Chang’an Water Chestnuts

Chang’an Water Chestnuts

　　Water chestnuts contain the highest amount of phosphorus among root vegetables, which can promote human growth and development and maintain physiological functions. They are highly beneficial for the development of teeth and bones, while also aiding in the metabolism of the body’s three major substances—sugar, fat, and protein—and helping to regulate acid-base balance. Therefore, water chestnuts are suitable for children. British research on water chestnuts has discovered an impatiently named antibacterial component—water chestnut ying. This substance has a certain inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and also shows some effectiveness in lowering blood pressure. It also helps prevent lung, esophageal, and breast cancers. Water chestnuts have the function of preventing acute infectious diseases; during spring, when measles and epidemic meningitis are more likely to occur, they are an excellent food for disease prevention. Water chestnuts are a cooling food with good heat-clearing and fire-purging properties. They can both clear heat and promote body fluids as well as supplement nutrition, making them particularly suitable for patients with fevers. They also help cool the blood, detoxify, promote urination and bowel movements, resolve dampness and phlegm, and relieve indigestion and bloating.