Candied Kumquats

Candied Kumquats

　　Kumquats: Commonly known as kumquat cakes, summer oranges, kumquat dates, kumquat bullets, or longevity oranges. Their bright golden appearance symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and they are believed to help increase financial fortune. They are warm in nature and sweet-slightly spicy in flavor.

　　　　Benefits: Regulate qi, relieve depression, dissolve phlegm, quench thirst, aid digestion, and sober up. Kumquats can enhance the body’s resistance to cold, help prevent colds, and lower blood lipids. [/size] Suitable for those suffering from chest tightness and stagnation, loss of appetite, overeating and bloating, or thirst due to drunkenness; also suitable for those with acute or chronic bronchitis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis. Not recommended for those with weak spleen or qi deficiency, and should be avoided by diabetics. People with mouth ulcers or swollen gums should not eat them.

　　　　Kumquats are not only attractive but their fruit is rich in vitamin C, kumquat glycosides, and other components, which help maintain cardiovascular function and may help prevent diseases such as vascular sclerosis and hypertension.

　　　　As a dietary supplement, candied kumquats can stimulate the appetite; drinking kumquat juice can promote saliva production and quench thirst. Drinking it mixed with radish or pear juice can treat coughs. Kumquats have a sweet and warm medicinal property that helps regulate qi, relieve depression, and dissolve phlegm. Medicinal uses include: treating chronic bronchitis by stewing kumquats with rock sugar in a double boiler; treating indigestion by boiling kumquats, scorched malt, and scorched hawthorn together; treating chronic hepatitis by boiling kumquats with Scutellaria barbata and adding sugar; soothing stomach cold pain by boiling kumquats with Evodia rutaecarpa; treating nausea due to cold with a decoction of kumquats, patchouli, and ginger; and drinking a kumquat and codonopsis tea as a substitute for regular tea to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.