Post Date December, 02 2023
Recently, I received a visit from an old technology worker at the outpatient clinic. He is a patient with kidney deficiency and hopes to improve the symptoms of kidney deficiency through traditional Chinese medicine. After I prescribed him Chinese medicine, he also consulted me about several issues related to dietary therapy and kidney tonifying. Among them, he asked me this question: "Does yellow okra actually tonify the kidneys?" I said, "Tonify." So, he handed me a newspaper to read. He said inexplicably, "The newspaper says that okra doesn't tonify the kidneys. I don't know who you're talking about tonifying, but is it your expert who's right or what the newspaper says? I used to eat it every day, but now I'm afraid to eat it
I took a look at the newspaper, and the headline was "Don't be fooled by okra anymore, the truth is here". The main idea was that okra not only does not tonify the kidneys, but also serves as a kidney relieving food, with the functions of clearing heat, detoxifying, and reducing heat, and it was completely useless.
I said to the old man, "Okra is a vegetable that can be used both as a medicine and as a food. Like watermelon, okra has two properties: cold and warm. The skin of the watermelon is used to clear heat and heat, while the flesh of the watermelon is prone to heat and phlegm. The pods of okra are heat clearing and dampness promoting, while okra seeds and viscous substances have the effect of tonifying the kidney and filling the essence, making it particularly suitable for elderly patients with prostate diseases and kidney deficiency diagnosed in traditional Chinese medicine. After listening to my words, the master suddenly realized and told me that he used okra, which felt good and didn't ignite. When the master left, he whispered in my ear, "If you don't look at the advertisements to see the therapeutic effect, who knows who uses it?" Haha, the master is too humorous.
Japan calls okra "green ginseng", while the United States calls it "plant Viagra" and believes that its aphrodisiac effect can be comparable to Viagra. Research has found that yellow autumn sunflowers are rich in flavonoids (higher than those in soybean cotyledons), which have effects such as endocrine regulation and anti-aging. Their aphrodisiac effect is different from the chemical drug Viagra (which mainly acts locally). It gradually exerts its effects through systemic regulation (anti fatigue, endurance enhancement, blood promotion, etc.), so its effect is more gentle and long-lasting, with no side effects. In addition, okra also has the effect of aiding digestion and protecting the intestines and stomach. The viscous substances contained in it can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, which is beneficial for digestion.
(Intern Editor: Liu Jinhao)
