The Benefits and Common Household Uses of Winter Melon Peel, Explained Clearly in One Go

Winter melon peel is the green outer skin of the winter melon fruit. Many people habitually peel it off and throw it away when preparing winter melon, but it has long had its uses in traditional cooking and Chinese medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, winter melon peel is considered cool in nature and sweet in taste, and is traditionally used to promote urination and reduce swelling, and to clear heat and relieve summer heat. Both fresh peel and dried peel can be used.

In everyday use, the most common ways to use winter melon peel are boiling it in water and adding it to soups. On hot days, boiling washed fresh winter melon peel in water and drinking it cooled as a tea substitute is a summer heat-relief habit in many households; when making winter melon soup or winter melon and pork rib soup, keeping the peel in the pot makes the broth taste more refreshing and also avoids wasting ingredients.

Before cooking or boiling the peel, first clean off the white bloom and impurities on its surface. You can scrub it with a soft brush and then rinse it several times with clean water. If you cannot use it all at once, cut the peel into small pieces, dry them in the sun or in the shade, and store them in a dry, well-ventilated place, then take out what you need as you go.

Note that winter melon peel is rather cool in nature, so people with a weak and cold spleen and stomach, or who easily have diarrhea, should not eat large amounts of it; if you use it boiled in water for and experience gastrointestinal discomfort, stop using it immediately. Winter melon peel is an auxiliary ingredient in everyday diet and cannot replace proper medical treatment; if you have obvious physical discomfort, you should seek medical attention promptly.