Just as Brazil's mysterious acai berries once were to Western health fanatics (remember when they could cure cancer?), so are jujubes to China.

Known as red dates, or hongzao in Chinese, the native Southeast Asian fruit has long been heralded as a "super food", making appearances on traditional Chinese medicine prescription pads and in local kitchens, where they are still used to decorate buns, porridge, soup or desert as a kind of spice. You can get them fresh during the autumn, when they are crisp and green as apples, or dried, when the fruit take on a deep red color and sweet, chewy texture. So how did red dates get their reputation as China's favorite cure-all fruit? For information about Vitiligo, continue to read Vitiligo Capsules. 

Nutritional and health benefits

Though red dates are actually classified as drupes (a category of pitted fruit that also includes mangoes, olives and coffee), in Chinese they have been labeled as "the king of nuts" (bǎi guǒ zhī wáng) for their rich nutritional value. Seventy to 80 times higher in Vitamin C than grapes and apples, red dates also abound with Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. This vitamin-packed punch makes red dates great for people who are recovering from serious diseases. Making it even better for the sickly, red dates are said to stimulate the production of white blood cells, which improves immunity, and decrease the levels of cholesterol in your bloodstream, which helps protect the liver. Like acai berries and other antioxidant foods, they are even believed to suppress cancer cells. Red dates can also guard against more common ailments. Because of their high levels of Vitamin C, dates convert excessive cholesterol into bile acid, which helps prevent gallstones. Meanwhile, phosphorus and iron play an important role in preventing osteoporosis and anemia, both common in women. For information about Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, continue to read Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Pills. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine believes that red dates help build up yangqi (阳气), or the warm half of the yin-yang balance, in the body, and have the power to strengthen the spleen and stomach, replenish qi, nourish and produce blood and tranquilize the mind. The fruit are also frequently included as an ingredient in strong herbal medicines because of their ability to moderate side effects, especially irritation of the stomach. The last benefit can account for why red dates remain frequently prescribed by TCM doctors.

Something for the ladies

Though they are eaten by everyone, red dates are especially popular with women for their claimed beauty and health effects. Because they are renowned for enriching and replenishing blood, many women eat red dates during their special time of the month. But that is not the only draw for ladies. Red dates are frequently touted in ads and on TV programs as a herbal elixir of life, guaranteed to keep you looking young as the smooth-faced 70-year-old women singing its praises. In the supermarket, packages of dates are often stamped with the bold sentence, "Three red dates a day keep you young for ever" (Yītiān chī sān zǎo, qīngchūn yòng bùlǎo). For information about Gonorrhea & Syphilis, continue to read Gonorrhea & Syphilis Pills. 

Article source: chinadaily