaty and the other is cooling, so they effectively complement each other. Local people call them "husband-and-wife fruit." One of them is durian, which is considered a nourishing food in folk tradition and is very good for people with a cold or weak constitution to use to build up their health. In rural Guangdong there is a saying: "one durian equals three chickens," which shows that it is a fruit with tonic effects.

Durian is extremely high in sugar, protein, fat and vitamins, is very nutritious, and has long been known as the "king of tropical fruits." However, it is a heaty fruit. If you are greedy and eat too much, it may cause symptoms such as a flushed face, abdominal bloating and accumulated heat phlegm. So is there any fruit that can neutralize the heatiness of durian?

This brings us to the other fruit in the "husband-and-wife fruit" pair, which has long been known as the "queen of fruits," nicely echoing the king of fruits. This fruit is mangosteen, also a tropical fruit. If durian is the most heaty fruit, then mangosteen is the most cooling fruit. If you accidentally eat too much durian, you can immediately eat a few mangosteens to relieve the discomfort. Mangosteen is cooling in nature and has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing internal heat and astringing, and can effectively counteract the heatiness of durian. The flesh of mangosteen looks like garlic cloves after being peeled, and tastes sweet. Its rind is also a good thing; in Southeast Asia, mangosteen rind is a traditional rural medicinal material.

People who know how to eat well generally pair a few mangosteens with durian when eating it. Both fruits are very sweet, and eaten together they are both nourishing and free from worry about internal heat. But you should not let yourself eat wildly, because durian and mangosteen share one thing in common: they contain a relatively large amount of fiber. Many people know that fiber can promote gastrointestinal motility and help with bowel movements, but if you take in too much fiber without drinking a lot of water, it can instead lead to constipation. So fruit should still be eaten in moderation, a little each day, and you should not binge.

Dear readers, did you know that durian and mangosteen are a "husband-and-wife fruit" pair? Does anyone like to eat them together?

Text/Hemu Report, images/Internet

If you like Hemu's articles, you are welcome to follow